Word: yums
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This time, Novak's idea might be the right one at the right time. The menus at East Dawning restaurants don't offer overtly American fare but still attract Chinese consumers because of the quality and service associated with an American brand. The formula developed by Yum's other banners overseas--cheap food delivered in cheerful surroundings--has provided a welcome mat for the company. Diner Frank Li, a project engineer on a trip from Suzhou, says the restaurant's link to KFC and Pizza Hut is a draw, not a drawback. "Those places are good quality," he says...
...Yum's next "glocalization" trick: exporting Taco Bell, its top brand in the U.S., to Mexico. In late October, a Taco Bell headed for the border and to a Mexican suburb, its grand opening attended by government officials and hordes of press. Diners flocked to the restaurant, located in a busy shopping plaza in Monterrey, though many seemed bemused by the offerings. Claudia and Ignacio Sosa dropped in with their toddler Fatima after a trip to the supermarket. "This is not tacos or burritos or quesadillas, even though they're called that," says Claudia. "We have never had a taco...
...Yum executives are confident that Mexicans are ready for Mexicanish food. Up to 10 more Taco Bells are in the works there through 2008, with plans to reach 300 eventually. To be accurate, Yum first tested the market in 1992 but withdrew two years later. This time Taco Bell doesn't pretend to be Mexican. "We're Mexican-inspired," says YRI's Allan, "and Mexicans should feel proud of that." Its advertising slogan is "Es otra cosa," or "It's something else"--a pointed acknowledgment that what Yanks call a taco doesn't resemble the real thing...
What does appear sustainable is the world's appetite for Yum's fast food. Not everybody thinks that's a good thing. After all, this is the company whose top-selling new product is the KFC Famous Bowl: breaded, fried chicken strips, corn, cheese, gravy and mashed potatoes--a 710-calorie dish that the comedian Patton Oswalt calls a "failure pile in a sadness bowl." Fast foods--even those that mimic local cuisines--represent a dramatic change in diet for many cultures. "When you offer high-calorie food to a thin population, they go from small to large very quickly...
...part, Yum argues that it's not exporting fatty foods so much as offering tasty options to the global public. "The answer to the nutrition issue is balance and exercise," says Novak, pointing to a basketball tournament sponsored by KFC in China and a menu there that includes healthier alternatives like roasted chicken. In fact, the roasted menu items are such a hit in China that Yum executives are testing them out in the U.S. It's an interesting twist: Yum is looking to the soaring international business to expand its appeal at home. What about bringing its Chinese-food...