Chains of Love

Trimming the Pork

While incidents like the recent bombings over Malay Christians using the word Allah to describe God have challenged Malaysia’s appearance as a moderate Islamic country, there are bigger issues at hand.

Namely, the McDonald’s Chinese zodiac promotion in Singapore omitting the pig toy. Chinese ladies won’t be able to accurately complete the 12-figurine set (a cupid toy has replaced the pig) and that is not right!

For what it’s worth, no Muslims complained; it was a preemptive corporate approach. And oddly misguided since Singapore is more than three-fourths Chinese (76.8%, 13.9% Malay, 7.9% Indian). Singaporean McDonald’s are halal but I don’t know how religious dietary rules apply to non-edible charms.

Chain Links: Out of Africa

The first Maggiano’s outside the US opened in Saudi Arabia and parent company, Brinker, foresees 500 international restaurants by 2014.

Middle East, sure, it’s the African continent you don’t hear much about. Don’t worry; KFC is heading into Nigeria’s Onikan Mall in Lagos (they already have a presence in Uganda, Malawi and Zambia). The fried chicken will be in good company—the mall also has Caffé Vergnano 1882, an Italian chain.

Chain Links: Bready

Chick-fil-A tied with McDonald’s as America’s favorite quick serve restaurant according to a Market Force Information Inc. survey. Panera Bread and Subway also had a strong showing.

Subway takes the number one spot on Entrepreneur's Franchise 500 list. Twenty-one sandwich shops made the list in total

Quiznos and Subway seem to get all the glory, but that’s not stopping Blimpie from beginning its Middle Eastern expansion in Kuwait next year.

Not sandwich-related unless you count that doughnut burger, Krispy Kreme is coming to Shanghai.

They Do Have Cilantro and Chiles In Common

At this point I would’ve imagined that American chains had done a good job of infiltrating the world. That’s why I’m often surprised to learn of a new one staking their claim. Yum Brands has had Pizza Hut and KFC in India for some time.

Now they’re introducing Taco Bell and going for the youth market. Niren Chaudhary, general manager of Yum's India business says, "What consumers are looking for is not an Indian version of Mexican food but a truly Mexican-inspired food experience.”

I have absolutely no idea what a Mexican-inspired food experience might be—will it involve piñatas and sombreros?

Illustration from Our Delhi Struggle.

There Goes the Beef

Keeping balance in the universe (or at least the Asian continent), Japan loses Wendy's after a 29 years in the country while the chain returns to Singapore after a ten-year absence.

AP Photo/Koji Sasahara

Chain Links: Sleeping on the Job

Jeez, I don't read the news for a week and American chains take over the world.

Nepal got a Pizza Hut/KFC combo.

Pakistan is getting a Hardees.

Russia has 78 Subway shops and they're going to have 922 more by 2015.

Europe will welcome its first Chipotle in London come April.

In exchange, Soho will get an outpost of Lizarran Tapas, a Spanish chain that already has locations in California.

In Russia Burgers King You

While McDonald's is insidious and weasels into all nooks and crannies of the globe (minus Iceland) Burger King randomly asserts itself. I would've assumed Russia already had the chain. But no, Moscow will get its first BK by end of year.

In what sounds like fake news, the mayor of Moscow apparently started a doomed chain called Russian Bistro in 1995 to compete against McDonald's. Their slogan: "It does not hurt to try."

Bun Troubleshooting Tool photo from a photo tour of a Russian McDonald's factory at Funatiq.

Just Call Egg Rolls Mini Burritos and You'll Be Fine

The same week I tried P.F. Chang’s for the first time, the chain opened its first non-US location in Mexico City. It's true, I don't recall a large Chinese food presence during my week there but there’s not any particular reason why Americanized Chinese food wouldn’t succeed south of the border. They have Subway, T.G.I. Friday's and even Taco Bell (though the latter only recently returned after an unsuccessful attempt in the early '90s).

This Time magazine article's conceit that we’re so much more sophisticated about Chinese food here doesn’t ring true. According to the author, "…the bar for Chinese food is set low. In the handful of eateries that dot Mexico City's two-block Chinatown, it's common to start a meal with deep-fried wonton sticks and a hefty bowl of neon-red sweet-and-sour-sauce."

Uh, just like most US cities with small numbers of Chinese citizens, as well as much of NYC despite a good-sized Chinese population.

Mexico City’s P.F. Chang's branch manager, Iván Alvarado adds, "We have to explain a lot of things to customers at our tables because here in Mexico, we drink soda with Chinese food."

Sounds familiar. Every corner takeout joint in the city tosses in a free can of soda with a minimum order. Big city Mexicans=just like us.

Photo from TexasEscapes.com

Chain Links: I'm Not Sure What Freshii Is But I Like the Sound of It

Two brothers who run Dunkin' Donuts in Northern NJ plan to open more than 20 Freshii stores in New York.

Someone who created a restaurant called Salad Room is turning all of his locations into Freshiis and wants to take over Eastern Europe.

Chain Links: Big Mac Attack

All the hubbub over the McDonald’s in the Louvre appears to be unfounded. The average Parisian doesn’t give a merde about Big Macs tainting France’s culinary traditions.

McDonald’s, which has had a presence in Iceland since 1993, isn’t faring quite so well. They’ll be closing all restaurants in the country at the end of October.