Why is US fastfood chain so boring while in US?

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

Speaking of boring choices, I couldn't help but notice that you went to McD & Pizza Hut while in HK. Just sayin'

I don't remember anything particularly special about McD in HK(other than that one delivered, but I'm told that happens in other big cities too) but it's been more than a decade since I went there.

It was about the same in Japan, as far as McD and KFC's concerned.

Gotta give props to seafood pizza, though. I do order something like that whenever I find it on the menu somewhere.

Every country has specialties at McDs.

In HK its wings. In Taiwan its corn soup, etc etc. McD's McCafe is highly regarded in Asia. Also the pizza hut there is really good. The Egg tarts at KFC are also VERY well known in Taiwan and HK. But the fact that I can't get mashed potatoes with my fried chicken really... disappoints me so that I'll never really want to eat there. Plus I'd take Popeyes over KFC anyway so meh.

 

[kami333]

I think it also has to do with localization, while in the US a burger is considered the traditional fast food item other countries see a pita or fallafel or rice as traditional so by adding in some local flavor it makes it more accessible to some who would normally not think of eating there. Hence you get things like McFallafel or Pita Mac.

Speaking of boring choices, I couldn't help but notice that you went to McD & Pizza Hut while in HK. Just sayin'

I don't remember anything particularly special about McD in HK(other than that one delivered, but I'm told that happens in other big cities too) but it's been more than a decade since I went there.

It was about the same in Japan, as far as McD and KFC's concerned.

Gotta give props to seafood pizza, though. I do order something like that whenever I find it on the menu somewhere.

Whenever I go to a foreign country I always try to go to a McDonald's. Some people like to collect stamps or pins from around the world, I like to eat at McDonalds around the world I've had a lot of people make fun of me for it but I think it's fun and interesting to see what sort of local flavors have gotten incorporated into what would otherwise seem like a monolithic corporation. And while eating local is always good, sometimes the best ethnic food is in places like Chicago or NYC because of the availability of fresher ingredients and better chefs, though you usually end up paying for it as well.

I have to say that the weirdest one I've had is a Nacho King in Norway, it was a basically a junior whopper with a tortilla chip and some salsa on it (I think US Burger King is testing something similar but spicier in the South this year). My favorite is the Teriyaki Burger at McDonalds in Japan, I also liked the nori (seaweed) seasoned fries they had one summer. In Maine you can get a McLobster during certain months, if you are looking for something in the US.


Here's a bunch of different things you can order at McDonalds around the world. http://foodnetworkhumor.com/2009/07/mcdonalds-menu-items-from-around-the-world-40-pics/

 

[Demo24]

I would also putting it down to people knowing what they will receive if they walk into a restaurant in California or NY. Lot of people are picky, and then some are just playing it safe.

 

[Xellos2099]

Finally some nice responses... man the katsu, black pepper and shrimp burger look SO good.

 

[dighn]

it's just adaption to local tastes and ingredients. HK people <3 seafood, so they put seafood on their pizza. is it "better"? not necessarily. I for one don't care for seafood on my pizza, and I'm chinese.

 

[DrPizza]

Oh! Ding ding ding! I've got it! I've got the answer!

Fast food places in Asia are staffed by Asian teenagers. Fast food places in the U.S. are staffed by U.S. teens. Everyone knows that teens in the U.S. are stupid compared to their counterparts in Asia. Thus, the menu needs to be simplified so that they can cope. <ding> Fries are done.

The pizza shop I worked at introduced beef on wecks to the menu many years ago. I hadn't trained the new kid yet. For speed, we pre-sliced the beef really thin and put it into portioned little baggies. We then put it in the au jus to heat it up when someone ordered a sandwich. We were very busy and I didn't have time to show him what to do, so I gave verbal instructions to the new kid, "dump two packages of beef into the au jus, let them warm for about a minute, then put them inside the rolls. I wish I were kidding, but he couldn't figure it out. He was the valedictorian of his high school class.

 

[Fern]

Well, look like I won't get any meaningful answer here since I am being surrounded by mostly grammar nazi, or self serving utter bastard. For those who has something meaningful to say, thanks. Guess I will just try to discuss this on a food forum instead...

