KFC Still‘Finger Lickin’Good’in China

Hes been called many things over the years， including “Finger lickin good” by admirers and “greasy” by detractors. But “revolutionary” is one of the last words that springs to mind when describing Colonel Harland Sanders， the grandfatherly founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken， now known as KFC.

While he might politely decline a moniker that seems more suited to Mao Zedong or Che Guevara， Sanders and the empire he began will almost certainly go down in Chinese history books as revolutionaries for how they changed the modern Chinese dining scene. KFC walked into a relative culinary desert three decades ago when it became the first foreign restaurant operator to sample the China market with its opening of a massive restaurant at the southern edge of Tiananmen Square.

As that restaurant and the chain celebrate their 30th anniversary this Sunday， KFC faces a future peppered with an en- tire new set of challenges. No longer are matters like finding qualified employees or suitable food suppliers issues， attesting to the huge changes that have taken place in China over the last three decades. Instead， the company faces an uncertain future due to growing competition from homegrown rivals， as well as changing consumer tastes that are swinging towards more upscale， nutritious options.

“Regarded as the earliest entrant， KFC has been one of the most important players and a giant in Chinas fast-food market，” said Shirley Lu， a consultant at Euromonitor International. “KFC played a vital role in consumer education at the very beginning， as a result， largely increasing Chinese consumers acceptance toward not only fast food but also all kinds of Western-style food.”

The first KFC restaurant in China still stands at its original location， though its interior and exterior have undergone major upgrades in keeping with the chains development in China. From an original two-story massive store that could seat more than 500， the restaurant has been reduced to half its size， with the original second floor taken over by a Pizza Hut， also owned by the parent company of both chains， Yum China.

Thanks in no small part to its early entry to the market， including its status as the first Western chain on the Chinese mainland， KFC has grown to become the countrys largest fast-food operator. It had 5，347 stores as of August， and has detailed lofty plans to triple the number of stores for all of Yum Chinas brands over the next decade or two.endprint