Bengaluru, Nov. 26 -- Bengaluru has turned into a tougher market for quick-service restaurant (QSR) chains as footfalls decline, rentals stay high, and customers opt for more gourmet food choices, weakening the city's long-held reputation as a dependable growth engine.

Jubilant FoodWorks, which operates the country's largest QSR chain Domino's; Westlife Foodworld, which runs McDonald's; and Barbeque Nation have pointed to slowing growth or a decline in sales in the southern city.

Analysts estimate that Bengaluru ranks among the top three cities for QSR operators, alongside Mumbai and Delhi-NCR, although the exact revenue contribution isn't available. But the strain is becoming more pronounced when such chains grapple with a broader slow...