Is Fast Food Taking Over the World?

    Imagine you’re lucky enough to spend a vacation in Japan. It’s a great adventure. 

    You tour shiny gold temples and ancient palaces. You even try some sushi. And as the slippery raw fish slides down your throat, a funny thing happens. 

    Gulp.

    You start feeling homesick. 

    But wait! Around the next corner, there’s a familiar sight. Rising above your head are the golden arches of McDonald’s. 

    You walk in and squint at the menu. They have Big Macs and burgers. But there’s also something called the Ebi Filet-O. That’s a deep-fried shrimp sandwich. And maybe you want some Ume Fries with that? They’re french fries flavored with sour-plum powder.

    Something happened to McDonald’s on its way to Japan. Where is the menu you know and love?

    Imagine you are in Japan. You are on vacation. 

    You visit temples. You visit palaces. You try some sushi. That’s raw fish. It’s served in a special way. The fish slides down your throat. 

    Gulp.

    You start feeling homesick. 

    But wait! You see a familiar sight. It’s the golden arches of McDonald’s.

    You walk into the McDonald’s. You look at the menu. It has burgers. But it also has something called the Ebi Filet-O. That’s a deep-fried shrimp sandwich. And it has Ume Fries. Ume is a sour-plum powder.

    McDonald’s is different in Japan. Where is the menu you know and love?

    Imagine you’re fortunate enough to spend a vacation in Japan. You have an amazing adventure.

    You tour dazzling gold temples and ancient castles, and you even try some sushi. As the slippery raw fish slides down your throat, a strange feeling comes over you. 

    Gulp.

    You’re suddenly homesick. 

    But wait! Around the next corner, there’s a familiar sight—rising above your head are the golden arches of McDonald’s.

    You walk in and stare up at the menu boards. They list Big Macs, burgers, and . . . something called the Ebi Filet-O—which is a deep-fried shrimp sandwich. And would you like some Ume Fries with that? These fries are flavored with sour-plum powder.

    Something has happened to this McDonald’s. Where is the menu you know and love?

    Over the past 30 years, American fast-food restaurants have opened up all over the world. McDonald’s has 23,000 restaurants in other countries. Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) is popular in other countries too. Most of its restaurants are outside the United States.

    But being successful overseas is not easy. These restaurants need to offer more than Quarter Pounders and fried chicken. They have to adapt their menus to local tastes.

    In India, many dishes are made with curry. That’s a special mix of spices. So in India, KFC serves curry fried chicken. People in Japan eat seaweed in salads. Now they can add seaweed to their Pizza Hut pizza too.

    Over the past 30 years, American fast-food restaurants have taken over the world. McDonald’s has 14,000 restaurants in the United States—and 23,000 overseas. Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) is popular in other countries too, with more than 75 percent of its restaurants located outside the United States.

    But there’s a trick to selling fast food overseas. Simply offering the American fare of Quarter Pounders and pepperoni pizzas won’t cut it. The big restaurant companies must adapt to local tastes to be successful.

    A fast-food tour of the world will show you how it works. In India, many dishes are made with a spice mixture called curry, so KFC serves curry fried chicken there. And for centuries, people in Japan have eaten seaweed in salads and soups. Now they can add it as a topping to their Pizza Hut pizza too.

    Most fast-food companies do research before opening a restaurant in a new country. They find out what people like to eat. And they try to understand local customs. 

    For example, people in New Zealand love meat. So Burger King added the Full Meaty to its menu there. It includes two beef patties, a chicken patty, and six strips of bacon. 

    India was a bigger challenge for burger restaurants. Most Indians are members of the Hindu religion. Most Hindus don’t eat beef. So McDonald’s does not serve the Big Mac in India. Instead, they serve a Chicken Maharaja Mac. Some McDonald’s in India don’t serve any meat.

    Before moving into a new country, most fast-food restaurants do a lot of research to find out what local people like to eat and to understand local customs. 

    Some places are easier to adapt to than others. For example, people in New Zealand love to eat meat, so Burger King added the Full Meaty to its New Zealand menu. This burger includes two beef patties, a chicken patty, and six strips of bacon. 

    India was more challenging for burger restaurants. Most Indians are members of the Hindu religion, which considers cows to be sacred. Thus, most Hindus don’t eat beef. But McDonald’s found a way to appeal to Hindus by replacing the Big Mac with the Chicken Maharaja Mac. And some McDonald’s in India don’t serve meat at all.

    What happens when a restaurant doesn’t do research? Dunkin’ Donuts knows the answer to that. It opened stores in China in 1994. The company had big expectations for its stores. But people in China wouldn’t eat their donuts. Soon, Dunkin’ closed all its stores in China.

    In 2015, Dunkin’ Donuts was ready to try again. This time, the company did research. Dunkin’ learned that most Chinese people don’t eat sweet food for breakfast. And they don’t drink coffee. They drink tea.

    So Dunkin’ changed its menu for China. Now it has a donut with stringy dried pork. The stores also sell green tea. The new menu is popular. Dunkin’ plans to open more stores in China.

    What happens when restaurants don’t do their research? Dunkin’ Donuts found out the hard way. The company opened stores in China in 1994 with big expectations. But it couldn’t convince Chinese customers to eat donuts, and within a few years, Dunkin’ closed all its stores there.

    In 2015, Dunkin’ Donuts was ready to try again, but this time the company paid attention to Chinese tastes. They discovered that Chinese people don’t eat sweet food for breakfast and they drink tea—not coffee.

    So Dunkin’ changed its menu. Now it offers a donut with a stringy dried pork called floss, and you can wash your donuts down with a green tea latte. The new menu is a hit, and Dunkin’ plans to open more than 1,400 new stores in China.

    American fast food may be taking over the world. But is that a good thing? Not everyone thinks so. Some people don’t like that big companies are taking business away from local restaurants. Others complain that now more people are eating unhealthy foods. 

    In 1999, angry French crowds gathered at dozens of McDonald’s restaurants. A farmer named José Bové was part of the crowds. He and 300 other people destroyed one McDonald’s with a tractor.

    “The fast-food chain is a threat to French culture and traditions,” Bové said. “They should get out of France!”

    But Bové didn’t stop McDonald’s. Today you can get a Big Mac in more than 100 countries. The U.S. sells the most. But guess what country isn’t far behind? 

    France.

    American fast food may be taking over the world, but not everyone is thrilled about it. Some people don’t like that local restaurants are losing customers to these big companies. Other people complain that fast food is spreading unhealthy eating habits around the globe. 

    The most famous fight against American fast food happened in 1999 when angry French crowds gathered at dozens of McDonald’s restaurants. A farmer named José Bové and 300 other people destroyed one of the restaurants with a tractor.

    “The fast-food chain is a threat to French culture and traditions,” Bové said. “They should get out of France!”

    But Bové failed to stop McDonald’s. Today you can get a Big Mac in more than 100 countries. The United States sells the most. But guess what country isn’t far behind? 

    France.