Duck burger challenges the Chinese fast food market

China’s new “duck burger (photo)” by a local brand is challenging the Chinese fast food market where global restaurants such as McDonald and KFC are making fierce competition.

CNN reported on Wednesday that a fast food restaurant under the brand of DaDong, a high-end Beijing duck specialty restaurant, which opened in October 2015, is gaining much popularity from workers and now the brand is considering opening more restaurants in Shanghai and Guangzhou.

DaDong’s flagship menu is a duck burger with a slice of crispy Beijing-style duck skin, lean meat topped with slices of onions, cucumber and plum sauce. With soda and fried potato, it costs some 31 Chinese yuan (approx. 5,550 Korean won or 4.76 U.S. dollars), similar price with Big Mac of same size. DaDong’s menu includes fusion dishes such as Beijing-style noodles made with spaghetti noodles.

DaDong, which is considered to be famous Beijing duck restaurant along with Quanjude, is paying increasing attention to the fast food market since younger generation loves fast food. While China traditionally has high self-esteem on its national food, growing number of people who get accustomed to foreign culture shows high attention and strong preference on overseas food.

“Fast food restaurants as a 'second brand' under the umbrella of famous high-end brand (such as DaDong) are highly likely to gain popularity from the working-level people who show increasing interest in high-end culture,” said professor Goh Jae-yeon at department of food management in Kyung Hee University said.

이세형기자 turtle@donga.com