Chinese fast-food insurgents are beating McDonald’s and KFC
The healthy appetite comes from smaller cities
WESTERN CHAINS used to dominate casual dining and drinking in China. The arrival of a Kentucky Fried Chicken in a Chinese city was once regarded as a developmental milestone. Today China is home to 10,000 KFCs (whose owner, Yum China, was spun off from its American parent in 2016), more than twice the number in America. Starbucks has 7,000 coffee shops and McDonald’s boasts 6,000 burger joints. The foreigners’ cash and cachet made it hard for locals to compete.
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This article appeared in the Business section of the print edition under the headline “The taste of things to come”
Business June 8th 2024
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