2nd Perspective from China

2nd Anonymous American Survey Participant who was a Visitor in China

    1.  What have been your experiences with McDonald's during your visit ?

    In China, I went to McDonald's once quickly before seeing a movie. The McDonalds was in an elite mall and was very clean and busy. My Chinese friend who accompanied me did call the meal a snack and didn't really like the cheese. He also laughed when I tried to throw away my own trash. I also stopped at a McDonalds once in a train station to grab coffee, and noticed quite a few young business men and couples having breakfast before boarding their train. In some parts of the city, the outside of McDonald's buildings were decorated to look like a traditional Chinese building. 

     2.    How often do you go to McDonald's during your visit ?

        I went there 2 times while in China.

    3.     Do you think there are any cultural ties to the McDonald's in the country you   visited ?

      I think there are definitely ties to McDonald's in that it is a restaurant that you can find all around the city. However, it is still very much so perceived as an American establishment.

   4.   What are your personal perceptions of McDonald's in the country you visited (positive or negative) and  why? What do you think are the general  perceptions of McDonald's from people in that country (positive or  negative)  and why?

    I found the McDonald's to be pretty modern and liked the clean bathrooms. I would say that the nation's perception is overall positive, although my friends were sometimes frustrated with such a high price for such a small quantity of food.

    5. How does McDonald's in your home country compare to the McDonald's in the country you visited (which one is perceived better and why)? 

     How does class fit into this perception of McDonald's ? 

      The McDonald's play very different roles - it is a modern and relatively expensive restaurant in China but a cheap fast food chain in America. I liked the Chinese McDonalds better, just because they were cleaner and as an American outsider, my Chinese friends kind of enjoyed experiencing American food with me.  

     I think it fits well - although I would add important context - there is cheap "fast food" stands every where you go in the city with a huge variety and types of meals. McDonald's would not want to and would not be able to compete with these cheap, local street vendors and so really had to create a "localized" restaurant that fills a different niche. 

I think it is important to note that similar to the other McDonald's perspective from China the cleanliness of the restaurant is a very important distinction from McDonald's in America. Also I love the comment on how the localization of McDonald's in China really helps it compete with other fast food chains because McDonald's had to adapt to Chinese culture so the food would be more appealing and the restaurant would have success in China.