KFC launched a new breakfast snack called shaobing last month. Dotted with sesame seeds, the traditional toasted cake has origins tracing back to the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-24 AD) and is a sign that international fast-food chains are tailoring their menus to local tastes in the pursuit of expanded business in China.
Most foreign fast-food chains originally entered China with the same menus that made them a success back home.
While many Chinese embraced the exotic taste of hamburgers, pizzas and fried chicken, the Western menus were somewhat limited. KFC is not alone in embracing a shift in strategy.
Starbucks introduced moon cakes and zongzi, a pyramid-shaped dumpling made of glutinous rice wrapped in bamboo or reed leaves. Ice cream giant Haagen-Dazs is offering moon cakes stuffed with ice cream.
"Within the vast Chinese catering market, Chinese foods still take the lion's share," said Kuang Jie, a senior partner of Beijing-based Puhui Chuangzhan Management Consulting Co.
"International restaurant chains aim to ride the fast-growing consuming market because of sluggish demand in their home markets," he said.
Retail sales in the catering industry in the first quarter rose 19 percent from a year earlier to 438.3 billion yuan (US$64.46 billion).
That comes after a 25 percent surge in 2008, the 18th consecutive year of double-digit growth.
The market is expected to reach 2 trillion yuan in 2010, and a larger number of consumers would prefer Chinese-style cuisine rather than Western food, said Yang Liu, a vice chairman of China Cuisine Association.
Shaobing is the latest attempt by KFC to add Chinese courses to its menus. The United States-based chain best known for its fried chicken has launched several Chinese snacks, including spring rolls, Chinese-style porridge and youtiao, or strips of fried dough.
