Burger King India has taken tomatoes off their menu due to increased vegetable prices attributed to bad harvest.
“Even tomatoes need a vacation!” read a notice at an outlet in New Delhi capital on Thursday.
“Due to unpredictable conditions on the quality and supply of tomato, we are unable to add tomatoes in our food… we are doing our best to get back tomatoes in our burgers.”
The burger franchise has operated across India since 2014, replacing its usual lineup of beef burgers with an assortment of chicken and vegetarian substitutes to accommodate Hindu objections to cattle slaughter.
It is the latest of several chains to stop serving the vegetable.
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The outlet follows the footsteps of other food giants like McDonald's and Subway.
McDonald’s said in July it was taking tomatoes off its menus as a temporary measure due to “seasonal issues”, local media reported.
American sandwich chain Subway followed suit the same month, saying they were facing “quality issues”.
India's central bank issued a warning last week that rising food costs had already impacted household budgets and were likely to worsen.
It also mentioned how pest infestations and unfavourable weather conditions in key tomato-producing regions had caused prices to skyrocket.
To relieve pressure on food costs, according to Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, the government has lifted import limits on tomatoes from the neighbouring nation of Nepal.
