While it appears that Yum! Brands Inc has invited KFC Holdings (Malaysia) Bhd (KFCH) to venture into India’s promising food and beverage market, questions remain on how wide India’s door is open to Malaysia’s ambitious KFC franchisee. KFCH chairman Tan Sri Muhammad Ali Hashim said recently that KFCH’s unit, KFC India Holdings Sdn Bhd, is talking to Yum! Brands to acquire five of the latter’s KFC stores in Mumbai and Pune, two large cities in Maharashtra state. The five will complement KFCH’s existing outlets and help the Malaysian fast food operator achieve its target of having 17 outlets in India by the end of next year. Yum! Brands’ unit, Yum! Restaurants (India) Pte Ltd (Yum! India), owns and operates four KFC outlets in Mumbai and two in Pune part of the chain of outlets it owns in India. Yum! Brands is the global owner of the KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and A&W fast food brands. It owns about two-thirds of the 86 KFC restaurants in India while the others are