'Fusion' becomes in thing among fast-food chains

Fast-food chains such as KFC, McDonald's and Shake Shack have rolled out burgers modified to suit Chinese palates, replacing regular buns with traditional Chinese baked ones to entice younger consumers.

The move, which comes amid growing competition from lower-priced domestic burger restaurants, is the latest to feature guochao, or a trend of including Chinese cultural elements in a variety of fields, which is now influencing Western-style fast-food menus.

KFC, a unit of Yum China, the largest restaurant group in the country by outlets, recently launched Chinese-style burgers, with fried chicken sandwiches containing Chinese-style baked buns.

Many food bloggers have said that KFC's new version of its iconic chicken burger is similar to the products of Tastien, a Chinese fast-food chain based in Fujian province.

Zhang Qi, a resident in Beijing, said it is exciting to see KFC innovate its menu with Chinese style burgers. "They make burgers with Chinese flavors. It is like having Chinese food in a fast food manner, convenient and familiar."

Lei Dongyong, 23, an actress and livestreaming hostess who has tried burgers at both KFC and Tastien, said, "Tastien's burger tastes like a good combination of burger and roujiamo. It has larger portions and is cheaper."

Roujiamo, or meat burger, is a crispy, oven-baked bun filled with diced pork — a specialty that originated in Shaanxi province.

Chinese-style burgers are a favorite among the younger generation because of their attractive pricing and different marketing strategy, said Zhu Danpeng, a food and drink analyst in Guangzhou, Guangdong province.

International fast-food restaurants have gradually copied or learned from their Chinese counterparts in following the popularity of local tastes, contributing to the rise of fusion food, he said.

For example, two months ago, Shake Shack launched its first Chinese-style burger — a beef burger with spicy beans and radish that was inspired by Sichuan cuisine. Burger King has brought back its pork elbow burger and recently introduced a spicy crayfish beef burger.

Over the years, KFC and McDonald's have included Chinese-style burgers and snacks in their menu, including KFC's Beijing Chicken barbecue, spicy beef burger, porridge and fried dough sticks for breakfast.

Domestic fast-food chains, on the other hand, have stood out for their localized preparations and ingredients.

For instance, Tastien uses handmade baked buns, while Jiaguolong Chinese Burger, a unit of the Xibei catering group, includes sweet rice wine in making the flour dough for its buns. Furthermore, to appeal to more consumers, some restaurants' Chinese-style burgers use tofu and Peking duck instead of beef and chicken widely seen in Western fast food.

Tastien now operates more than 6,100 stores, twice the number at the beginning of the year, with the majority of these located in smaller cities.

The fast-food sector has grown rapidly this year, as the catering sector has seen strong recovery. In November, a total revenue of the catering industry nationwide reached 558 billion yuan ($78.3 billion), an increase of 25.8 percent year-on-year, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics.

From January to November, the revenue of restaurants nationwide reached more than 4.7 trillion yuan, up 19.4 percent compared with the same period last year.

wangzhuoqiong@chinadaily.com.cn