KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) in China

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Fast food restaurants are popular among the consumers nowadays. Many fast food restaurants are trying to serve the needs in the market as people seek for quick and convenient place to eat. Due to the fact that there are a huge amount of fast food chains available in the global market, fast food companies have to strive for success. Just by providing quick and convenient style of eating for the customers is not sufficient to stay competitive. This is why it is interesting to study and learn about a fast food company that stands out in such a competitive environment. What has KFC China been doing to become successful? What marketing strategies did they use to dominate the market? We shall find out in the following sections.

History and General Background

KFC is one of the most popular fast-food restaurant chains by the Yum! Brands and fried chicken is what the company specializes. KFC was founded by Harland Sanders, which was later known as Colonel Sanders. Moreover, KFC was one of the first fast-food restaurant chains to expand internationally, including the opening outlets in Beijing, China, in November 1987 (KFC Website, 2013). The fact that KFC was the first Western fast food company in China makes it very challenging to satisfy the Chinese market. Trying to sell the same products or services is a typical approach to most foreign expansion for franchise businesses (Bell, 2011). However, one-size fits all approach is not what KFC chooses to apply for their company. According to Shelman, the writer of the case study regarding KFC’s Explosive Growth in China, key success for KFC China is to change the menu to suit Chinese tastes and style of eating (Starvish, 2011). “One of the lessons I take away from this case is that to ...

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