I first came to nam in 92 and 93. As much as I love to see the amazing developments that have transpired since, nothing fills me with more anger than to see American junk food taking hold when Vietnamese food is one of the best if not the best in the world. There is no need to eat that unhealthy sh@t with so much good Vietnamese food to eat.
Now aday every american know every single detail about junk food, but i wonder why they don't want or at least try to change their daily menu to something healthier ? Perharp Buger King and Mc Donnal Gas light strategy is too effective.
Agree, but I think it's important to monitor the amount of sugar vendors put in things. A ca phe sua da with all that condensed milk has a bout twice as much sugar as a coke. Even smoothies will often be finished with a trowel scoop full of sugar. Very easy to get fat in VN if you don't keep a tight hold on the sugar intake.
@@levitabacug3377 nope. My kids never had McDonalds. We go for Pho or even local Döner is better than big junk food chains, but I wonder what else is in the meat ;-)
Pricing is #1 problem. They were the best fast food in VN at the time. BK in Vietnam tasted way better than BK in the US, very good job in that aspect, but it is just too unaffordable in VN. With that price VNese’d rather go to local specialty restaurants. Bad product positioning in general.
@@driftitlikeyouownit My opinion as a local. Burger King's spicy tendercrisp is good but beware it's always out of stock and "ga gion cay/spicy chicken" is not the same, it's pretty bad. Texas Chicken's Tex Supreme is the next best thing. KFC/Lotteria/Popeyes are too bland for my taste, I want spicy. McDonald are okish, not anything special. But... the local food are way better.
I was in beautiful Hanoi lately and was surprised of our own Philippines 🇵🇭 Jollibee fast food chain existing in Vietnam 🇻🇳. Later I learned that there are actually about 150 Jollibee restaurants in Nam surpassing the number of Mc DoDonalds there. I think 🤔 fast food is fine when consumed in moderation say, once a week.
Another great episode. Burger King is failing in my area. All of them are drive thru only now because they can't get anyone to work even though McDonald's across the street is bustling inside.
Vetnam peoples no like word King. These are maternal peoples. Burger Queens will be good for the them. They will ngoc it very much if Mr Hong make it good and cheap and make booger with glutinous snake meat and water bug. Sell many happys.
I am American... After eating Vietnamese food for 3 months, in VN, I at once at Burger King in Hanoi... I could barely eat half of it... Dislike American fast food.
Thanks Ken! Great video. Living in the states for over 40 years I’m tired of eating fast fat foods. Why in the hell would Vietnamese peoples eat these fat high in calories foods? There is so many Banh Mi joint and flavorable foods in every corners.
It's just so expensive compared to other fast food chains. Mcdonalds you get a large big mac meal for 118000 Dong but at burger king you get a small burger, small chips and small drink for 220000 dong. Just ridiculous!
Thank you Ken. I have been to the BK near Ben Thanh Market but not recent on my Saigon trips as Vietnamese food comes primary to me. However, last year in July, I had a BK combo meal at Tan Son Nhat International Airport & that was very expensive. About VND600K if I am not wrong. Cam on ban!
Your absolutely right Ken! When I go to the McDonald's in Thailand, they have more chicken burgers than beef burgers. Because they know that the Thai's like chicken over beef. They also have one thing I haven't seen at any other McDonald's and that is a Pineapple Pie, which is very popular. At Burger King, I don' like the taste of their beef, because they cook with propane gas and you can taste it in their beef, not good.... 🍔👎
Do Thais like processed chicken from China? That's where it's from. And it doesn't even taste like real chicken. Just garbage. The only Thais who eat at McDonald's are obese. And they probably weren't obese before they started eating at McDonald's. Same story everywhere around the world.
We stayed at the Sheraton in Hanoi and went to BK at least 3 times as it was easiest to get to without having to cross streets....We were the only people there each time...The employees were watching a soap opera on TV cause there was nothing else to do....Seemed strange since it was on a very busy street.....This explains a lot......We also checked out Kens coffee in HCMC as well....cute place....had egg coffee...Thx!!!1
When Henry brought McDonald's to Vn he was set due to his father being the current president at the time. and yes they pivoted and they also have lots of smaller burgers and such. Burger king yes sold just like the US big and to expensive as they needed a small sized food menu. Now KFC wasn't popular in early 200 and it was the bird flu that catapulted them to success! All poultry was based and Ted was coming. Vietnamese need there chicken and only KFC had it and they then offered Com Ga business lunch and they took off!
Goodday Ken, You just can't beat Home cooked Vietnamese or Vietnamese Street food. The last thing I would want in Vietnam Burger King yuck. Cheers Louis Kats your number 1 Fan in Melbourne, Australia 🇦🇺 🇻🇳
I've eaten at that BK! I have spent lots of time on that street as i once lived just a couple of blocks away when I worked in VN in 2005. I go back there every year or two.
No surprise of the failure, B😮urger King lacks delicacies. It's foods are not for Vietnamese even in Australia. They look bold and taste bold. Fast foods should not mean junk foods. Burger King foods look junk and taste junk.
