{"id":2020,"date":"2021-05-12T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-05-12T06:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/examinechina.com\/blog\/?p=2020"},"modified":"2023-06-16T09:03:28","modified_gmt":"2023-06-16T09:03:28","slug":"mcdonalds-in-china","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.examinechina.com\/mcdonalds-in-china\/","title":{"rendered":"McDonald\u2019s in China"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

For quite some time now, there has been a visibly growing fascination with the West in China. It is especially evident amongst the younger generation that incorporates Western fashion, lifestyle, and cuisine into their everyday life. The well-known fast-food chain McDonald\u2019s is one of those Western brands that has managed to enter the Chinese market successfully. In fact, McDonald\u2019s is currently one of the most popular fast-food chains in this country. Therefore, it might be interesting to see how McDonald\u2019s in China has evolved over the years, as well as how the Western brand managed to maintain its popularity over time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

McDonald\u2019s in China – history<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The early years of McDonald\u2019s in China<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The first McDonald\u2019s (also known in China as \u9ea6\u5f53\u52b3 \u2013 M\u00e0id\u0101ngl\u00e1o) opened in Taipei in 1984, while the first restaurant in mainland China opened in 1990. Three years later, KFC opened its first restaurant in Beijing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first McDonald\u2019s in mainland China opened in Shenzhen, in the southern part of the country. As the first Special Economic Zone in China was established in 1980, newly implemented liberal reforms allowed Western brands to open stores in China. McDonald’s was one of them. Two years later, the second McDonald\u2019s restaurant in mainland China opened in Beijing and was, at that time, the largest McDonald’s restaurant in the world. On its opening day, a thousand workers served over forty thousand customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By 1996, McDonald\u2019s had opened twenty-nine restaurants in Beijing alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

McDonald\u2019s growth in China<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When McDonald\u2019s made their first debut in the Chinese market, its target audience was middle-class Chinese citizens. At the beginning of the 21st century, McDonald’s began appealing more to a younger audience due to increased marketing and rising pop-cultural impact. The famous slogan \u201cI\u2019m loving it\u201d has also made its way to China as \u6211\u5c31\u559c\u6b22 \u2013 “I just like it.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First McCaf\u00e9 in China was opened in 2001, and the first McDrive \u2013 in 2005. As McDonald\u2019s popularity grew, all restaurants in China were open 24\/7.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Due to its rapid expansion in the Chinese market, McDonald\u2019s restaurants became an integral aspect of the Chinese cities\u2019 landscape. To gain more patrons, McDonald\u2019s started employing a new strategy in China. The brand reduced American symbolism in China and incorporated more menu options with a Chinese twist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As of 2022, there are around 5,000 McDonald\u2019s restaurants in China and 180 thousand employees. By 2017 McDonald\u2019s had served over 1,3 billion customers, and now it serves 1 billion customers a year. In line with the popular statement \u6211\u4eec\u7684\u4e00\u5c0f\u6b65\uff0c\u4e16\u754c\u7684\u4e00\u5927\u6b65 (\u201ca small step for us, is a large step for the world\u201d) McDonald\u2019s in China is now focused on serving organic and sustainably grown food following the \u201cgreen\u201d trends in the world.<\/p>\n\n\n

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