| McDonald's eyes growth of 24-hour restaurants |
SHANGHAI, June 29 -- MCDONALD'S (China) Co Ltd announced yesterday it would expand its 24-hour service in China to boost sales and cater to people's rapidly changing lifestyles.
The world's leading fast food chain opened its first 24-hour restaurant in China in early 2006 and nearly 400 of McDonald's 800 restaurants now operate 24 hours, seven days a week.
"Lifestyles in China are changing rapidly. There are increasingly mobile and trendy customers who use McDonald's to meet friends and relax in the early hours," the company said in an e-mail statement yesterday.
The company added that the criteria to open a 24-hour restaurant lies in number of guest counts and sales revenue, among other factors. "More and more restaurant managers see a demand to convert their outlets into 24-hour service."
About 60 percent of the restaurants in south China are 24-hour outlets as people tend to go out late at night, compared with about 45 percent in the north of the country.
However, McDonald's declined to disclose further its expansion plan for more 24-hour restaurants in China.
McDonald's will launch a road show tour in Shanghai today to introduce its Moon Man ambassador, the symbol of its day-night service that is already seen in other parts of the world. The road show will then go to Beijing, Shenzhen and Guangzhou.
Both McDonald's and Yum! Brands Inc have been cashing in on the Chinese market with people's rising income and growing appetite for western food.
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