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Chinese McDonald's Aim at KFC

Golden arches play catch-up in a country that prefers chicken

By Jonas Oransky,  Newser Staff

Posted Sep 17, 2007 11:26 AM CDT

(Newser) – You can visit Ronald McDonald at 800 restaurants across China, but the Colonel will feed you at a whopping 1,940 KFC locations. So McDonald's is starting the engine on a new campaign to overcome the Chinese cultural bias for poultry over beef: Unable to compete in sheer number of outlets, the company is pioneering drive-throughs.

KFC may be so attuned to its Eastern clientele that it serves a rice porridge dish, but Yum brands—which owns KFC and also Pizza Hut and Taco Bell, and opens one store per day in the Communist country—has only 10 car-friendly locations. McDonalds will bring the feature to half of the 125 stores opening next year, many of which will test out another Chinese novelty—24-hour service.

Beijing, CHINA: A couple chat over their meal as a worker clears trays at a 24-hour branch of McDonalds in Beijing, 10 June 2007. (FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images)...
Beijing, CHINA: A couple chat over their meal as a worker clears trays at a 24-hour branch of McDonalds in Beijing, 10 June 2007. (FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images)...   (Getty Images)
Beijing, CHINA: A pedestrian walks past an advertisment billboard of US fastfood giant McDonalds in Beijing, 11 April 2007.(TEH ENG KOON/AFP/Getty Images)
Beijing, CHINA: A pedestrian walks past an advertisment billboard of US fastfood giant McDonalds in Beijing, 11 April 2007.(TEH ENG KOON/AFP/Getty Images)   (Getty Images)
Beijing, CHINA: Chinese workers go about their business behind the counter at a branch of US fastood giant McDonalds in Beijing, 02 April 2007. (FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images)
Beijing, CHINA: Chinese workers go about their business behind the counter at a branch of US fastood giant McDonalds in Beijing, 02 April 2007. (FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images)   (Getty Images)
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McDonalds advertises 24 hours service in China.   (skybluedude (YouTube))
Patrons and employees pack a McDonalds in China.   (bosbcn (YouTube))

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