Demand for KFC Soaring in China
“In many parts of China, the local municipal governments actually view the arrival of a KFC as a sign of the city coming of age.”
I ate at quite a few KFCs in China. Not being a big fan of them in the US, I wasn’t too big of a fan of them in China either. But it was a welcomed change from McDonalds.
In China, KFC has outpaced rival McDonald’s Corp., which has its own expansion plans. McDonald’s has more than 600 restaurants in China and plans to open about 100 more this year, comparable to 2004. Its long-range plans call for 1,000 restaurants in China by 2008.
1,000 McDonald’s restaurants in China? I’m guessing Ronald’s reach will go into the deepest parts of China, not familiar with western culture.
McDonald’s are literally everywhere in China. Sometimes one sees them more often than McDonald’s here. The difference in McDonald’s and KFC is that Chinese McDonald’s tastes and looks like McDonald’s. KFC’s chicken portions are much more small than American portions. It wasn’t unusual for a customer to get a miniature leg…more of a kid’s meal.
I distinctly remember eating at a KFC in Xi’an, just down the street from the Hotel I stayed at. It was a fresh oasis in a land of chopsticks. I’m not into eating weird food, so I really did eat McDonald’s, KFC, and Pizza Hut each chance I got.