Beef Royale, aka Burger King, failed in the US when they replaced their flame broilers with sprayed on smoke flavoring. Their burgers aren't very good anymore. Jollibee is the gold standard of foreign penetration of the fast food industry.
I can’t even remember the last time I ate at Burger King or McDonald and I ve been in the US 45 years. Vietnamese people don’t care for this type of food.😂
McDonalds is a great fast food place in district 4 for me since we have a place on top floor of a building in the area , Pizza Hut is great then have a good place to eat in store in district 7 plus a smaller one in district 1
I ate at burger king a couple of times and every time the burger was cold and taste wasn’t great. No idea why but it was awful. Tastes nothing like an actual Burger King burger.
I took my American born children back to Nha Trang a few times for family visits and the only American fast food they liked was KFC, and in their words: fried chicken there was more tasty than in the US and less salty, crunchier. I guessed KFC adapted well to the Asian palette locally. Also, the only Burger King joint in my 50k population city in Tennessee closed down 2 years ago while multiple fast food franchises popping up around town…. Sad, since I like their Whopper and breakfast croissant….Great analysis Ken 👏🏼
Burger king fail mostly because of it price , i like they burger ( better then mcdonald and lotteria ) same reason why i dont eat mcdonald it not worth the buck 👌
I remember riding to Tan Son Nhat airport for a burger king in 2011. They did have a burger king there, before they opened stores in the city in 2012. KFC hit the market at just the right time. Carls Junior never really took off but was the best quality, I remember they had one in Diamond plaza and one next to nha tho duc ba between 2012-2016 (opposite Buu Dien Sai gon and near HSBC)
I’m visiting Asia for the first time. I’m in Bangkok for dental work. Great dentists and much cheaper than home in USA. I’m an independent wealth manager and own my own business. My first assessment of the retail culture here is that citizens are very brand conscious. I’ve tried 4 different fast food chains here and found that the execution of services and products is far superior than at home.
I've eaten at that Burger King in D1 and another one in D7. The one in D7 was originally 2 floors but they closed and moved across the street to a smaller one floor model. Also Carl's Jr. did not succeed even though across from Notre Dame Cathedral.
KFC seems successful, but they do all over Asia. Jollibee too. And Baskin Robins was busy when I went, they put boba in the ice cream, locals seem to like that
@@14habibs The reason why KFC is successful in Asia is because they sell chicken. Asians sell chicken too. Much much difference in the product. It's also why even Texas Chicken is successful in Asia.
Because their Quality has Dropped HUGE After 2000 and just kept getting worse. Burgers are Half the Size, they No Longer Grill/Cook them In Store and they Turn Green in under 8 hours... And a Coupon that Use to Be 3 Whoppers, 3 Fries and 3 Bacon Cheeseburgers at $9.99 went to 3W, 3F, 3 Regular Cheeseburgers for $12.99 and then $16.99 and Now $17.49.... in just 3 Years...
Only 5% of F&B sales in VN come from chain restaurants so you could basically say that every domestic chain restaurant has also "failed". Although they may not have met their initial publicly stated targets (which would be artificially inflated to get publicity), BK is still operating after 10 years and if you compare them to other international burger brands, the ratio of McD to BK in VN is similar to that in the USA (2:1). Also your point about 24 hour opening is totally incorrect since several McD locations in HCM are open 24 hours whereas BK is not. In summary, I didn't find your video to be very persuasive at all.
I think if Burger king franchise out their restaurants might gets popular quicker. KFC launched in Hong Kong in the 70's and failed because people's eating habit were different then, they waited and re-launch many years later and success. It is a good opportunity to buy the franchise now. The brand name and equipments worth not much for now, pay BK nothing, just take over the rental contracts, it will be a good restaurant opportunity. BK has fish and chicken in their manual, and set up for that. The new restaurant should take adventure of the set up, sell fried chicken, fish and pho. The King's day has ended, rename it BK.
For some reason, other than McDonalds.. most of the fast food chain burgers/menu in Vietnam is so bad.. the burgers in KFC/BK/Lotteria/Jollibees etc taste so bad compared to when I have them in Europe. I don't know why.
Sounds like they expanded too quickly without establishing adequate brand recognition and creating a menu that is enjoyed by the locals. They should've started by only opening 1-2 locations, and spending the rest of the $20M on marketing and research and development for their menu
Burger King actually did try adapt to Vietnamese taste. Their bun is sweeten a touch too much the meat also sweetened too much. In the US I prefer Burger King, but in Vietnam McDonald's is much much better. McDonald's kept their classics burgers the way I remembered, no unnecessary sugar added. This is a common problem I see in may franchises entering Vietnam, add more sugar to most menu items!
Very interesting subject. Thanks for sharing your thoughts about it. I had a BK on my street in Hanoi (Ba Dinh district) for a year and I have never entered it. Hanoi has too many food options besides BK. Cheaper and much more convenient to all. Cheers
I tried Burger King a few times and found the staff unable to communicate with the customers. The ignorance of the staff really turned me off. I have noticed with many fast food places that the managers can't manage. They seem unaware of basic customer service ideals.
