KFC and Pizza Hut are kicking McDonald’s ass in China.
They’re everywhere. And locals tell me the food is excellent and they’re positioned as premium brands.
I’m a big fan of Western fast food chains in China and other Eastern countries. The whole line about McDonald’s ruining local cuisine or culture is such horseshit.
McDonald’s and its ilk give the locals choice. If the locals didn’t like the food, they wouldn’t eat there and McDonald’s wouldn’t be there. So a Chinese person wants a break from noodles? Big deal — give him a burger! It doesn’t make the noodles any less real. So a Parisan doesn’t want to sit in a cafe for two hours for lunch? Big deal — give her something fast! (McDonald’s in Paris, btw, is one of their biggest success stories.)
People who sit at home in the States and say McDonald’s in all these countries takes something away from the local feel haven’t traveled. I never eat McDonald’s at home — I think it’s vile. But abroad I eat there all the time. It’s a nice break from the local fare. And I’m damn glad I have that choice.
It’s also better tasting to me. McDonalds in France and Spain is a notch better than the UK but then I like Taco Bell when I go to the US even though it’s almost inknown in the UK. It’s got that 2-word magic ingredient: fast food.
McDonalds etc are junk-food here in the US, but in Europe they are often the decent “American restaurant” 🙂 To some extent the same goes for Asia.
KFC is my lifetime enemy: at college age I spent a summer internship in Scotland, making barely enough to survive.. and since KFC was the cheapest, that’s where I ate a lot. I promised myself to never set foot in a KFC again … 🙂