(Reuters) -Domino's India operator posted a quarterly profit that almost tripled from a year earlier on Thursday, as demand for its affordable pizzas and combo deals stayed strong, bucking the broader slowdown in the fast-food industry.

Jubilant Foodworks has stood out as a rare outperformer in an environment where fast-food chains have struggled for over a year to attract consumers amid fierce competition from rivals and only a tentative recovery in urban spending.

The Domino's franchisee has cut costs and driven volume through discounted meals, app-based delivery fee waivers and 20-minute delivery in key cities, prompting rivals to take cue and sharpen focus on delivery.

Jubilant logged 9.1% like-for-like sales growth in the second quarter, while Pizza Hut operators Devyani International and Sapphire Foods posted same-store sales declines of 4.1% and 8%, respectively.

Noida-based Jubilant reported a profit of 1.86 billion rupees ($21.16 million) for the September quarter, compared to a profit a year ago of 640.5 million rupees. Profit from continued operations, however, climbed 54%.

Revenue from operations rose 20% to 23.4 billion rupees.

"October has been a very good month for us ... was ahead of our plans," a Jubilant executive said on an earnings call, shortly after the company said in a press release it expects a "promising" second half of the fiscal year.

Jubilant is also betting on India's tax cuts to boost sales in contrast to Devyani's projection of consumption tax cuts having a minimal impact.

"Through multiple initiatives of the government, be it interest rates coming down, income tax rates coming down and (consumption tax cuts) ... demand for eating out will only go up," the executive said.

While Jubilant's efforts have powered demand, they have also capped margin expansion. Jubilant's September-quarter EBITDA margin contracted by four basis points.

($1 = 87.8950 Indian rupees)

(Reporting by Ananta Agarwal in Bengaluru and Praveen Paramasivam in Chennai; Editing by Mrigank Dhaniwala)

By Ananta Agarwal and Praveen Paramasivam