McDonald's in China | Inside China
Summary
TLDRThe video script highlights McDonald's iconic presence in China, with nearly 1,000 restaurants serving 4 million customers daily. It symbolizes China's opening to the world and its emerging wealth. The script narrates the story of McDonald's entry into China, the cultural impact it had, and how it adapted by importing its entire business process, including teaching local farmers to grow the right potatoes for its fries. Despite challenges in the US, China remains McDonald's fastest-growing market, with fierce competition and a focus on food safety.
Takeaways
- π McDonald's golden arches are an iconic symbol in both America and China, becoming a staple of daily life in China.
- π McDonald's operates nearly 1,000 restaurants in China, serving 4 million Chinese customers daily with the help of 100,000 employees.
- ποΈ The first McDonald's in China opened over 20 years ago, representing China's openness to the world and connection to Western culture.
- π¨βπ For many Chinese, like Edward Jong, McDonald's represented a modern and fashionable way of life that symbolized Western influence.
- π While McDonald's struggles with health concerns in the US, its business in China is thriving due to the expanding middle class and growing demand.
- π Competition in China is fierce, particularly with KFC, which has more than twice the number of stores as McDonald's.
- π McDonald's is expanding rapidly in China, opening five new outlets every week, making it the company's fastest-growing market.
- πΊπΈ McDonald's imported its entire business process from the US to China, including bringing in the potatoes for its fries initially.
- π₯ McDonald's taught Chinese farmers how to grow the right kind of potatoes for its signature fries, significantly improving local farming techniques.
- βοΈ Food safety is a top priority for McDonald's in China, ensuring the same quality of fries and other products as in the US and other regions.
Q & A
What is the significance of McDonald's in China according to the script?
-McDonald's in China symbolizes the country's opening to the world and its emerging wealth. It represents a connection to America and a modern lifestyle for Chinese people.
How many restaurants does McDonald's have in China?
-At the time of the script, McDonald's has nearly 1,000 restaurants in China.
How many Chinese people are served by McDonald's daily?
-McDonald's serves 4 million Chinese people every day.
What does the oldest and most famous McDonald's in Beijing represent?
-It represents the company's early entry into China and its significance as a symbol of the country's opening up and modernization.
What was the initial reaction of Chinese people to McDonald's when it first arrived?
-The initial reaction was one of fascination and excitement, as it was seen as a modern and fashionable Western influence.
Why was McDonald's seen as a symbol of modern life in China?
-It was seen as a symbol of modern life because it introduced Chinese people to a new and different lifestyle that was previously closed off to them due to limited global interaction.
How does the script describe the situation of McDonald's in the United States?
-The script describes McDonald's in the US as struggling with sales and facing criticism for contributing to the nation's obesity problem.
What is the competition like for McDonald's in China?
-The competition is fierce in China, with chief rival KFC having more than twice the number of stores.
How does McDonald's ensure the quality of its fries in China?
-McDonald's ensures the quality of its fries by importing the entire business process from America, including teaching local farmers how to grow the right potatoes and replicating the same production process used in the US.
What challenges did McDonald's face when it first started in China?
-McDonald's faced challenges such as the absence of suitable potatoes for their fries and the need to teach local farmers new farming techniques to meet their standards.
How does the script highlight the importance of food safety for McDonald's?
-The script emphasizes that there are no shortcuts in food safety practices and that McDonald's must adhere to strict standards every single day to ensure the safety of their food.
Outlines
π McDonald's in China: A Symbol of Modernization and Western Influence
McDonald's has become a significant part of daily life in China, with nearly 1,000 restaurants serving 4 million Chinese people daily. The brand symbolizes China's opening to the world and its emerging wealth. The first McDonald's in Beijing, located near Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City, was met with great enthusiasm when it opened over 20 years ago. It represented a connection to America and a modern lifestyle for Chinese people who were previously less open to Western influences. The video features an interview with Edward Jong, a Beijing graduate student, who recalls the shock and excitement of experiencing Western-style fast food for the first time. He highlights how McDonald's was seen as a fashionable and modern way of life, influencing not just technology and economy but also lifestyle choices. Despite struggling sales in the US due to health concerns, McDonald's sees China as its fastest-growing market with a growing middle class and fierce competition, particularly with KFC.
π₯ The Transformation of Potato Farming for McDonald's in China
To meet the demand for its signature fries, McDonald's had to import not just its business process but also the potatoes themselves, as the local varieties were unsuitable. Steve Anderson, a veteran of the potato industry, explains the journey of teaching local farmers how to grow the right potatoes for McDonald's fries. Initially, farmers used rudimentary techniques like rubber hoses for irrigation on small plots. Over the past 20 years, with the help of technical assistance and variety development, the average yield of the farmers has increased threefold, surpassing the national average. The video showcases the sophisticated technology and equipment used in the French fry production process, ensuring consistency and quality. The fries are cut, dewatered, and have defects removed before being cooked, dried, and tested for quality. The emphasis is on achieving the same crispiness and texture that customers would expect from McDonald's fries worldwide. Food safety is also a critical concern for McDonald's, with no shortcuts allowed in their practices.
Mindmap
Keywords
π‘Golden Arches
π‘Daily Life
π‘Modern Lifestyle
π‘Opening to the World
π‘Fierce Competition
π‘Middle Class
π‘Food Safety
π‘Importing Business Process
π‘Potato Farming Techniques
π‘Food Processing
π‘Global Brand
Highlights
The golden arches of McDonald's are an iconic symbol in America and have become a part of daily life in China.
McDonald's has nearly 1,000 restaurants in China, serving 4 million Chinese people daily.
McDonald's entry into China over 20 years ago coincided with the country's opening to the world and symbolized emerging wealth.
The oldest and most famous McDonald's in Beijing is located near Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City.