I measured timing in Mc Donalds many times. They serve within 15-25 minutes in average. Never seen it in other countries. Management is very poorly done in those chains in Vietnam. The same is relevant to Burger King. We have done a lot of discussions on this topic and met owners and franchisees of international food chains in Vietnam. It's one of the most difficult markets to adopt and understand it even if you are Vietnamese.
Burger King in Bali taste better than anywhere else in Asia, the burger taste beautipful. KFC in Vietnam dost taste the same. They didnt bring out the best to sell in Vietnam.
IMO (input from expats also) a fast food indian place with affordable pricing. in da nang much of the conversation is about the cost of indian food given cost of living and operating expenses.
McDonalds did not fare well also in VN. It’s branch beside Saigon Post Office has closed, and the one in Nguyen Hue has halved its store. So it’s futile to compare BK with McDonald’s.
Problem here is that BK, Domino's, Popeye's, and Dunkin Donuts are franshised to one company here in VN.Many of these franshises have closed locations due poor product execution and keeping it original. I don't think it was just about the timing but rather they had cheapout on the ingredients making it not the same as the originals, with that said 2012 was actually a golden opportunity for franchises to come to VN as locals were already willing to try to new taste profiles at the time. For BK, their problem is poor staff training, using third party ingredients, lack of promotions and marketing, this goes the same with their other franchises.
Man I love BK. The few fast food places I like. The BK at Tan Son Nhat was expensive as hell though. I had to ask the cashier if the price was correct, and it was too rich for my blood, lol.
You state that one of BK-VN's failures was late entry into the market. However, due to land ownership issues, McD's entry was several years later but McD-VN is doing very well.
Brand recognition is one of differences. Late entry to market coupled with poor brand recognition does not help either. If it was the very first to enter even with a low recognition, that could have increased BK's chances to be successful. We explain it all in the video.
You're right about that because my gf in vietnam had never tried pizza and we went to steak and pizza restaurant. The pizza was very good and liked how they made it. It was just a traditional pepperoni but they made it very well and I let the staff know this.
Wow , that is just stupid not adjusting to local taste. When you tell customers , it is my way or the highway ... you better have a damn good product. But if your product is the same as the rest, you are going to close your store soon. Also asian are all about Rice and Noodles, you must have some items that include it.
What Ken forgot to mention is how the chains get into Vietnam. For instance, the son of the former PM of Vietnam controls all of the rights to McDonald's in Vietnam. You have to pay him if you want to open a McDonald's in Vietnam. I wonder how he was able to get that kind of control...hmmm. Thanks for telling us these details Ken.
Due was making big buck in usa before returning and marriage dung daughter , due also the reason why dung lose to trong and new law about govt official children cant marriage foreign citizen.
There is a reason why there is a big Mac index but not whopper index. They do not adapt to the local price, even after they adapted the price they are more expensive than McDonald, even when they do lower prices during promotions, they cheap on the portion(the portion is the same as normal price, just the portion is so less and feel like money pinching). I do like Burger King over McDonald over anytime, but the price and portion just make you feel like they don’t appreciate you as much of a customer compared to McDonald
Main reason I don’t go often to Burger King in Vietnam is the price is much higher than McDonalds and I don’t find it that authentic. The Whooper is the closest thing to the original menu but even that is not 100 % like the original and the main thing about these big brands is that Whooper or Big Mac must taste the same no matter where you are in the World. McDonalds does have local choices but when you get that Big Mac combo it taste exactly like the west and yet is cheaper than what you would pay in the USA . I use to go to BK when they had coupons it wasn’t a bad deal but they don’t have those promotions anymore. These big name franchises need to do a lot of volume to survive in Vietnam cause the local landlords keep jacking up the rent to stupid levels . I miss Carls Junior it didn’t survive as well as Subway really wish someone would make a go of it again I can’t see why they can’t be successful. I love Popeyes and Texas chicken cause they are so close to the original frankly don’t like KFC cause they adapted too much to Vietnam flavours that it doesn’t even taste like KFC can’t see how a big brand allows the franchisee to play around so much with the original product. I don’t think that the big brands can expect to expand a lot in Vietnam but it shouldn’t be too hard to have a presence in Ho Chi Minh a city of 13 million and lots of international tourists. Obviously the price of BK is too expensive for locals they don’t care what something taste like they put in their mouth as long as it is dirt cheap . Just look at the horrid food they sell of the street
> can’t see how a big brand allows the franchisee to play around so much with the original product Because it wouldn't have survived otherwise. As a vietnamese, the BK beef burgers/Whoper/BigMac taste like dogshit and make me question the American's taste. I'd not even pay street food price for their burger. The local taste just does not like fried beef. Nobody even eat stakes. You either adapt and stop making beef burger your main thing or die like Carl's Junior. It's really not hard to expand in Vietnam as big brands, you just need to sell chicken, KFC/Popeyes/McDonald/Loterria did it. I actually REALLY REALLY like BK's spicy tendercrisp chicken burger though, but they are almost always outta stocks, BK detest making them for some reason and offer their usual Chicken burger which is dogshit in stead.
