McDonald’s betting big on chicken
McThai Co, the operator of McDonald’s in Thailand, will roll out the largest menu overhaul the company has seen in decades. The fast food chain is going to shift its focus to fried chicken, where the competition is heating up.
The American burger chain is tapping into the rapid growth of big-sized fried chicken with the launch of McFried Chicken Jumbo today at all of its 226 McDonald’s branches across the country.
Its original fried chicken size will no longer be regularly available in the market.
Petcharat Uthaisang, chief marketing officer of McThai, said the new McDonald’s Fried Chicken Jumbo is an example of a local menu item that has been developed to fit demand among Thai consumers who prefer larger portion sizes.
The entry of new fried chicken brands such as Hot Star Taiwanese-style fried chicken and Texas Fried Chicken by PTT Group has also created fiercer competition, while demand for fried chicken saw higher growth than demand for burgers last year.
Per-capita consumption of chicken in Thailand was about 19.7 kilogrammes in 2015, the highest of any meat when compared with pork, beef, fish and seafood.
It is forecast that the market value of quick service restaurants in Thailand will grow 10% this year. After growing 13% last year, the fried chicken market is currently valued at 14-17 billion baht.
The market for burgers is estimated at 7-8 billion baht, while that for pizza is valued at 10 billion baht. Growth for both products in 2015 was in the range of 5-9%.
“McFried Chicken Jumbo is one of our new products that will become an alternative for fried chicken lovers. It is set to be one of our top-three dishes at McDonald’s in 2016”, said Ms Petcharat.
The platform for McFried Chicken Jumbo includes a variety of selections ranging between 37 and 369 baht.
“We have been working for over 12 months to develop this jumbo fried chicken menu and we’re confident that it will be an attractive product category in the fast-food market,” she said.
The company will spend about 50 million baht to promote the McFried Chicken Jumbo via both online and offline media.