Why Global Restaurant Chains Embrace (Some) Local Flavors
Photo Credit: A self-order kiosk at a McDonald's in Singapore. The franchise offers a Ninja Burger fried chicken sandwich, among other destination-specific items. Skift Table
Skift Take
Menu development is a painstaking process. When U.S. chains develop menu items for overseas locations, they must be even more conscious of striking a balance between brand consistency and familiar local flavors.
Get a traditional breakfast of baked salmon at Denny's in Japan. Order pizza with cheeseburgers embedded in the crust at Pizza Hut in the United Arab Emirates. Or try a vegan burger at McDonald's in Sweden.
For big restaurant chains, the key to developing menus for international markets is striking a balance between core, signature menu items and culturally relevant — but still on brand — offerings that resonate with local consumers.
David Kamen, manager of consulting projects at CIA Consulting, a division of the Culinary Institute of America, has been involved with the painstaking process of menu development for national and regional fast-food chains. It all starts with the marketing department and trying to figure out what consumers want.
"The bigger the company gets, the more intense th
