After reading my good friend and fellow Sauder mate JTao’s blog entry on “Why KFC Is So Successful in China”, as a long term fan of KFC, I just feel the need to write something about it.

I remember I was a skinny veggie only kid back then. However that all changed once KFC entered the Chinese market. As a manner of fact, I became a meat (mostly poultry) lover because of KFC. Trust me, I am not exaggerating at all! I agree with JTao that part of KFC’s success is due to its tailored menu which is separated into breakfast, lunch and dinner ect. However I want to point it out that these are what helped KFC carry on its success but not what made it successful.

From a personal experience and perspective, KFC entered the Chinese market before that McDonald’s did. Its famous Kentucky fried chicken not only captured Chinese people’s taste buds but also established the concept of hamburger in our minds. For a very long time even after McDonald’s entry, me and my family believed that a hamburg should have a piece of fried chicken in the middle. Therefore, even when we went to McDonald’s occasionally, it was natural for us to order the chicken burger instead of beef. Nevertheless Chinese people love chicken way more than beef.

In addition, KFC was smart enough to tailor its menu to suit the Chinese taste buds. If you do a survey among the Chinese international students, at least 95% would tell you that the Chinese KFC tastes way better if not all of them. Here is an example of a regular menu item called “the old beijing chicken wrap” which is a creative combination of a western chicken wrap with famous sweet flavored Chinese sauce.

“the old Beijing chicken wrap”

Lastly, speaking of its target markets, KFC targets many more segments than its North America restaurants.Believe or not, many young people have their first dates in KFC. It’s  a place where you can go for birthday parties and many more.

https://blogs.ubc.ca/jennytao/2013/02/28/why-kfc-is-so-successful-in-china/#more-78