One very important reason for this has gone unmentioned. In the USA fast food restaurants face a ton of competition, including everything from newer struggling franchises to mom & pop local fast food restaurants.

We're a big country here, with a diverse population. The successful franchise will focus on what has broad appeal and what they can compete against.

For example: a seafood pizza isn't going to be popular everywhere. You can't really have some of your franchises offer it and others refuse. You'll have a lack of consistency in your brand. You'll also lose some of your competitive buying power because you won't be buying in the same large bulk as you do for items that are sold in every franchise.

You'll also face trouble in the form of competition that specializes in seafood. If you're Pizza Hut and you invest in making seafood pizza popular etc and it works, Red Lobster may come along and kick your azz. They'll beat you everyday and twice on Sunday if you try to compete with them on seafood. They buy tons of it and control the production/distribution pipelines.

Fern

 

[ElFenix]

the chicken chop in singapore was way better than mcdonalds' then-offered chicken sandwiches in the US.

 

[sandorski]

it's just adaption to local tastes and ingredients. HK people <3 seafood, so they put seafood on their pizza. is it "better"? not necessarily. I for one don't care for seafood on my pizza, and I'm chinese.

The main reason is their fast food is more of a restaurant and the social aspect of eating is much more of an emphasis, whereas here eating is more necessity than a social event. When I travel to see family in Taiwan, the first they do is make a huge dinner, and the same when they come here. If I were to visit more Western friends or family, the issue is more of what we want to do or go, rather than what we want to eat.

Western societies do not put as much emphasis on the food itself, rather it's conveniences, speed, cost, or availability. That being said, there are plenty of good choices here in the states. Fast Food chains in the states are not a a good representative. While over seas, I can tell you, there would be plenty of times I wish I had a local steak restaurants, a basic meat and potato meal, good Mexican restaurant, or in fact, any decent restaurant that is not Chinese food.

Here in the states, I have a choice of nearly every culture of food, and have it be a decent representative of that particular culture.

These are the best answers, I'll sum them up:

1) Cultural differences around Eating

2) Local taste preferences

 

[OOBradm]

Well, look like I won't get any meaningful answer here since I am being surrounded by mostly grammar nazi, or self serving utter bastard. For those who has something meaningful to say, thanks. Guess I will just try to discuss this on a food forum instead...

 

[sandorski]

That's "udder".

 

[gaidensensei]

The irony in that white dude at the chinese buffet, is that restaurants like those only make the chinese food selection catered towards americans.

When my folks used to own a restaurant business in Los Angeles, they had to make american variations for just about all the common dishes. One for the americans, one for the asians. Something as common as broccoli beef had two variations. They would take the order then note the ethnicity of the person to the chef cooking verbally - "old whitey at table four wants broccoli beef".

If they looked like they were american, add cornstarch and sugar into the base mixture. If not, leave base soy sauce flavoring.

 

[xanis]

Oh! Ding ding ding! I've got it! I've got the answer!

Fast food places in Asia are staffed by Asian teenagers. Fast food places in the U.S. are staffed by U.S. teens. Everyone knows that teens in the U.S. are stupid compared to their counterparts in Asia. Thus, the menu needs to be simplified so that they can cope. <ding> Fries are done.

The pizza shop I worked at introduced beef on wecks to the menu many years ago. I hadn't trained the new kid yet. For speed, we pre-sliced the beef really thin and put it into portioned little baggies. We then put it in the au jus to heat it up when someone ordered a sandwich. We were very busy and I didn't have time to show him what to do, so I gave verbal instructions to the new kid, "dump two packages of beef into the au jus, let them warm for about a minute, then put them inside the rolls. I wish I were kidding, but he couldn't figure it out. He was the valedictorian of his high school class.

Yet another example of book smarts != common sense.

 

[zinfamous]

food culture is different over here. We have been raised on several generations of cheap, processed, and empty.

For those franchises to survive overseas, they have to adopt a more traditional style of food prep--more akin to what those restaurants made when they were only a few stores, decades ago.