@@Frzned9x Well when it comes to meat beef is King and Burger King and McDonalds import quality Australian meat for their burgers .You may not like eating quality Steaks but you are a rarity most people love a good steak if you can afford .The Burgers are not deep fried not sure where you get that from .McDonalds are the largest restaurant chain in the world and BK is massive so they are probably doing something right even if you think Vietnamese don’t like them .Fact is Vietnamese will eat anything as long as it fills them up and is cheap . You only have to look at the crap on the street they buy and sit on plastic kids chairs with rats running around them .Vietnamese aren’t to fussy when it comes to food they probably would eat dog poop if it was cheap enough . Just think when you get your next Pho what kind of meat is in it ? Trust me it isn’t quality probably someone’s old water buffalo and those horrible Ban Mi sandwiches what in gods name mystery meat is in those things ? And seriously they can’t even make a proper baguette here even with the French being here so long the Vietnamese screw up a simple thing like a sandwich. Admit it Vietnamese don’t even really like Vietnamese food they only eat cause it is cheap . Look at all the high end restaurants that Vietnamese eat at when they want to spend money .They aren’t Vietnamese they are all Japanese,Korean,Thai ,Chinese and European. Any high end Vietnamese restaurant goes out of business cause Vietnamese refuse to pay big bucks for the stuff . Only high end Vietnamese restaurant in Saigon that is successful is Vietnam house and that’s is because it is supported by tourists not locals . Do you self a favour and go get yourself a imported grain feed or wagu ribeye steak and BBQ it you need to expand you tastes buds
who told you that Vietnamese locals would prefer the "orginal" sh-tty taste of BK and McDonalds in Vietnam. I live in the US and I have not eaten those crappy sh-t since forever :-) ,and the kind of tourists who look for those food are probably not the type to go to VN in the first place. American fast food has no place in VN .. period !!!!
I haven't had burger King yet I did however try texas chicken and thier honey butter biscuits were of southern quality. I'm a born texan and I was skeptical but the chicken was on par and the biscuts and fries were awsome.
Burger chains will not do well in Vietnam, because there is this thing called Banh Mi.
I did not get to try them but next year when I go back I will
@@driftitlikeyouownit L. O. S. E. R. !!!
Banh Mi is the true King 👑❤😂
lol so true 😂
But US sells sandwich rolls (banh mi) too.
I first came to nam in 92 and 93. As much as I love to see the amazing developments that have transpired since, nothing fills me with more anger than to see American junk food taking hold when Vietnamese food is one of the best if not the best in the world. There is no need to eat that unhealthy sh@t with so much good Vietnamese food to eat.
Now aday every american know every single detail about junk food, but i wonder why they don't want or at least try to change their daily menu to something healthier ? Perharp Buger King and Mc Donnal Gas light strategy is too effective.
Fast food like McDonalds or KFC is fine if not consumed daily.
Have fast foods once a week won’t hurt your health. Moderation is the key.
But you eat fast food too, don’t you?
Agree, but I think it's important to monitor the amount of sugar vendors put in things. A ca phe sua da with all that condensed milk has a bout twice as much sugar as a coke. Even smoothies will often be finished with a trowel scoop full of sugar. Very easy to get fat in VN if you don't keep a tight hold on the sugar intake.
@@levitabacug3377 nope. My kids never had McDonalds. We go for Pho or even local Döner is better than big junk food chains, but I wonder what else is in the meat ;-)
Pricing is #1 problem. They were the best fast food in VN at the time. BK in Vietnam tasted way better than BK in the US, very good job in that aspect, but it is just too unaffordable in VN. With that price VNese’d rather go to local specialty restaurants. Bad product positioning in general.
I really wanted to try the other foreign burger chains like MOS and Lotteria but Viet food is so good I didnt want to skip any Viet meals.
True!
The lotteria chicken sandwich I tried wasn't good. Thier regular chicken was but I did not get to try the burger but will
@@driftitlikeyouownit My opinion as a local.
Burger King's spicy tendercrisp is good but beware it's always out of stock and "ga gion cay/spicy chicken" is not the same, it's pretty bad. Texas Chicken's Tex Supreme is the next best thing. KFC/Lotteria/Popeyes are too bland for my taste, I want spicy. McDonald are okish, not anything special.
But... the local food are way better.
It's called fast food because it's the fastest path to obesity and heart disease.
@@driftitlikeyouownit Lotteria blows.
The real reason is Vietnam has a culture and food is a part of it. Good food! Nutritious. It tastes good. It promotes health and well being.
I was in beautiful Hanoi lately and was surprised of our own Philippines 🇵🇭 Jollibee fast food chain existing in Vietnam 🇻🇳.
Later I learned that there are actually about 150 Jollibee restaurants in Nam surpassing the number of Mc DoDonalds there.
I think 🤔 fast food is fine when consumed in moderation say, once a week.
Another great episode. Burger King is failing in my area. All of them are drive thru only now because they can't get anyone to work even though McDonald's across the street is bustling inside.
