11 herbs and spices with a side of Om - KFC opens its first outlet in Tibet

11 herbs and spices with a side of Om

KFC opens its first outlet in Tibet

KFC became the first major Western fast food chain to open an outlet in Tibet. The restaurant is located in the Shenli Shidai shopping center in the Tibetan capital of Lhasa.

According to Xinhua News Locals formed long queues in the restaurant on its first day and local children posed for photos in front of the store.

"Other fast food brands operating in Tibet over the past few years have showed people here have a big appetite for fried chicken and hamburgers," said Chen Biao, a manager of the Shenli Shidai shopping center.

 KFC first attempted to enter the Tibetan market in 2004, but decided to delay entry into the market believing that it didn’t make economic sense at the time and The Dalai Lama, Tibet's spiritual leader in exile, who is an advocate of vegetarianism condemned KFC’s plan at the time.

I am assuming that the KFC Tibet outlet will be very popular with Chinese and foreign tourists alike if it is anything like the other KFC outlets across China in touristy areas.

According to Xinhua news agency, KFC is planning to build a frozen storage area in the suburbs of Lhasa to aid in the growth of its business in the Himalayan region. KFC entered the Chinese market in 1987 and now has more than 5000 oulets in over 1,100 cities across China.

With infrastructure improving in Tibet and with Chinese government encouragement to develop the region, I aspect that we will be seeing more brands entering the market place on top of the world.

And how else would one end a story about KFC in Tibet than with a quote from the sage Carl Spackler ( Bill Murray) :

 “Carl Spackler: So I jump ship in Hong Kong and I make my way over to Tibet, and I get on as a looper at a course over in the Himalayas.

Angie D'Annunzio: A looper?

Carl Spackler: A looper, you know, a caddy, a looper, a jock. So, I tell them I'm a pro jock, and who do you think they give me? The Dalai Lama, himself. Twelfth son of the Lama. The flowing robes, the grace, bald... striking. So, I'm on the first tee with him. I give him the driver. He hauls off and whacks one - big hitter, the Lama - long, into a ten-thousand foot crevasse, right at the base of this glacier. Do you know what the Lama says? Gunga galunga... gunga, gunga-lagunga. So we finish the eighteenth and he's gonna stiff me. And I say, "Hey, Lama, hey, how about a little something, you know, for the effort, you know." And he says, "Oh, uh, there won't be any money, but when you die, on your deathbed, you will receive total consciousness." So I got that goin' for me, which is nice.” – Caddyshack

Have a Great Weekend

David Nealis

President of Ceres Ltd.