Hong Kong's Fast Food Addicts

[Manila-X]

HKers also like to eat ramen which has alot of MSG

[hkskyline]

Ramen itself doesn't contain MSG. I doubt they mix it into the flour. It's the soup base that's the problem.

Also note the difference between ramen, rice noodles, and other regular noodle types.

[burntbreadboy]

Why does the HK Big Mac contain more fat and cholesterol than other Big macs? Is it down to the type of meat used?

Oh yeah, how much is a McDonalds meal in HK these days? Here in the UK, I think a Big Mac Meal is about £3.50 or about 45 HK$

[gladisimo]

HK meals are cheaper than the US, I know that for sure. But that is partly because the drinks and fries are one size smaller than in the US.

[EricIsHim]

Originally Posted by hkskyline

Ramen itself doesn't contain MSG. I doubt they mix it into the flour. It's the soup base that's the problem.

Also note the difference between ramen, rice noodles, and other regular noodle types.

The ramen noodles are dried fried noodles. It still contains a lot of fat in there.

[hkskyline]

Originally Posted by EricIsHim

The ramen noodles are dried fried noodles. It still contains a lot of fat in there.

Fat an MSG are different things though.

[hkskyline]

Originally Posted by burntbreadboy

Why does the HK Big Mac contain more fat and cholesterol than other Big macs? Is it down to the type of meat used?

Oh yeah, how much is a McDonalds meal in HK these days? Here in the UK, I think a Big Mac Meal is about £3.50 or about 45 HK$

A meal in HK is about half that price. But then, the wages that staff earn are exponentially lower.

[EricIsHim]

Originally Posted by hkskyline

Fat an MSG are different things though.

I know. But it's still a bad stuff for you.

[zergcerebrates]

Originally Posted by WANCH

Count me in there I always eat at Mc Donalds almost every day in fact 3 sometimes 4 times! And guess what, I always get the Big Mac combo supersized But I don't get fat at all and there are hardly anyone in HK who are obese! I tend to walk alot and I lift weights 3 times in a week! Yes The Big-Mac here packs alot of calories and cholesterol but also, how much calories do you lose as well for walking especially walking up the stairs from Central to Conduit Rd. in Mid-Levels? Mc Donalds in HK is pretty good stuff, sometimes better compared to the US!

Recently though, I'm more getting the Fresh Choices Menu than the Big Mac when I eat at Mc Do

Anyway, HK's people are always in a hurry and don't have time to cook so fastfood becomes the option on where to eat.

O C'mon there are so many other fastfood restaurants in HK other than Mcdonalds. Don't you get sick of it eating there so often? I get sick of it even if I visit Mcdonalds once every 2 weeks.

[hkskyline]

Yes, the Chinese fast food joints offer more selection and a more filling meal for less.

[gladisimo]

Originally Posted by zergcerebrates

O C'mon there are so many other fastfood restaurants in HK other than Mcdonalds. Don't you get sick of it eating there so often? I get sick of it even if I visit Mcdonalds once every 2 weeks.

That's like my dad. I don't mind McD's, but If i was in HK I would definitely be going to Cafe de Coral or Maxims more often, cuz I never get that here

[HKG]

Hong Kong 大牌挡 are the best best best in the whole world!

[Manila-X]

Originally Posted by zergcerebrates

O C'mon there are so many other fastfood restaurants in HK other than Mcdonalds. Don't you get sick of it eating there so often? I get sick of it even if I visit Mcdonalds once every 2 weeks.

Of course there are other fastfood joints. Other than Mc Donalds, I also eat at Olivers, KFC, Pizza Hut etc. But Mc Donalds is the closest from my office so I often eat there.

[hkskyline]

麥當勞包不同價 一街之隔貴5毫
14 November 2007
香港經濟日報

樓價隨著地區改變，連「包」價也會隨區升跌！同樣是魚柳包及巨無霸，一街之隔，售價原來可相差4%，不同區域的差價更可達8%。百物騰貴，不少人為慳錢捱快餐，但為食平快餐，也要格價。

IFC包價 貴過余道生大廈

記者昨日發現，只是一橋之隔的國際金融中心（IFC）麥當勞，與中環皇后大道中余道生大廈地庫的麥當勞，兩者的魚柳包及巨無霸售價已不同，前者魚柳包及巨無霸分別賣12.8元及13.8元，後者則較便宜5毫，分別賣12.3元及13.3元，幅度達4%。

除了港島中西區麥當勞的價錢「因地而異」外，相隔一條馬路的寶琳村麥當勞，與新都城二期商場麥當勞，價錢也有差異，兩者的魚柳包雖然同售12元，但後者的巨無霸賣13.3元，比前者貴3毫。

就地區售價差異一事，記者昨日以顧客身份詢問北角英皇道麥當勞的職員。職員表示，各分店會按照其店舖租金調整價錢，要數全港最貴的麥當勞食品，則非海洋公園內的麥當勞莫屬。

而根據本報昨日向麥當勞外賣部查詢所得，不是每一款食物的售價都必定有地區差異，例如雞翼及薯條，各區未見有分別。

[EricIsHim]

Never realized McD. have different burger prices in the regular stores~~

[hkskyline]

Hong Kong fast food king thrives in downturn
11 August 2009
Agence France Presse

When restaurants in Hong Kong closed down one after another at the peak of the financial crisis, Michael Chan noticed the queues in his Cafe de Coral fast food outlets grew longer by the day.