Vetnam peoples no like word King. These are maternal peoples. Burger Queens will be good for the them. They will ngoc it very much if Mr Hong make it good and cheap and make booger with glutinous snake meat and water bug. Sell many happys.
I am American... After eating Vietnamese food for 3 months, in VN, I at once at Burger King in Hanoi... I could barely eat half of it... Dislike American fast food.
Thanks Ken! Great video. Living in the states for over 40 years I’m tired of eating fast fat foods. Why in the hell would Vietnamese peoples eat these fat high in calories foods? There is so many Banh Mi joint and flavorable foods in every corners.
It's just so expensive compared to other fast food chains. Mcdonalds you get a large big mac meal for 118000 Dong but at burger king you get a small burger, small chips and small drink for 220000 dong. Just ridiculous!
Burger King, McDonald, KFC, 31 Basking Robin- They all failed in VN. If you have 40 million why do you want to invest in fast food restaurants?
rich people have money to burn on pet projects
Thank you Ken. I have been to the BK near Ben Thanh Market but not recent on my Saigon trips as Vietnamese food comes primary to me. However, last year in July, I had a BK combo meal at Tan Son Nhat International Airport & that was very expensive. About VND600K if I am not wrong. Cam on ban!
Your absolutely right Ken! When I go to the McDonald's in Thailand, they have more chicken burgers than beef burgers. Because they know that the Thai's like chicken over beef. They also have one thing I haven't seen at any other McDonald's and that is a Pineapple Pie, which is very popular. At Burger King, I don' like the taste of their beef, because they cook with propane gas and you can taste it in their beef, not good.... 🍔👎
Do Thais like processed chicken from China? That's where it's from. And it doesn't even taste like real chicken. Just garbage. The only Thais who eat at McDonald's are obese. And they probably weren't obese before they started eating at McDonald's. Same story everywhere around the world.
BK is also a failure in Canada. There's only 4 restaurants in our city of 1.5 million, and their competitors have better tasting offerings.
Lotteria has 160 locations in Vietnam, Jollibee has 158, McDonald's 23, Burger King 17
BK lacked quality control in Vietnam Stale bread drowning in ketchup Poor execution Lazy staff. Inconsistent, mediocre product in Hanoi
We stayed at the Sheraton in Hanoi and went to BK at least 3 times as it was easiest to get to without having to cross streets....We were the only people there each time...The employees were watching a soap opera on TV cause there was nothing else to do....Seemed strange since it was on a very busy street.....This explains a lot......We also checked out Kens coffee in HCMC as well....cute place....had egg coffee...Thx!!!1
When Henry brought McDonald's to Vn he was set due to his father being the current president at the time. and yes they pivoted and they also have lots of smaller burgers and such. Burger king yes sold just like the US big and to expensive as they needed a small sized food menu. Now KFC wasn't popular in early 200 and it was the bird flu that catapulted them to success! All poultry was based and Ted was coming. Vietnamese need there chicken and only KFC had it and they then offered Com Ga business lunch and they took off!
Thank you for this video. I ate at Burger King in Noi Bai airport in February 2024, a couple months after this video was posted; they were VERY busy.
I wish KFC would put a little more effort in North America of all place. KFC is pathetic in North America.
BK execution much better in Bangkok than Hanoi. Fast food staff at BK are lazy Work harder at Lotteria and Jollibees. Too much great Bahn mi under 50k
Burger King doesn't even do that well in the USA compared to McDonalds... Idk how bringing BK will be any better.
Goodday Ken,
You just can't beat Home cooked Vietnamese or Vietnamese Street food.
The last thing I would want in Vietnam Burger King yuck.
Cheers
Louis Kats your number 1 Fan in Melbourne, Australia 🇦🇺 🇻🇳
I've eaten at that BK! I have spent lots of time on that street as i once lived just a couple of blocks away when I worked in VN in 2005. I go back there every year or two.
No surprise of the failure, B😮urger King lacks delicacies. It's foods are not for Vietnamese even in Australia. They look bold and taste bold. Fast foods should not mean junk foods. Burger King foods look junk and taste junk.
My wife my daughters eatbuger cost 350k t you eat Vietnamese restaurants for between 150k 250k cheaper healthy and delicious
Beef Royale, aka Burger King, failed in the US when they replaced their flame broilers with sprayed on smoke flavoring. Their burgers aren't very good anymore. Jollibee is the gold standard of foreign penetration of the fast food industry.
"Burger King" the name is too long for a non-english country people to remember, comparing to KFC or McDonald. See what I am mean...
Burger King is the WORST crap called a burger in the history of food. Screw Burger Sling
You dodged a bullet, American fast food chains have done horrible things to the health of America's citizens.
I can’t even remember the last time I ate at Burger King or McDonald and I ve been in the US 45 years. Vietnamese people don’t care for this type of food.😂
McDonalds is a great fast food place in district 4 for me since we have a place on top floor of a building in the area , Pizza Hut is great then have a good place to eat in store in district 7 plus a smaller one in district 1
You just can't compete with the $1.75 Banh Mi that is packed with meat in every bite.
