Branded Food Protectionism Diminished by McDonalds

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McDonalds has long understoodthat strategy trumps tactics in a global retail marketplace, clearly  the Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) leader in the United States and theWorld. Over the past 30+ years McDonalds has leveraged its consumer qualitativeand quantitative attributes with marvelous menu magic, building a better brandfor global success.  While a majority ofQSR copy-cat companies continue to pontificate brand protectionism. What is itthey don’t understand? Here are some menu magic success clues:
In Germany you can find cold beerin most McDonalds. Canada, have alobster dinner with the McLobster lobster roll. In fish-loving Norway, theyhave the McLaks, a sandwich made of grilled salmon and dill sauce. In HongKong,  Rice Burgers, where the burgersare in between, not burger buns, but two patties of glutinous rice.
Australians can isthe only McDonalds market in the world with lamb on its menu permanently. You can also order Vegemite withyour English muffin.  Australian HappyMeals serve something called the Pasta Zoo which is a vegetable and cheese ravioli in theshape of zooanimals, served with a side of "Zoo Goo," made of tomato
In Asia the shrimpburger is called the "EBI Filet-O" in Japan. In Hong Kong, it'sformally titled the Shrimp Burger and comes on bread with lettuce and spicysauce.  In addition you my Japan's ownshrimp tempura. These shrimp are encrusted in a light batter and dunk nicelyinto tempura sauce. In Malaysia youcan find a cup of porridge with bits of chicken, ginger, onion, shallots and chilipeppers.
“Porridge isn'tsoup, but rather sodden rice. Malaysians buy their version from food carts orhawker centers, where vendors sell just that dish. While the McDonald's adaptationis heavy on the rice, the Malaysian version comes in generous layers, with thesoft rice boiled in chicken or seafood broth on the bottom and sauces, choppedvegetables and shredded chicken added on top”.
SingaporeanMcDonald's serve Shaka Shaka Chicken. You'll get a breaded, deep-fried chickenpatty in a wax-paper bag. You dump spicy powder into the bag, and as you"shaka" it, the spices stick to the patty with the help of the fryingoil. If you're too lazy to leave the hotel, you can always order a chickensandwich online, add some jasmine tea and make itcome to you with a McDelivery.
In India there are no beefburgers at McDonald's in India try the McVeggie -- a rice, bean and vegetablepatty that McDonald's treats predictably with breading -- or the McAloo Tikki-- a potato-vegetable burger. Then there is the  Maharaja Mac, which is a Big Mac made of lambor chicken meat. In Egypt, butacross the Middle East. It serves the McArabia, two chicken or beef patties inpita bread with lettuce, tomato, onion and tahini sauce. We see this more as atransplanted hamburger than shawarmaor falafel.
Restaurant  brand protectionism is not a success tactic nor isit a strategy that works in 2012. McDonalds has proven the case menudecentralization and country personalization is the spring board for success.
For internationalcorporate presentations, educational forums, or keynotes contact: StevenJohnson Grocerant Guru at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions.  His extensive experience as a multi-unitrestaurant operator, consultant, brand / product positioning expert and publicspeaking will leave success clues for all. Facebook.com/StevenJohnson, Linkedin.com/in/grocerant or twitter.com/grocerant