The US military continues to strain relations with the Pakistani government through ongoing and relentless drone strikes into sovereign territory along the Afghan border. And while you'd expect the people of Pakistan to reject all-things American in response to our efforts, it turns out that isn't the case.
Why you ask?
Shockingly, it's because of a growing Pakistani middle class' love of American fast food.
Before we dive in, I want to be clear that I'm not taking any sides or stances on the use of drone strikes, in Pakistan or anywhere else for that matter. I'm much more interested in the use of commerce, and food in particular, to bring people together.
With that said, let's examine a few reasons why the citizens of Pakistan have developed such an appetite for commercial western cuisine:
- Pakistani consumer spending has risen at a 26% average pace over the last three years
- Pakistan’s middle class has doubled to 70 million people in the past decade (and what better way to feed 70 million people than with a Fatburger?)
- Franchising is becoming a booming business due to effects of Pakistan's record power outages on factory operations
- The internet and modern media has driven acceptance of western culture and cuisines
According to Bloomberg, the number of foreign food franchises in Pakistan will “easily double” in the next two years as more coffee houses and casual dining outlets enter the country. While outfits like KFC, McDonalds, and Pizza Hut have been there for some time, smaller chains are entering the fray. Companies like Fatburger, Cinnabon, and Mrs. Field's Cookies have plans for rapid growth in Pakistan.
I've always been a big believer in the power of food. There is little in life that is more enjoyable than a great meal, and there are few things, if any, more effective at bringing people together. I used to argue with friends, at least partially in jest, that certain meals could end wars and bring peace to the middle east. And while Fatburger and Cinnabon are all well and good, if we want to do some serious food diplomacy, here are my top three edible ambassadors that I'd send to Pakistan and the greater middle east at large:
1.) Chick-fil-a - Those familiar with my posts on here likely know that I am a hardcore social liberal. Despite that, I simply cannot stop myself from eating Chick-fil-a. Others try to copy their take on the chicken sandwich, but none can match them. Shit, before we ship Chick-fil-a's over to the middle east, let's get a few more in Manhattan. It's not exactly fun going to my old dorm at NYU to pick up a sandwich
2.) Five Guys - I'm sure there are plenty of folks on WSO who prefer In-n-Out, but I'm not one of them. A double cheese burger with cajun fries from Five Guys blows any other fast food burger offering out of the water. Simply tremendous
3.) Di Fara Pizza - While not a chain, Di Fara" makes the world's greatest pizza. For those of you in New York who haven't had it, make the trek out to Brooklyn for it as soon as humanly possible. Grimaldi's is good, and Patsy's is great, but nothing compares to Di Fara. This is peace-on-Earth level food.
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What do you guys think? What fast food joints would you want to export? Any thoughts on the power of food and commerce to combat strained relations between governments?
We should turn that place into a parking lot
Too expensive. Even KFC and MCD are considered treats in developing countries. Hard to make the infrastructure investment necessary work unless you can deploy a significant # of stores, and that's simply not going to happen with the chains you listed.
Oh, don't get me wrong, I know. My list was more of a tongue-in-cheek list of places I'd rather see us export, if we're going to be exporting fast food at all.
Ah, fair
Not sure how it is in Pakistan anymore but only a few years ago KFC and McDonald's were certainly not considered treats but a dine-out experience in its own. It may come as a surprise but the few MCDs that did exist were massive, luxurious (yes), had all the bells and whistles the flagship stores deploy in their state-side locations and took prime real-estate like 4 stories on an influential beachside park.
Why? Because for the price of one happy-meal you can feed a family of four at a nearby local shack. Hence the people that went there either had money pouring out of their pockets or like most middle-class families they went there to have family/friends "dinner night".
I still remember the rich college guys hitting on girls by offering to take them out to Mickey D's; if the girls played their cards right they could get a whole Big Mac out of the deal
Its still similar concept. Its not exactly luxurious but like you said its more like our old Chilli's and TGI Friday before all the discount promotion shit. YUM's Pizza Hut is actually a shit in restaurant in emerging markets not the cheap fast food take out place like here in the US.
Sorry bro, In-n-Out kills five guys. Only Shake Shack is comparable.
Most unrealistic part about Ironman is that when he came back to California from a cave in the Middle East, he goes to Burger King instead of In n Out. I knew going in to suspend belief, but sometimes movies take it too far.
Definitely agree on Five Guys. Too many people like In-N-Out just because it's In-N-Out. Go to Five Guys and treat your tastebuds right.
Chicken Express. That is the one place I always eat whenever I go back near UGA. Seriously, not classy but just damn good. Also, I think its the only chain with corn nuggets.
The fast food will be way more effective than the drones
The problem is that it takes so much longer to kill the populace. Much more difficult to target as well.
Five Guys is the best fast food place hands down.
Five Guys is so great. I'd also argue that Chipotle is top 5. Could eat that for days.
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