For many Chinese, McDonald's represents a modern lifestyle and a connection to Western culture.
Edward Jong, a Beijing graduate student, recalls the introduction of McDonald's to his town and its impact on local perceptions of modernity.
In China, McDonald's sees millions of new customers as the middle class grows, making it a key market for the company.
Competition in China is fierce, with KFC having more than twice the number of stores compared to McDonald's.
McDonald's had to import the entire business process from America to China, including the potatoes for their fries.
Steve Anderson, a veteran of the potato business, explains the process of supplying McDonald's with its signature fries.
Initial challenges included teaching local farmers how to grow the specific potatoes needed for McDonald's fries.
Farming techniques in China have significantly improved, with local farmers' average yield being three times the national average.
The majority of McDonald's fries sold in China are now made with potatoes grown in the country.
The process of making McDonald's fries involves sophisticated machinery and technology to ensure consistency.
Food safety is a major concern for McDonald's, with no shortcuts allowed in their food safety practices.
McDonald's in China faces the challenge of maintaining the same quality and taste as in North America, Europe, or Australia.
Transcripts
[Music]
the golden arches of McDonald's are an
iconic symbol in America they're just as
iconic in China the fast food chain has
become a part of daily life
[Music]
here McDonald's has nearly 1,00
restaurants here every day 4 million
Chinese are served by one of the company
100,000 employees yet McDonald's has
meant more to China than just
Burgers I'm outside at the oldest and
most famous McDonald's in Beijing it's
in a main shopping district only a
couple of minutes away from tanaman
Square in the Forbidden City the company
entered the country over 20 years ago at
that time China was relatively poor but
when the restaurants opened people
couldn't get enough of them and it
wasn't just because of the french fries
it was because McDonald symbolized the
country's opening to the world as
connection to America and China's
emerging
[Music]
wealth Edward Jong remembers when
McDonald's came to his town of L fong in
northern China the 24-year- old old
Beijing graduate student was in
elementary school at the time Edward hi
good is over here okay so is this a
typical meal that you would have when
you growing up french fries yeah and
hamburgers and Coke so what was it like
for you when you first saw the golden
arches in your town first I don't know
what it is then I heard some of
my you know classmates is some western
style food it's very shocking to say
that you can put some Meats some cheese
into two piece of bread and some chips
we never seen this so what did McDonald
symbolize to you it's a kind of modern
style of life because you know Chinese
people they are not so open to the world
before so when the Western things come
into chines life then people will just
see it very fashionable it's kind of
learning from w people not just
technology not just some economy but
lifestyle so I think McDonald is kind of
Modern Life for Chinese people including
for
[Music]
me China means a lot to McDonald's too
back in the US sales are struggling the
Illinois based company along with the
rest of the fast food industry has come
under pressure criticized for what's
received as food that contributes to the
nation's obesity problem more Americans
are shying away concerned about the
impact on their health in China with a
middle class growing every day McDonald
sees millions of new customers that's
not to say this Market is easy
competition is fierce and chief rival
KFC has more than twice the number of
stores still China is McDonald's fastest
growing Market here five new Outlets
open week in the US less than half that
China is extremely exciting because it's
growing so fast with 1.3 billion people
who want to eat and love McDonald's we
want to leverage that McDonald's had to
bring in more than the golden arches and
Happy Meals before these restaurants
first opened all of this food was New to
China the company couldn't turn to the
local Baker or the local farmer to find
the right ingredients so what McDonald's
decided to do was to import the entire
business process from America Halfway
Around the World here to
[Music]
China it even brought in the potatoes
yeah this is a this is a good crop Steve
Anderson is a 28-year veteran of the
potato business he works for the company
that supplies McDonald's with its
signature fries these are goodlook
potatoes how can you tell they have all
the characteristics you're looking for
good length to width profile uh disease
free nice shallow eyes when McDonald's
first started eyeing China Anderson's
Idaho based employer Simplot had been
working with a fast food giant for
decades so when McDonald's asked Simplot
to make the fries here the company
agreed the first problem the potatoes
used for the fries didn't exist here so
Anderson's predecessors had to teach the
local farmers how to grow the spuds when
you guys were starting with the farmers
what were some of the techniques that
you saw that you thought oh that really
needs to change
well the Growers were small plots and
they just essentially used a rubber hose
to irrigate the potatoes in small um
garden siiz plots and that was what was
what we dealt uh were faced with in 20
years ago have the farming techniques
changed oh oh tremendous changes here in
China our Growers their average yield is
three times the national average so I
think that our technical assistance and
and helping the Growers with variety
development has been a big Key to Our
Success here today the vast major
majority of McDonald's fries sold in
China are made with potatoes grown in
this country in an hour and a half these
would be McDonald's french
[Music]
fries so I never realized how much was
involved in making French rid it is the
same reaction most people have when you
see the amount of equipment the
sophistication of the technology it's
pretty staggering for most
people what are we seeing here potato
strips have been cut and we're
dewatering them and we're running them
across to a a sliver removal to take
care out of pieces that are not uh good
enough to make french fries so all the
machines here you would see in the same
type of Factory in the United States yes
you would why did you want to bring all
of the Machinery from the United States
and replicate that system but we want to
make sure that the french fries that
leave this Factory the Mac fries that we
produce are the exact same as you would
get in North America Europe or
Australia once the fries are free of
defects they're cooked dried then fried
and tested before leaving the French fry
Factory for good what she's doing now is
on those particular strips she's looking
at the external texture so she's taking
each individual strip rolling around and
looking at each corner it's really the
crispiness when your mouth feel when you
eat that
[Music]
fry getting the french fries right isn't
the only thing that McDonald's is
worried about another big concern is
making sure that the food is safe
there's no shortcut in the food safety
practice you have to do it every single
day
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