China: First Impressions

First Time for Everything

It’s the first week in China and things here are already so much different than what we expected. We have seen so many KFC’s it’s unbelievable. McDonald’s seem to be scarce and far between but when we do see them, it’s an experience. We have not had a chance to go in either a KFC or a McDonald’s yet, but we have taken plenty of pictures of the exteriors, signage, and any menus we have been able to see. We have also asked some locals about their thoughts on KFC and what they think about the two companies as a whole.

From what we have learned about KFC and McDonald's so far, we have found that most Chinese people prefer KFC over McDonald's and find that the food from both of these fast food restaurants is considered "high quality" and rather almost a sort of fine-ish dinning to some Chinese. Going to KFC or McDonald's and being able to eat "American food" is something very special and something that the Chinese are willing to pay more money for. In the dining halls we have been to, we can typically get two types of meat, vegetables, and a heaping helping of rice for 6-10¥ (which is $1-$1.60) where as a "cheap" KFC or McDonald's meal will cost you 20-40¥ (which is about $3.30-$6.60).

All of the KFC's and McDonald's that we've seen have always looked overcrowded and always seem to have lines. Most of the time, it is hard to find a spot to sit within the restaurant as people seem to hang out and congregate a lot more in these fast food restaurants. This might be because of the quality of the interiors and how plush and cozy all of the seating is.

Do as the Locals Do

Before we went into any of the restaurants, we wanted to get a bit of background on what the locals think of McDonald's and KFC. We interviewed three different locals to see what their thoughts were:

Would you rather eat at KFC or McDonald's? Why?

Yuki: I like KFC better but I prefer Burger King. I think the food tastes better and it is not as unhealthy as McDonald's is.

Leo: KFC. The taste is much better than McDonald's. I like the chicken burgers more than the beef burgers.

Bill: I like McDonald's best. I like the cheese burgers and fries. I think it is very American and it tastes so good.

Why do you think there are so many KFC's in China?

Yuki: KFC is very classic and it is what the Chinese are used to. It was the first fast food restaurant I ever went to and I think it is what Chinese people are used to.

Leo: KFC was the first fast food restaurant to come to China. Many Chinese think that KFC is a Chinese fast food restaurant and they think it is a very nice eating place. You go to KFC for a good meal where you spend more and get high quality food. Chinese people are used to seeing KFC everywhere and they are more popular than McDonald's because of the taste of the food; Chinese people are used to the taste and prefer it.

What are some of your favorite things to get from KFC or McDonald's?

Yuki: I really like these egg pastries from KFC. They are sweet and delicious! They come from American too which I think it very cool. From McDonald's, I like their green tea ice cream. It is perfect to eat in the summer.

We informed Yuki that we have never heard of these egg pastries and she was really shocked.

Leo: I like to get a chicken burger from KFC. The taste is the best! I don't like McDonald's burgers as much because they have rice in them and I can always order my rice with my burger anyways.

Bill: I really like McDonald's burgers! I also like their Taro filled pies, they are so sweet and good! From KFC, I like to eat their squid poppers. They taste very good to me.

Taro is a purple sweet potato like potato that is very popular in desserts in China.

Ready to Dive In

Through our initial observation and interviews, we have learned a lot about the restaurants already which will help us immensely as we prepare to go into the actual KFC's and McDonald's. We know what to look for and how different these restaurants are already which will help us zone in and focus on things to look for while researching. The interviews also gave us first hand knowledge and a key insight to how the locals feel about fast food and what they think about our research and what our McDonald's and KFC's are like in the States.