Fast-food chains, including KFC, McDonald's and Shake Shack, have rolled out more Chinese-inspired modified burgers, such as ones that replace the regular buns with traditional Chinese baked buns, to entice younger consumers.

The move, which comes amid growing competition in China from lower-priced domestic burger restaurants, features guochao, the trend of including Chinese cultural elements.

That trend is now influencing Western-style fast-food menus.

KFC, a unit of Yum China, the largest restaurant group in the country by outlets, recently launched Chinese-style burgers. Its menu now includes fried chicken sandwiches that replace their usual buns with Chinese-style baked buns.

Many food bloggers have said that KFC's new version of its iconic chicken burger is similar to the products of Tastien, a Chinese fast-food chain based in Fujian province.

Lei Dongyong, 23, an actress and livestreaming host, said that she had tried these burgers at both KFC and Tastien.

"KFC's Chinese-style burger doesn't taste as good as the local one. Tastien's burger tastes like a good combination between burger and roujiamo. It has larger portions and is cheaper," Lei said.

Roujiamo, or meat burger, is a crispy, oven-baked bun filled with diced pork — a specialty that originated in Shaanxi province.

Chinese-style burgers are a favorite among younger generations because of their attractive pricing and the difference in marketing strategy, said Zhu Danpeng, a food and drink analyst in Guangzhou, Guangdong province.

International fast-food restaurants have gradually copied or learned from their Chinese counterparts in following the popularity of local tastes, contributing to the rise of fusion food, he said.

For example, two months ago, Shake Shack launched its first Chinese-style burger — a beef burger with spicy beans and radish that was inspired by Sichuan cuisine. Burger King has brought back its pork elbow burger and recently introduced a spicy crawfish beef burger.

Over the years, KFC and McDonald's have innovated their menu with Chinese-style burgers and snacks, including KFC's Beijing Chicken barbecue, spicy beef burger, porridge and twisted cruller for breakfast.

Domestic fast-food chains, on the other hand, have stood out for their localized production procedures and ingredients. For instance, Tastien uses hand-made baked buns, while Jiaguolong Chinese Burger, a unit of the renowned Xibei catering group, has included liquor in making the flour dough for its buns.

Furthermore, to appeal to more consumers, some restaurants' Chinese-style burgers use tofu and Peking duck instead of the beef and chicken widely seen in Western fast food.

Tastien now operates more than 6,100 stores — twice the number at the beginning of the year — with the majority of stores located in lower-tier cities.

The fast-food sector has grown rapidly this year, as the catering sector has seen strong recovery. In November, the total revenue of the catering industry nationwide reached 558 billion yuan ($78.3 billion), an increase of 25.8 percent year-on-year, according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics.

From January to November, nationwide restaurant revenue reached more than 4.7 trillion yuan, rising 19.4 percent compared with the same period last year.

Related

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)