Feb 3 (Reuters) - Burger King India operator reported a narrower third-quarter loss on Tuesday, as its discounted menu items helped bring in diners.
Restaurant Brands Asia RESR.NS reported a net loss of 435.4 million rupees ($4.8 million) for the three months ended December 31, compared to a loss of 504 million rupees a year earlier.
Demand at consumer-facing businesses in India has been gradually improving as inflation is controlled and the government's consumption tax cuts leave shoppers with more money to spend.
But Western fast-food brands face stiff competition from local diners and cloud kitchens, prompting them to roll out deeper discounts, including Burger King's two burgers for 79 rupees and meals priced at 99 rupees.
As customers become more selective, Restaurant Brands Asia aims to keep them coming back by keeping prices reasonable, Rajeev Varman, group CEO, said in a statement.
The efforts helped Burger King post 4.5% growth in same-store sales, which refer to sales from stores open for at least 12 months, quicker than the previous quarter's 2.8% growth.
Overall revenue from operations for Restaurant Brands Asia, which also operates restaurants in Indonesia, grew nearly 12% to 7.15 billion rupees.
Last month, the company said real estate-to-restaurants group Inspira Global will invest up to 34.16 billion rupees for a controlling stake in the firm, as private equity firm Everstone sells its stake.
($1 = 90.2350 Indian rupees)
(Reporting by Komal Salecha in Bengaluru and Praveen Paramasivam in Chennai; Editing by Harikrishnan Nair and Mrigank Dhaniwala)
((Komal@thomsonreuters.com;))
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