China Pattern

McDonald’s Corp. (Oak Brook, Ill.) announced the opening of its first drive-through restaurant in China. The store is located in the heart of the central business district of Dongguan in the Guangdong province.

“Choosing Dongguan for the location of our first Chinese drive-through restaurant demonstrates McDonald's confidence in the business opportunities and economic environment of the Pear River Delta region,” said Jeff Schwartz, ceo of McDonald's China. “Drive-through is an integral part of McDonald's ‘Plan to Win’ in China and we are well positioned to expand our locations in major cities across the country, such as Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou and Shenzhen. We want to ensure that as the lifestyles of today's Chinese consumers become more demanding, McDonald's is ready to provide a convenient, efficient and quality solution to satisfy the needs of their fast-paced lives.”

Just a few years ago, owning a car was a dream for most Chinese people. But in the year 2004, according to the China State Automobile Industry Associate, over 2 million passenger cars were sold in the country, representing a jump of more than 80 percent over previous years. And the expected growth rate in car ownership is expected to be 15 percent a year.

There are currently more than 1000 McDonald's Drive-Through restaurants in Japan, Singapore, Malaysia and Taiwan.