I ate at burger king a couple of times and every time the burger was cold and taste wasn’t great. No idea why but it was awful. Tastes nothing like an actual Burger King burger.
I took my American born children back to Nha Trang a few times for family visits and the only American fast food they liked was KFC, and in their words: fried chicken there was more tasty than in the US and less salty, crunchier. I guessed KFC adapted well to the Asian palette locally. Also, the only Burger King joint in my 50k population city in Tennessee closed down 2 years ago while multiple fast food franchises popping up around town…. Sad, since I like their Whopper and breakfast croissant….Great analysis Ken 👏🏼
Coz they have burger/sandwiches killer which is called Banh Mi.
Burger king fail mostly because of it price , i like they burger ( better then mcdonald and lotteria ) same reason why i dont eat mcdonald it not worth the buck 👌
BK ain't got no fish sauce and is too expensive! Need to know your market...
I thought Tan Son Nhat airport had a large Burger King at the entrance. That was a few years ago, maybe it's gone now?
in thailand bk burger is significantly better than mcdonalds. cost 3-6 usd
Vietnamese street food is much healthier and far more affordable than American junk food😅😂
First it’s expensive and second is Vietnamese prefer their tradition meal 3rd fast food need time to catch on especially when the economy’s strengthen
Burger King hasn't use real beef for a long time, surprised it does it VN.
Burger King hamburger is bigger and better than McDonalds
I don't think it helped that Vietnam decided to make it harder for foreigners to stay.
And then there is Jollibee.... the big money maker in Vietnam.
They don’t sell the double chili cheese burger .. simple error.
I remember riding to Tan Son Nhat airport for a burger king in 2011. They did have a burger king there, before they opened stores in the city in 2012. KFC hit the market at just the right time. Carls Junior never really took off but was the best quality, I remember they had one in Diamond plaza and one next to nha tho duc ba between 2012-2016 (opposite Buu Dien Sai gon and near HSBC)
Absolutely true.
BK sucks in USA too. Burger is not fresh and tiny.
Wow Great videos. Thank you so much ❤👌👍🇻🇳
Glad you like them!
I’m visiting Asia for the first time. I’m in Bangkok for dental work. Great dentists and much cheaper than home in USA. I’m an independent wealth manager and own my own business. My first assessment of the retail culture here is that citizens are very brand conscious. I’ve tried 4 different fast food chains here and found that the execution of services and products is far superior than at home.
I've eaten at that Burger King in D1 and another one in D7. The one in D7 was originally 2 floors but they closed and moved across the street to a smaller one floor model. Also Carl's Jr. did not succeed even though across from Notre Dame Cathedral.
KFC seems successful, but they do all over Asia. Jollibee too. And Baskin Robins was busy when I went, they put boba in the ice cream, locals seem to like that
That was a McDonald's that was across from the church.
@@14habibs The reason why KFC is successful in Asia is because they sell chicken. Asians sell chicken too. Much much difference in the product. It's also why even Texas Chicken is successful in Asia.
@@user-hjsjdhs23sdfCarl's Jr was next to the bookstore on opposite side of the street. Both are closed. Do your homework b4 u answer.
@@jetset4me1 I never saw it dating back to 2019, so you must be talking about Vietnam War days. Maybe PTSD?
Why would you want a burger when there's banh mi, especially Burger King and/or McDonald? They're true junk food!
Burger what? Oh that cardboard food.
Do people actually eat at Burger King?
Why would you eat trash in the land of great food?
It’s shit food in any country
Sidenote: Popeyes in Vietnam is gross.
Because their Quality has Dropped HUGE After 2000 and just kept getting worse. Burgers are Half the Size, they No Longer Grill/Cook them In Store and they Turn Green in under 8 hours... And a Coupon that Use to Be 3 Whoppers, 3 Fries and 3 Bacon Cheeseburgers at $9.99 went to 3W, 3F, 3 Regular Cheeseburgers for $12.99 and then $16.99 and Now $17.49.... in just 3 Years...
poor marketing!!!
Only 5% of F&B sales in VN come from chain restaurants so you could basically say that every domestic chain restaurant has also "failed". Although they may not have met their initial publicly stated targets (which would be artificially inflated to get publicity), BK is still operating after 10 years and if you compare them to other international burger brands, the ratio of McD to BK in VN is similar to that in the USA (2:1). Also your point about 24 hour opening is totally incorrect since several McD locations in HCM are open 24 hours whereas BK is not. In summary, I didn't find your video to be very persuasive at all.
I think if Burger king franchise out their restaurants might gets popular quicker. KFC launched in Hong Kong in the 70's and failed because people's eating habit were different then, they waited and re-launch many years later and success.
It is a good opportunity to buy the franchise now. The brand name and equipments worth not much for now, pay BK nothing, just take over the rental contracts, it will be a good restaurant opportunity. BK has fish and chicken in their manual, and set up for that. The new restaurant should take adventure of the set up, sell fried chicken, fish and pho. The King's day has ended, rename it BK.
For some reason, other than McDonalds.. most of the fast food chain burgers/menu in Vietnam is so bad.. the burgers in KFC/BK/Lotteria/Jollibees etc taste so bad compared to when I have them in Europe. I don't know why.
