Junk food and soft drink manufacturers moved into other countries as quickly as possible. America’s first commercial junk food, Cracker Jack, for instance, was introduced into the United Kingdom in 1897 and into Canada in 1901. Planters Peanuts opened its first international facility in Canada and the United Kingdom during the Depression. In 1932, Forrest Mars, the son of the founder of Mars, Inc., opened a factory in Slough, England, and rapidly expanded into Europe. After World War II the company expanded throughout the world.
Soda manufactures followed a similar pattern. Coca-Cola was exported to the United Kingdom in 1909, and the company began bottling operations in other countries. After the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, the Coca-Cola Company began to invest heavily in Eastern Europe. Coca-Cola was a relatively neutral import to China and today it is the favorite drink of Chinese children. As the twentieth century closed, Coca-Cola had begun to construct many new bottling facilities in Africa. PepsiCo was much slower to internationalize. PepsiCo opened operations in Japan and Eastern Europe in 1966 and in the Soviet Union in 1974, thanks to Vice President Richard Nixon, who visited Moscow in 1959 and introduced the Soviet leader to Pepsi-Cola. Today, Coca-Cola and PepsiCo, the two largest soft drink companies in the world, manufacture hundreds of different soft drink brands, which are sold in every country in the world with the exception of North Korea.
Fast Food
American fast food chains typically first opened their first non-U.S. operations in Canada and then launched outlets in other countries. Dairy Queen opened its first Canadian outlet in 1953. It was followed by many others, such as A&W Root Beer (1956), Chicken Delight (1958), McDonald’s (1967), and Shakey’s (1968).
After World War II, Germany was occupied by American military forces. It was one of the first European nations to become a target for American fast food chains. A&W Root Beer opened an outlet in Germany in 1962, followed by McDonald’s (1971) When the Berlin Wall fell in 1989, McDonald’s rushed into the former East Germany. Today, Ronald McDonald is commonly known throughout Germany. Only German potatoes and beef are used in their outlets. McDonald’s has co-branded with Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. and now has outlets in the Wal-Mart stores. Germany became one of the McDonald’s most successful operations.
Since Japan was also occupied by American armed forces it was relatively easy for American fast food operations to open outlets in Japan. Kentucky Fried Chicken and Dunkin’ Donuts opened their first Japanese franchises in 1970, followed by Dairy Queen (1971), McDonald’s (1971), Church’s Chicken (1979) and Arby’s (1981). The convenience store chain 7-Eleven opened its first store in Japan in 1974. Today, there are more than 11,000 7-Eleven stores in Japan—6,000 more than there are in the United States. When China opened up to fast food operations, Kentucky Fried Chicken was the first American fast food chain to open outlets there, and today it is the most-recognized foreign brand in China, more so than Coca-Cola, Nestle SA, and McDonald’s. When the McDonald’s restaurant opened in Beijing, thousands of people waited in line for hours to eat there. American fast food operations have also expanded throughout Latin America. In Brazil, McDonald’s is the nation’s largest employer.
The Middle East and Africa have also seen the growth of fast food chains. McDonald’s, for instance, had only 11 outlets in these regions in 1991; by 2001, there were 546 outlets. Much of the growth in the Middle East occurred shortly after the end of the Gulf War in 1991. For instance, when McDonald’s opened an outlet in Kuwait, the line of cars waiting to drive through was seven miles long. When a Kentucky Fried Chicken outlet opened in the city of Mecca, it grossed $200,000 during a single week. Despite these frequently repeated statistics, fast food represents a very different lifestyle than many Muslims in the Middle East want, as Benjamin R. Barber pointed out in his thoughtful Jihad vs. McWorld (1996).
Localization
To attract people in other countries to their establishments, McDonald’s and other fast food operations have offered variations on the American menu. Espresso and cold pasta are offered in Italy. McHuevos (poached eggs in buns) are sold in Uruguay. Frankfurters (large sausages) are offered at McDonald’s in Germany. Vegetarian burgers are offered in the Netherlands and India, and McLaks (salmon sandwiches) are offered in Norway. This process of localization has been very successful. Today, there are more than 1,000 McDonald’s restaurants in Germany and Japan, and the number of restaurants in China and other Asian countries is rapidly expanding. By 1994, McDonald’s generated more revenue from non-U.S. sales than from American outlets. Today, there are 30,000 McDonald’s outlets worldwide. More than half—17,000—are outside the United States.
It is not just the menus that have been localized, but also procedures. McDonald’s outlets in other countries do not necessarily follow American fast food patterns. In Rio de Janeiro, for example, waiters serve food with champagne in candle-lit restaurants; in Caracas, Venezuela, hostesses seat customers, take orders, and deliver meals; and in South Korea McDonald’s employees seat customers at tables occupied by others during crowded times.
Attraction to American Fast Food
There are a number of reasons why American fast food operations have been so successful in other countries. In other countries, fast food outlets appeal particularly to the busy, upwardly mobile middle classes. Customers are attracted to their efficiency, reliability, predictability, cleanliness, and public toilets. Then again, American-style fast food outlets are less expensive than other food establishments in many countries. Finally, customers flock to American fast food operations because of their association with the United States. Fast food is considered an exotic American import in many countries, at least during its first few years of being offered. Fast food outlets also symbolize safety, convenience, fun, familiarity, sanctuary, modernity, culinary tourism, and connectedness to the world.
To many people throughout the world, American fast food represents affluence and innovation, and reflects what is considered the good life of the United States. To critics,these same chains represent the bloated lifestyle in the United States and American domination of the world.