And the clientele was changing.

No longer was the 40-year-old chain serving only middle-to-low-income customers. Among the new diners were bankers and fund managers, more used to power lunches at five-star hotels and private clubs.

"I saw a lot more white-collar workers in our outlets. They traded down their eating habit because of a growing sense of insecurity at work," Chan, chairman of Cafe de Coral Holdings, told AFP.

The company, the largest publicly-listed Chinese fast-food business in the world, operates many well-known chains in Hong Kong, mainland China, the US and Canada, including Oliver's Super Sandwiches and The Spaghetti House.

But it was the low-end Cafe de Coral which proved to be the most resilient.

"We are more defensive than our competitors at recession times. There are some double-digit corrections in our specialty restaurants, but these are offset by the healthy growth in Cafe de Coral," said Chan, 56.

The resilience of cheap eateries matched low-cost businesses such as cinemas, DVD stores and supermarkets, which did well in the global downturn as people looked for inexpensive ways to kill time.

Last month, the Hong Kong-listed firm reported its net annual profits rose 5.2 percent in the 2008/09 financial year to a record high of 441.87 million Hong Kong dollars (56.65 million US), on the back of its market-beating prices.

A customer can enjoy a set lunch -- typically a soup, rice or noodles and meat and vegetables for around 30 dollars (fewer that four US), which is often cheaper than cooking at home.

Chan, who joined the company in 1984 and is the 35th richest person in the city according to wealth-watchers at Forbes magazine, said he aimed to increase the number of his outlets in Hong Kong and overseas from 580 to 1,000 by 2014.

He said the slowdown has allowed him to acquire prime properties at bargain rates.

The company is also spending 400 million dollars to build new central food processing plants in Hong Kong and the Chinese city of Guangzhou, which should cut prices even further when they open in 2010.

The chain's success has come despite operating in Hong Kong's fiercely competitive restaurant sector.

Living in tiny flats with miniscule kitchens and working long hours, most Hong Kong people prefer to eat out.

The city is full of endless rows of noodle bars and Cantonese "cha chaan tengs", which means "tea restaurants" (known for their eclectic and affordable menus of Chinese and Hong Kong-spun Western dishes).

International competitors have also tucked in. McDonald's now has more than 200 outlets in the city, with a menu specially designed for the Chinese taste -- more chicken, less beef.

As a result, food prices have been pushed downwards and Hong Kong, which has some of the most expensive property in the world, has often been at the bottom of the Economist magazine's "Big Mac index" -- which compares the cost of the burger to gauge price differences between countries.

Despite such competition, Cafe de Coral has thrived, using each downward cycle to push a new round of innovation.

When customer numbers started to drop during the Asian financial crisis in 1997, Chan, an urban planner by training, decided to take the chain more upmarket by improving the decor.

As a result, Cafe de Coral attracted a new group of customers -- the "OLs", short for office ladies.

Then came the deadly outbreak of SARS in 2003, when lots of caterers collapsed as Hong Kongers preferred to stay at home to avoid catching the respiratory disease.

Chan moved fast to improve hygiene control in his restaurants, with staff required to wear face masks and gloves when handling food. Customers soon regained confidence.

In order to turn Cafe de Coral's new white-collar customers into loyal patrons, Chan has broadened the range of the menu, which now includes items such as New Zealand sirloin steak and seafood chowder au gratin.

Chan said such reinvention is the key to the success of the chain over the past four decades.

"In the 1970s and 1980s, customers liked eating big chunks of grilled meat, and restaurants tended to use bright interior lighting. Now, they are much more health-conscious, and prefer a cafe-style comfy setting," said Chan, who regularly dines at his outlets to observe customers.

"The secret is to keep rejuvenating the brand. There is no way a 40-year-old catering business will survive if it never changes."

[Skybean]

I wish we had Cafe de Coral here. Those meals are irresistible!

[_00_deathscar]

They really aren't.

[EricIsHim]

They aren't in HK standard; but they would be in NA standard.

[_00_deathscar]

True

I've probably been to Cafe de Coral no more than 5 times in my life.