Brands
EatQual: McDonald’s new packaging for the specially-abled
NEW DELHI: Back in the noughties, McDonald’s as a brand was the great Indian equaliser. The brand was in dire straits after failing to win over Indian consumers whose palates and wallets were used to the taste and inexpensiveness of samosa, vada pao and chaat; so, McDonald’s switched gears and positioned itself as a super-pocket-friendly global chain. This immediately made a mark on the aspirational middle class, and the products’ price point – starting at only Rs 20 – was a big hit across demographics.
Now, on the occasion of International Day of Persons with Disabilities, the fast food chain is doing something unique and in line with its egalitarian ethos. McDonald’s India west and south will be launching a new packaging – EatQual – designed for its specially-abled customers. The EatQual pack has been developed over months of collaboration with an NGO that has been working towards the betterment of the specially-abled community for over 50 years.
EatQual will be available across McDonald’s restaurants in west and south India starting mid-December.
The new packaging innovation stems from the insight that the current packaging typically requires customers to use both their hands to truly enjoy the delicious McDonald’s burgers. This makes it difficult for those with upper-limb disabilities. EatQual will address this challenge and ensure that everyone can bite into their favourite burgers just as easily.
McDonald’s India (west and south) director – marketing & communications Arvind RP said, “It has always been our endeavour to make delicious feel-good moments easy for everyone. The launch of this EatQual packaging is a step to further our commitment towards inclusiveness and social responsibility. We hope that this packaging will make the McDonald’s experience easy and delightful for our specially-abled customers.”
DDB Mudra Group India NCD Rahul Mathew said, “Equality and inclusivity isn’t always about the big things. It’s also about being able to do the little everyday things like everyone else can; eating your favourite McDonald’s burger, for instance. And that has been the guiding force behind the EatQual initiative. How can we make the McDonald’s experience just as enjoyable for all.”
Food accessibility is the bare minimum necessity for every individual including the ones with upper arm movement disability, and innovations like these can make eating so much easier for them, said Vaishali Kolhe associate professor at the Centre for Disability Studies and Action & Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai. “It is heartening to see an iconic brand like McDonald’s take initiatives to maintain inclusion at their restaurants. Through initiatives like these, we are not doing these individuals a favour but making their experience of eating independent and enjoyable. I look forward to enjoying my favourite McDonald’s burger in the new EatQual pack.”
McDonald’s restaurants in West and South India are owned and operated by Westlife Development Ltd under its wholly owned subsidiary – Hardcastle Restaurants Pvt Ltd.
Brands
UK’s OnlyFans seeks US investor at $3bn valuation after owner’s death
The adult video platform is seeking stability after the death of its billionaire owner
LONDON: OnlyFans is looking for a new partner. The London-based adult video platform is in advanced talks to sell a minority stake of less than 20 per cent to Architect Capital, a San Francisco-based investment firm, in a deal that would value the business at more than $3bn (£2.2bn).
The move is driven by an urgent need for stability. Leonid Radvinsky, the Ukrainian-American billionaire who owned OnlyFans, died of cancer last month at the age of 43, leaving the future of one of Britain’s most profitable privately held businesses suddenly uncertain.
The choice of Architect Capital is not arbitrary. The firm has deep expertise in financial services, which aligns neatly with OnlyFans’ ambitions to offer banking products to its creators, many of whom have long struggled to access basic financial services because of the nature of their work.
The numbers behind OnlyFans are, by any measure, staggering. The platform posted revenues of $1.4bn in the year to 30th November 2024, with a pre-tax profit of $684m, up four per cent on the prior year. Payments to creators totalled $7.2bn over the same period, a rise of nearly ten per cent. Radvinsky personally collected $701m in dividends from the business in 2024 alone, on top of more than $1bn in such payments he had already received. The platform, run through its parent company Felix International, hosts 4.6m creator accounts, with performers keeping 80 per cent of subscription proceeds and the platform pocketing the remaining 20 per cent. It has 377m fan accounts in total.
The current minority stake talks represent a notable scaling back of ambitions. In January, OnlyFans was reported to be in discussions with Architect about selling a majority stake of 60 per cent. Before that, the company had explored a sale to a consortium led by Forest Road Company, a Los Angeles-based investment firm. Neither deal materialised.
OnlyFans has built an enormously lucrative business on content that mainstream finance has long refused to touch. Now, with its owner gone and a $3bn valuation on the table, it is looking for the kind of respectable institutional backing that might finally persuade the banks to take its calls.
