The effect of globalization phenomena on the development of food services from fast food to full service restaurants

Globalization implies increases in the transnational flows of money, people, goods, information, and culture. For the catering sector, the prospect of large urban markets has attracted foreign investments from world famous corporations to open branch restaurants in big cities. For example, Hard Rock Cafè, founded in England, is opened in 140 locations including the Mainland, Vietnam, Egypt, India and Belgium. Outback Steakhouse, an American dining restaurant, is found in 1200 locations in 22 countries.

The globalization of these restaurants is made possible by several facilitating factors. Because of trade liberalization (i.e., governments do not restrict trade between nations) and declining costs of transportation and communication, non-local foods or non-traditional foods can be delivered to different places of the world. The freedom of movement of people also means that cooking experts can be recruited from other countries so that Japanese cuisines in the US are prepared by Japanese chefs, and so are French, Italian and American cuisines. In Hong Kong, some famous hotels are proud of their chefs who came from their France or Italy to prepare French or Italian foods.

Perhaps the globalization of food services is more evident in the fast food restaurant chains such as the McDonald’s. In two or three decades ago, few people would imagine that hamburgers, french fries, pizza and other fast food products could succeed in the Mainland. When McDonald’s opened its first restaurant in Hong Kong in 1975, most people thought it would survive for only a few months. Its success story certainly surprised many people.

Similarly, KFC set up its first franchise in downtown Beijing in 1987, and succeeded to draw up to 3,000 customers daily during its first year of operation and subsequently setting numerous company records.

In a globalizing world, transnational corporations can succeed to extend their businesses to other countries. The term McDonaldization has been created to represent the process by which

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through the world. The expansion of the McDonald’s culture to other nations is considered a kind of cultural imperialism – the domination of one culture (in this case, American culture) over another culture.

Some academics worried that local food cultures will soon be displaced. They even feared that the popularity of American fast food restaurants may threaten the local favourite restaurants which have been welcomed for generations. However, this does not seem to be the case. For example in the Mainland, local restaurants have not been forced out of the market, but admittedly, some of them have been changed as a result of the arrival of the American fast food restaurants. Numerous restaurants throughout the world feel the need to learn from McDonald’s and change their ways of operation. In a sense, McDonald’s urged the restaurants in other countries to reform and innovate.

First, many local restaurants are inspired by the efficiency of Western management and change their operation for quick production and decrease the time and cost to the customers. For example, Cafe de Coral in Hong Kong moved Hong Kong’s street foods indoors to a clean, well-lighted cafeteria that offers instant services at moderate prices. McDonald’s arrival also inspired Cafe de Coral’s confidence in self-service catering. In the late seventies, the restaurant further adopted McDonald’s production model and established its first central food processing plant. In he Mainland, Ronghua Chicken and Xiangfei Roast Chicken emulated Kentucky Fried Chicken and applied the methods to the preparation and sale of local cuisines.

Second, the business concept of franchising has helped restaurants in other countries to spread and grow. Today, nearly all fast food restaurants in the Mainland publicize telephone hotlines for franchise information. In 1996, Daniang Dumplings was merely a community restaurant in Changzhou in Jiangsu province with only six employees selling shuijiao (boiled water dumplings). Within the next nine years, it expanded into an empire of over 150 franchises throughout the country and as far as Indonesia and Australia. Actually, applying the franchising concept, not only American restaurants but also restaurants in the Mainland can preserve their

national cuisines and spread it to other places in the world. Xiaofeiyang, Malan Hand-Pulled Noodles are other examples.

As a restaurant goes global, its menu and cuisines will inevitably be transformed to some extent. For example, McDonald’s in Beijing managed to attract many loyal customers due to the convenience, efficient service, comfortable environment, nice music and happy atmosphere. Office workers enjoyed grabbing a quick bite on their way to work, and friends enjoyed relaxing over a Coke. However, it was noticed that some Chinese were against

these non-Chinese foods and some customers complained that it lacked variety. American fast food restaurants were almost empty during the traditional Chinese festive celebrations while Chinese restaurants were full.

The restaurants finally learnt to adapt. In Chinese culture, food and drink that features color, fragrance, flavor and variety are welcome. Fast food simply does not compare. McDonald's introduced Vegetable and

Seafood Soup and Corn Soup and worked to modify the restaurants' design.

During the 2004 Spring Festival, McDonald's on Beijing's Wangfujing Street attracted many people with a traditional Chinese look, decorating their interiors with paper-cuts of the Chinese character Fu (Happiness), magpies and twin fishes, all auspicious symbols.

A café chain of America has opened a branch in Beijing with it’s decoration being matched with the Chinese culture.

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Similarly, KFC has introduced many Chinese items onto their menus. Preserved Sichuan Pickle and Shredded Pork Soup was one of the first. Consumers welcomed the item as it was familiar to what they normally eat. Noting the success of the soup, restaurant soon added Mushroom Rice, Tomato and Egg Soup, and Traditional Peking Chicken Roll to the menu.

The experience of KFC and McDonald's show that a successful food service needs to adapt their cuisines and style to local culture while it maintains its basic operating principles (efficiency, freedom, democracy, equality and humanity in these two cases).

Similar principles apply when Asian foods are sold in western countries. For example, Thai restaurants in overseas countries are careful in serving their food. Thai cuisine is a combination of indigenous foods under the influences of India and Chinese culinary traditions as well as French and Portuguese dishes. Thai restaurants began to serve immigrants in London, Chicago, New York and Los Angeles in the 1980s. Overseas Thai restaurants are conscious to adapt the recipes, serving processes and service systems to suit the local culture’s dining customs. For example, as there are a significant number of vegetarians in North America, Thai restaurants invented new dishes such as Tom Yam Pak or vegetable in Tom Yam soup, which is unheard of for most Thais. They also serve vegetarian spring rolls while the authentic Thailand spring rolls always have ground pork in them.

Similarly, Chinese people cooked only Sweet and Sour Pork (Gu Lo Meat) at the very beginning. After Sweet and Sour Pork was brought into western countries, people thought chicken might be more delicious than pork if chicken is cooked in the same way. They tried it and liked it.

It is common for Chinese restaurants in western countries such as Australia, Europe, and North

America to have Sweet and Sour Chicken in their menus. The ingredients include chicken (or pork), sweet and sour sauce, pineapple, bell pepper and onion.

Under the impacts of international dining cultures, many restaurants are gradually providing cuisines of different countries. The picture above shows a single menu with American, Japanese, and Portuguese dishes for customers’

selections.

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