Can a burger chain succeed where cows are sacred?
McDonald’s is looking to tap into the growing appetites of consumers in rapidly developing China and India. The fast-food chain has 785 outlets in China and hopes to have 1,000 in place by the 2008 Beijing Olympics. In India, it serves up meals at 110 locations in Mumbai and New Delhi, with 25 more restaurants ...
McDonald's is looking to tap into the growing appetites of consumers in rapidly developing China and India. The fast-food chain has 785 outlets in China and hopes to have 1,000 in place by the 2008 Beijing Olympics. In India, it serves up meals at 110 locations in Mumbai and New Delhi, with 25 more restaurants scheduled to open during the next year.
McDonald’s is looking to tap into the growing appetites of consumers in rapidly developing China and India. The fast-food chain has 785 outlets in China and hopes to have 1,000 in place by the 2008 Beijing Olympics. In India, it serves up meals at 110 locations in Mumbai and New Delhi, with 25 more restaurants scheduled to open during the next year.
The challenge: customizing menus for local tastes. In India, beef is a no-no, so traditional burgers won’t fly. Instead, McDonald’s is counting on the success of vegetarian creations such as the McCurry Pan and others.
But locally-tailored menus bring another challenge: developing foods that can be distributed globally throughout the McDonald’s chain. One local offering that has gone global has been the McArabia (guess which market it was created for). The flatbread sandwich with spicy chicken and garlic mayonnaise now pleases palates in Malaysia and South Africa.
Perhaps with local menus, we shouldn’t fear the cultural homogenization that anti-globalization activists warn us about. On the other hand, China and India had better prepare for the obesity, heart disease and other health problems the West is already facing as a result of a culture of high-fat foods available at rock-bottom prices.
More from Foreign Policy


Is Cold War Inevitable?
A new biography of George Kennan, the father of containment, raises questions about whether the old Cold War—and the emerging one with China—could have been avoided.


So You Want to Buy an Ambassadorship
The United States is the only Western government that routinely rewards mega-donors with top diplomatic posts.


Can China Pull Off Its Charm Offensive?
Why Beijing’s foreign-policy reset will—or won’t—work out.


Turkey’s Problem Isn’t Sweden. It’s the United States.
Erdogan has focused on Stockholm’s stance toward Kurdish exile groups, but Ankara’s real demand is the end of U.S. support for Kurds in Syria.