Qiao noticed, for instance, that parents were going to McDonald's first to buy burgers for their kids before coming to his outlets to buy noodles for themselves. Honggaoliang used to forbid customers from bringing in food from other places, but it quickly made an exception for Big Macs. Every evening, I send our managers and staff to their outlet to observe and learn. They return with novel ideas of their own, like one for making sure that a customer's noodles stay hot. Such inventiveness is helping Honggaoliang hold its own against western competitors.
Chinese food is what people can eat everyday without getting disgusted.
Western style fast-food could lead to obesity. Qiao now has 3,000 employees and 38 restaurants. Given the popularity of Chinese takeout in places like New York and London, Qiao may eventually realize his dream of creating the first global Chinese fast-food chain. The 21st century belongs to Chinese fast-food. Now those are fighting words.