KD looks like BK....
Hey Ken,
Tell us who brought Burger King over in the first place haha..wink wink**nudge nudge**
Banh mi nailed it.
Sounds like they expanded too quickly without establishing adequate brand recognition and creating a menu that is enjoyed by the locals. They should've started by only opening 1-2 locations, and spending the rest of the $20M on marketing and research and development for their menu
BK and Mc Ds taste horrible compared to VN fast food. And I’m from Canada, bên here 20 years and I cook in Italian kitchen
Burger King actually did try adapt to Vietnamese taste. Their bun is sweeten a touch too much the meat also sweetened too much. In the US I prefer Burger King, but in Vietnam McDonald's is much much better. McDonald's kept their classics burgers the way I remembered, no unnecessary sugar added. This is a common problem I see in may franchises entering Vietnam, add more sugar to most menu items!
in-n-out burger is the new shit here on the west coast. I go around burger King each time.
New? In-N-Out has been on the west coast since the 1940’s.
Very interesting subject. Thanks for sharing your thoughts about it. I had a BK on my street in Hanoi (Ba Dinh district) for a year and I have never entered it. Hanoi has too many food options besides BK. Cheaper and much more convenient to all. Cheers
I tried Burger King a few times and found the staff unable to communicate with the customers. The ignorance of the staff really turned me off. I have noticed with many fast food places that the managers can't manage. They seem unaware of basic customer service ideals.
I measured timing in Mc Donalds many times. They serve within 15-25 minutes in average. Never seen it in other countries. Management is very poorly done in those chains in Vietnam. The same is relevant to Burger King. We have done a lot of discussions on this topic and met owners and franchisees of international food chains in Vietnam. It's one of the most difficult markets to adopt and understand it even if you are Vietnamese.
Burger King in Bali taste better than anywhere else in Asia, the burger taste beautipful. KFC in Vietnam dost taste the same. They didnt bring out the best to sell in Vietnam.
I don’t agree with your reasons on why it failed.
That is fine. You are welcome to explain why too.
The poor choice of locations turned me off.
That's fine. You don't need to like it.
@6:06 you mentioned about timing and its toolset. But I feel it was too early and now any new brand can enter and grow, the mantra is marketing..
I really do not think Burger King is great in any country. Food is too heavy and the fries are not any good. ^^
Which fast food franchise do you prefer if you had to choose?
@@duongglobalbusinessconsulting Like any True American #1 is McDonalds's, then Wendy's. I am so happy that Da Nang finally opened a McDonald's here.
What is the best business to start for indian nationals?
IMO (input from expats also) a fast food indian place with affordable pricing. in da nang much of the conversation is about the cost of indian food given cost of living and operating expenses.
When I went to Vietnam, twice, I notice a BK in every airport that I saw. Why is that a thing?
McDonalds did not fare well also in VN. It’s branch beside Saigon Post Office has closed, and the one in Nguyen Hue has halved its store. So it’s futile to compare BK with McDonald’s.
That was because of the lockdown. Nothing to do with food, as McD is actually expanding.
Problem here is that BK, Domino's, Popeye's, and Dunkin Donuts are franshised to one company here in VN.Many of these franshises have closed locations due poor product execution and keeping it original. I don't think it was just about the timing but rather they had cheapout on the ingredients making it not the same as the originals, with that said 2012 was actually a golden opportunity for franchises to come to VN as locals were already willing to try to new taste profiles at the time. For BK, their problem is poor staff training, using third party ingredients, lack of promotions and marketing, this goes the same with their other franchises.
Nah biggest problem for BK are the price not the quality.
There is a Burger King in Da Nang
That is inside the airport.
Man I love BK. The few fast food places I like. The BK at Tan Son Nhat was expensive as hell though. I had to ask the cashier if the price was correct, and it was too rich for my blood, lol.
As in all airports, price is higher.
In Bangkok Airport more expensive than in vn airport
Burger King at HCM and Hanoi airports seem very popular.
Didn’t seem like too many options maybe that’s why? In Hanoi, the bk was by itself…in tan son nhat there were more options
Great analysis. 👍
Is there still one at either the arrival or departure gate at Tan Son Nhat?
Never ate there.
Yes.
You state that one of BK-VN's failures was late entry into the market. However, due to land ownership issues, McD's entry was several years later but McD-VN is doing very well.
Brand recognition is one of differences. Late entry to market coupled with poor brand recognition does not help either. If it was the very first to enter even with a low recognition, that could have increased BK's chances to be successful. We explain it all in the video.
You're right about that because my gf in vietnam had never tried pizza and we went to steak and pizza restaurant. The pizza was very good and liked how they made it. It was just a traditional pepperoni but they made it very well and I let the staff know this.
Helps if the Master Franchisor's father-in-law is the Prime Minister at that time!!!!
Wow , that is just stupid not adjusting to local taste. When you tell customers , it is my way or the highway ... you better have a damn good product. But if your product is the same as the rest, you are going to close your store soon. Also asian are all about Rice and Noodles, you must have some items that include it.