I went to a pizza hut in Paris...it was excellent.

 

[Xellos2099]

Why are people dismissing seafood on pizza in us? Granted only the east and west coast would have access to fresh seafood daily but still... It has not been done much in us before so how can one be sure it won't work? Hell, I am pretty sure a pizza with clam and shrimp and white sauce would taste great. No need for lobster like the lobster pizza that they got over at Red Lobster.

Note, Please look up the term self serving utter bastard before posting stupid picture.

Fern: As insightful as always like in political forum.

 

[FallenHero]

Why are people dismissing seafood on pizza in us? Granted only the east and west coast would have access to fresh seafood daily but still... It has not been done much in us before so how can one be sure it won't work? Hell, I am pretty sure a pizza with clam and shrimp and white sauce would taste great. No need for lobster like the lobster pizza that they got over at Red Lobster.

Note, Please look up the term self serving utter bastard before posting stupid picture.

Fern: As insightful as always like in political forum.

You seem to be an uppity prick. Look up that term.

 

[Bryophyte]

Americans don't want to pay much for the garbage they shovel into their maws. Much of the meat served in fast food restaurants is hardly better than the grade you'd feed your dog. People don't care. They'll feed their kids pink slime as long as it's on the dollar menu or comes with a free toy. Seafood isn't cheap, therefore you don't see seafood in fast food, with the exception of a few things made out of pollock or little salad sized shrimp (popcorn shrimp.)

If you satisfy at least a few of the following list, it will sell to the average fast food eating american:

Cheap
Salty
Greasy
Sweet
Filling

They don't care if it gives them gas, or if it clogs their arteries. They don't care if it has fresh ingredients or complex flavors.

 

[Bryophyte]

Another thing you seem to be forgetting is that fast food restaurants are in the business of making money. They have it down to a science, literally. They know exactly what sells the most for the biggest profit margin. They occasionally test market a few interesting things, but they just don't make as much money on those items as they do on the basics, so they never last long on the menu.

 

[Bryophyte]

I also agree with the above poster that said that eating out at a US fast food chain in other countries is a completely different thing than Americans eating out at a US fast food chain in the US. Here, it's just a quick, cheap way to fill up your stomach and not have to cook and do the dishes. Over there, I'd bet that it's more likely to be viewed as 'dining'.

 

[xanis]

I also agree with the above poster that said that eating out at a US fast food chain in other countries is a completely different thing than Americans eating out at a US fast food chain in the US. Here, it's just a quick, cheap way to fill up your stomach and not have to cook and do the dishes. Over there, I'd bet that it's more likely to be viewed as 'dining'.

I've been to Spain and Italy and had fast food in both (BK in Spain, McDonald's in Italy) just to see what it was like. I don't know if it was just all in my head, but it didn't seem nearly as greasy and it tasted, dare I say, fresher. It was also a lot more expensive than in the US (McD's had Big Mac meals for about $10-11 US) but the food did seem to be of a higher quality.

 

[Bryophyte]

When Americans want something to eat that's fresher and higher in quality and better ingredients, we go out to real restaurants, not McDonald's.

 

[xanis]

When Americans want something to eat that's fresher and higher in quality and better ingredients, we go out to real restaurants, not McDonald's.

I'm not disagreeing with you. I'm simply saying that fast food in other countries seems to be of high quality than fast food in America.

 

[Bryophyte]

I seriously doubt that any countries other than the US consider US chains to be 'fast food' the way we do. Their street food fills that need for them. US food would be a novelty. (Note: even when comparing US fast food to everyone else's street food type of fast food, the US is abysmal. Americans have a horribly simplistic palate. When poor people raise their kids on McD's, they ruin their children's appreciation of flavor. The kids grow up to be adults that know only salt, fat, and sugar.)

xanis- I didn't mean to argue with you. I'm just still astonished by the OP's lack of understanding of the concept of fast food in the US.

 

[zerocool84]

HK can keep their seafood pizza. No thank you

 

[RelaxTheMind]

a lot of americans really do fit the stereotype of "hotdogs and hamburgers" some people actually ONLY eat those things too.