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Why does China love KFC more than McDonald's?
KFC is one of the most popular fast food chains in China, with more than 2,100 locations in 450 cities. Perhaps surprisingly, McDonald's is not nearly as successful, with only about half the number of restaurants. This is the reverse of the situation in the United States, where McDonald's is often considered to be number one while KFC trails behind.
So why do the Chinese prefer KFC to McDonald's? The blog The China Expat has a few possible answers. One of them is that KFC caters better to Chinese tastes than McDonald's does. For example, KFC's menu includes Traditional Peking Chicken Rolls, Preserved Sichuan Pickle and Shredded Pork Soup, Happy French Fry Shakes (with beef, orange and Uygur barbecue spices) and for breakfast a Chinese-style porridge called congee. McDonald's caters its menu to international tastes, but not to the same extent in China.
In addition, a slick marketing campaign from KFC has some Chinese convinced that KFC is actually healthy. "Their message is that KFC is the 'new fast food,'" says the China Expat. (Does this mean KFC's appalling new "Double Down" hasn't arrived in China yet?)
Finally, and perhaps most importantly in these lean economic times, KFC has better coupons than McDonald's. The coupons are apparently so good that Chinese KFC's are occasionally mobbed by coupon-holders.
Go here for the full China Expat post. Any other ideas why KFC beats McDonald's in China?
Filed under: Food and Drink, Asia, China
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Simon Jun 7th 2010 12:38PM
I'm Chinese. Even though now I don't eat any fast food, I used to like KFC in China a lot. The answer to why KFC is more popular than McDonald's in China is simple: Chinese people don't like beef patties. KFC's fried chicken just simply tastes better than McDonald's hamburger to us Chinese, period. I bet if you do a research in McDonald's in China, their chicken products will be more popular than beef products. Unfortunately, KFC beats McDonald's hands down when it comes to chicken. And the fried chicken from KFC in China is actually less greasy than those from America.
BTW, I don't think double down will be popular in China because Chinese people don't like bacon either.
Emily Dec 4th 2010 8:52AM
Half of my extended family is from china and they love bacon and KFC. What they don't like is cheese, mayonaise and bread. Maybe a little bread is OK but MCD has lots of bread, cheese and mayo. I have never seen a traditional chinese dish with cheese.
Jason Feb 6th 2011 3:09PM
My American friend in Shanghai went to his Chinese girlfriend's house to spend time with her and her grandparents. By the time he got there, they were already enjoying some KFC. Her grandparents brought some food for her, but did not bring any for him because he had told them previously he did not like Chinese food. True story.