American (fast food) in Europe
You probably already know that McDonald's outside of the US are often quite different than the ones in the US. Different food, different, often more upscale decor. Here's my local one; pretty nice huh?
I started going to McDonald's once in a while as a treat, and noticed that the strategy in the Netherlands is quite different than in America. They really depend on constant food "news" to drive repeat traffic. New menu items are rotated in and out on a weekly or biweekly basis.
The last few weeks has been the "Great Tastes of America" series. This I needed to try. An American chain in Europe, introducing a line of burgers that's representing America. All done up in a font that harkens back to mid-century diners and big cars with big fins.
The ad copy says "try the best burgers from America" and the three burgers on offer on successive weeks were:
- California Classic, with bacon and "sun-blushed tomato sauce"
- Chicago Works, with bacon and herbed creamy sauce on a cheese bun
- Arizona Grande, with bacon, peppered cheese, spicy creamy sauce on a peppered bun
I've got to say, each one was a bit of a let-down. The sauces didn't work that well, and the main benefit of each burger was the bacon. It seems like the American theme is a recurring one, with past series including Arizona, Canada (?!), and New York burgers (click here for commercial).
The other American chain with a limited time special-American offering was KFC. I loved KFC in China and SE Asia, but somehow in the west I'm not so crazy about it. But on seeing they had a "Texas" offering I decided I needed to try it in the name of research.
The Texas Boxmaster is a calorie bomb with fried chicken, cheese, and hash brown patty all in a flour tortilla. My complaint here is the same with a lot of wraps - the tortilla is limp and flour-y tasting, while the components inside don't meld together well (sometimes you get a bite of chicken, sometimes just bbq sauce).
