Struggling to boost profits amid increased competition, McDonald's is adding a new item to its menu in Japan: the shrimp burger.
The ¥270 (US$2.40) burger, shown to reporters yesterday and set to go on sale this month, is the latest effort by the Japan unit of the US fast-food chain to win over Japanese palates -- and spark sales.
McDonald's Japan is also testing other additions, including chicken salad and yogurt.
PHOTO: AFP
The hamburger chain with more than 3,700 stores in the world's second largest economy has tried everything from tofu burgers to advertising blitzes to coax diners back to the Golden Arches after the company posted a loss in 2002 amid the mad cow scare.
"Many people who used to come to McDonald's had stopped coming, but they're coming back," said Eikoh Harada, who took over as chief executive last year.
Profits at McDonald's Holdings Co (Japan) Ltd, about 50 percent owned by the US McDonald's Corp, have been gradually recovering since its first loss in 29 years in Japan.
Although McDonald's uses Australian beef unaffected by mad cow disease, the fatal brain-wasting ailment, Japanese consumption of beef -- and Big Macs -- dropped sharply at the time.
Yesterday's news conference, held at a McDonald's in Tokyo, included taste-tests of recent menu offerings such as a grilled chicken sandwich and yogurt with granola -- all a change of pace from the Big Mac.
The shrimp burger developed especially for Japan is a bit similar to the Filet-O-Fish, except it's filled with shrimp.
Harada defended his decision to introduce the ¥100 items, including the cheeseburger, as critical to coaxing people back to McDonald's.
In the US, McDonald's offered 99 cent Big Macs, but the discount menu has shrunk and salads can cost US$5 or more. The new chicken salads in Japan, which aren't offered at all stores, cost ¥450.
Senior Vice President Pat Donahue, Harada's predecessor, who oversees the US-Japan partnership said he had faith in Harada and a solid revival takes time.
"He's clearly turned that decline around," Donahue said. "To permanently turn our business around and have sustained profitable growth requires rebuilding a foundation for our business."
Taiwan is projected to lose a working-age population of about 6.67 million people in two waves of retirement in the coming years, as the nation confronts accelerating demographic decline and a shortage of younger workers to take their place, the Ministry of the Interior said. Taiwan experienced its largest baby boom between 1958 and 1966, when the population grew by 3.78 million, followed by a second surge of 2.89 million between 1976 and 1982, ministry data showed. In 2023, the first of those baby boom generations — those born in the late 1950s and early 1960s — began to enter retirement, triggering
One of two tropical depressions that formed off Taiwan yesterday morning could turn into a moderate typhoon by the weekend, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Tropical Depression No. 21 formed at 8am about 1,850km off the southeast coast, CWA forecaster Lee Meng-hsuan (李孟軒) said. The weather system is expected to move northwest as it builds momentum, possibly intensifying this weekend into a typhoon, which would be called Mitag, Lee said. The radius of the storm is expected to reach almost 200km, she said. It is forecast to approach the southeast of Taiwan on Monday next week and pass through the Bashi Channel
NO CHANGE: The TRA makes clear that the US does not consider the status of Taiwan to have been determined by WWII-era documents, a former AIT deputy director said The American Institute in Taiwan’s (AIT) comments that World War-II era documents do not determine Taiwan’s political status accurately conveyed the US’ stance, the US Department of State said. An AIT spokesperson on Saturday said that a Chinese official mischaracterized World War II-era documents as stating that Taiwan was ceded to the China. The remarks from the US’ de facto embassy in Taiwan drew criticism from the Ma Ying-jeou Foundation, whose director said the comments put Taiwan in danger. The Chinese-language United Daily News yesterday reported that a US State Department spokesperson confirmed the AIT’s position. They added that the US would continue to
The number of Chinese spouses applying for dependent residency as well as long-term residency in Taiwan has decreased, the Mainland Affairs Council said yesterday, adding that the reduction of Chinese spouses staying or living in Taiwan is only one facet reflecting the general decrease in the number of people willing to get married in Taiwan. The number of Chinese spouses applying for dependent residency last year was 7,123, down by 2,931, or 29.15 percent, from the previous year. The same census showed that the number of Chinese spouses applying for long-term residency and receiving approval last year stood at 2,973, down 1,520,
RSS