Mcdonald's Thailand Smells Recovery

[andyc2006]

While in principle this would be true if they had exactly the same number of customers. But by raising the prices it may cause some people to give it a miss.

If this guy wants to take the lead on the 'recovery and tourists are coming back campaign', what would be more interesting is statistics on the number of customers not sales. Suffice to say, hoteliers in Samui and Phuket would probably be a better source for the number of tourists +/-.

But by positioning himself this way, Mr. Big Mac got a chance to plug away.

Must agree with you. Even if he knows he's had an increase in unique customers, he's in no position to know if they're actually tourists. When I walk by the McDonalds near my home at Chit Lom in BKK, there's never a single white person in there. It's always all-Asian (I presume all Thais).

Additionally, back in the States, we use restaurants such as McD's and Taco Bell as contrarian indicators -- people downgrade their restaurants during difficult economic times. If McD's is seeing increased numbers of local customers, it's a sign that the economy is still getting worse.

[rayong09]

Go Burger King!

l agree , ,,,, as far as good healthy junk food goes it takes some beating ,,

Wimpy was THEE best but seem to have died off now in the UK.

I remember being at a river festival standing outside a pub on the river bank and in the distance on a slight hill a Mr Wimpy guy in costume waving down at the crowds obviously promoting Wimpy. Anyway these lads crept up behind him turned him on his side and pushed him down the hill, he rolled all the way down arms and legs everywhere it was absolutely hilarious! Totally off topic but there you go!

[Publicus]

Put a cow on the hill and you're back on topic .

Kill it and you're in business.....

Edited October 6, 2009 by Publicus

[DP25]

I eat McDonalds sometimes, mainly because they have 24 hour delivery and its quite convenient to get fried chicken or a cheeseburger delivered to my apartment at 3 am. Their spicy fried chicken is actually pretty good.

If they were serious about getting foreign customers though they would tailor their menu to them more. I know that most Thai people don't eat beef but offering quarter pounders in tourist areas at least would help, the burgers they have aren't exactly filling.

[wintermute]

Mickey D's has better fried chicken than the super salty chicken in KFC. I find the chicken in McD to be superior to any of the fried chicken you find in street stalls which look like it was fried in motor oil.

[sassienie]

RESTAURANT

McDonald's smells recovery

BANGKOK: -- McThai, operator of McDonald's restaurants, believes the economy has bottomed out, with tourists returning, especially to Phuket and Samui.

"We saw positive signs from the improvement in the occupancy of hotels. Our stores in tourism provinces such as Phuket and Samui have rebounded in line with the tourism recovery," chairman and CEO Hester Chew said yesterday.

The recovery of the tourism business this quarter would help the company's sales this year to beat last year, he said.

McThai had targeted sales to grow by 20 per cent this year, |the same as last year, but the figure will be more than 20 per cent because of the impressive double-digit sales pace in the first nine months, he said.

The outstanding performance was driven by unit expansion, product introductions and sports marketing, he said.

McThai has opened eight branches nationwide in the first nine months and nine more will be launched this quarter.

"Despite the economic downturn, McThai will not stop growing. Our branch expansion this year is 17 units, compared to 13 last year," he said.

The company plans to open 13-15 branches next year, and projects sales to grow by more than this year.

A key success factor this year is the company's commitment with customers, as exemplified by the message of a balanced and active lifestyle, which the company has aggressively relayed to consumers since last year.

McDonald's provides a wide variety of food choices to consumers and informs them that they should eat food and burn off calories with exercise.

"At McDonald's restaurants consumers can select salads, yoghurt or milk, when they don't want to eat cheeseburgers. This is an example of menus that emphasise on the balanced and active lifestyle," he said.

Sports marketing has also helped consumers gain more experience in the balanced and active lifestyle.

McDonald's has entered into a three-year contract to sponsor the Thailand national football team as an official partner of the Thai Football Association under royal patronage.

The Bt30-million sponsorship starts next month and runs to 2012.

"We consider football as a mass sport and more popular in Thailand. It can respond to our balanced and active lifestyle," Chew added.

-- The Nation 2009-10-06

So the tourist industry in Thailand is recovering, well, I’m not convinced.

Come to Chiang Mai where I would guess the decline of the tourist industry is more evident.

In the meantime, as for McDonalds, I’ll have a gastric burger, a double portion of colic and a strawberry guts ache, please.

[Ulysses G.]

That's interesting, cause in my case it's just the other way round. I ate Thai food only, back when I was a tourist in Thailand. But having lived here for seven years, my diet now is more like 2/3 western or western-style food, and only 1/3 Thai dishes.

Only tourists, pathetic pretend-to-be-Thais and super cheap-skates eat Thai food for every meal. What a bore.

I ate all kinds of different cuisines in San Francisco growing up and I have no intention of being stuck with only one here.

As far as McDonald's goes, not going there seems to be widespread amongst incredibly stupid people who do not realize that no one else besides other stupid people care what they do or do not eat.

Down with food Nazis!

Edited October 8, 2009 by Ulysses G.

[Ulysses G.]

Additionally, back in the States, we use restaurants such as McD's and Taco Bell as contrarian indicators -- people downgrade their restaurants during difficult economic times. If McD's is seeing increased numbers of local customers, it's a sign that the economy is still getting worse.

Another economic genius.

"Back in the States", McDonalds is the cheapest food on the market. In Thailand, it is not.

[hhgz]

"Mcdonald's Thailand Smells Recovery"

I wondered what smelled so good.

[andyc2006]

Additionally, back in the States, we use restaurants such as McD's and Taco Bell as contrarian indicators -- people downgrade their restaurants during difficult economic times. If McD's is seeing increased numbers of local customers, it's a sign that the economy is still getting worse.

Another economic genius.

"Back in the States", McDonalds is the cheapest food on the market. In Thailand, it is not.

Another Internet keyboard warrior who has nothing better to do that instigate arguments.

Since the only thing I eat at McD's is a 26-baht chocolate Sunday, I wasn't aware that dining at a McD's in Thailand would be comparable in cost to dining at Siroccos, especially since I noticed that their coffee products are steeply discounted over Starbucks.

I have no other price points for McD's, but am very sorry to hear you think their food isn't cheap.

Back to the point -- my argument holds if the new McD's customers are downgrading from more expensive restaurants.

If you have reason to believe (and evidence to support) that they're upgrading to McDs from street food, you win, congratulation

[Ulysses G.]

McDonalds is nowhere near the cheapest restaurant food in Thailand - no matter how you try to spin it - so your theory proves absolutely nothing.

Most likely, tourism is rebounding as McDonald's says.

[sokal]

McCrap

McCsh*t or Makesh*t

But hey, I like the double fish burger.

Thailand and Asia is in allot better shape then the rest of the world financially. Peter Schiff and Marc Faber are both investing in Thailand. Asia just needs to learn to live with higher value currencies going forward.

[Tongdee]

I like to see Rotten Ronnies when I get the urge. They got it right, the Thai restarants just dont get it.

Clean toilets always everywhere. As for the other end, not a chance

Tongdee