What Ken forgot to mention is how the chains get into Vietnam. For instance, the son of the former PM of Vietnam controls all of the rights to McDonald's in Vietnam. You have to pay him if you want to open a McDonald's in Vietnam. I wonder how he was able to get that kind of control...hmmm. Thanks for telling us these details Ken.
Where the f you get this information or you just make it up
@@khangphung9261 It's fact. Many Vietnamese people know this. You need to ask yourself why you don't know it.
Due was making big buck in usa before returning and marriage dung daughter , due also the reason why dung lose to trong and new law about govt official children cant marriage foreign citizen.
There is a reason why there is a big Mac index but not whopper index.
They do not adapt to the local price, even after they adapted the price they are more expensive than McDonald, even when they do lower prices during promotions, they cheap on the portion(the portion is the same as normal price, just the portion is so less and feel like money pinching).
I do like Burger King over McDonald over anytime, but the price and portion just make you feel like they don’t appreciate you as much of a customer compared to McDonald
Main reason I don’t go often to Burger King in Vietnam is the price is much higher than McDonalds and I don’t find it that authentic.
The Whooper is the closest thing to the original menu but even that is not 100 % like the original and the main thing about these big brands is that Whooper or Big Mac must taste the same no matter where you are in the World.
McDonalds does have local choices but when you get that Big Mac combo it taste exactly like the west and yet is cheaper than what you would pay in the USA .
I use to go to BK when they had coupons it wasn’t a bad deal but they don’t have those promotions anymore.
These big name franchises need to do a lot of volume to survive in Vietnam cause the local landlords keep jacking up the rent to stupid levels .
I miss Carls Junior it didn’t survive as well as Subway really wish someone would make a go of it again I can’t see why they can’t be successful.
I love Popeyes and Texas chicken cause they are so close to the original frankly don’t like KFC cause they adapted too much to Vietnam flavours that it doesn’t even taste like KFC can’t see how a big brand allows the franchisee to play around so much with the original product.
I don’t think that the big brands can expect to expand a lot in Vietnam but it shouldn’t be too hard to have a presence in Ho Chi Minh a city of 13 million and lots of international tourists.
Obviously the price of BK is too expensive for locals they don’t care what something taste like they put in their mouth as long as it is dirt cheap .
Just look at the horrid food they sell of the street
> can’t see how a big brand allows the franchisee to play around so much with the original product
Because it wouldn't have survived otherwise. As a vietnamese, the BK beef burgers/Whoper/BigMac taste like dogshit and make me question the American's taste. I'd not even pay street food price for their burger.
The local taste just does not like fried beef. Nobody even eat stakes. You either adapt and stop making beef burger your main thing or die like Carl's Junior. It's really not hard to expand in Vietnam as big brands, you just need to sell chicken, KFC/Popeyes/McDonald/Loterria did it.
I actually REALLY REALLY like BK's spicy tendercrisp chicken burger though, but they are almost always outta stocks, BK detest making them for some reason and offer their usual Chicken burger which is dogshit in stead.
@@Frzned9x Well when it comes to meat beef is King and Burger King and McDonalds import quality Australian meat for their burgers .You may not like eating quality Steaks but you are a rarity most people love a good steak if you can afford .The Burgers are not deep fried not sure where you get that from .McDonalds are the largest restaurant chain in the world and BK is massive so they are probably doing something right even if you think Vietnamese don’t like them .Fact is Vietnamese will eat anything as long as it fills them up and is cheap .
You only have to look at the crap on the street they buy and sit on plastic kids chairs with rats running around them .Vietnamese aren’t to fussy when it comes to food they probably would eat dog poop if it was cheap enough .
Just think when you get your next Pho what kind of meat is in it ? Trust me it isn’t quality probably someone’s old water buffalo and those horrible Ban Mi sandwiches what in gods name mystery meat is in those things ? And seriously they can’t even make a proper baguette here even with the French being here so long the Vietnamese screw up a simple thing like a sandwich.
Admit it Vietnamese don’t even really like Vietnamese food they only eat cause it is cheap .
Look at all the high end restaurants that Vietnamese eat at when they want to spend money .They aren’t Vietnamese they are all Japanese,Korean,Thai ,Chinese and European.
Any high end Vietnamese restaurant goes out of business cause Vietnamese refuse to pay big bucks for the stuff .
Only high end Vietnamese restaurant in Saigon that is successful is Vietnam house and that’s is because it is supported by tourists not locals .
Do you self a favour and go get yourself a imported grain feed or wagu ribeye steak and BBQ it you need to expand you tastes buds
who told you that Vietnamese locals would prefer the "orginal" sh-tty taste of BK and McDonalds in Vietnam. I live in the US and I have not eaten those crappy sh-t since forever :-) ,and the kind of tourists who look for those food are probably not the type to go to VN in the first place. American fast food has no place in VN .. period !!!!
I haven't had burger King yet I did however try texas chicken and thier honey butter biscuits were of southern quality. I'm a born texan and I was skeptical but the chicken was on par and the biscuts and fries were awsome.