Struggle for Fast Food Supremacy: Lotteria vs. McDonald's in Seoul - Essay Sample

Introduction

Lotteria is the biggest fast-food chain in Seoul, as well as in the more significant part of South Korea. This fast-food restaurant offers burgers, fried chicken as well as fries. On the other hand, McDonald's is also a typical fast food place that offers a delicious taste of burgers, fries, and fried chicken. There is stiff competition between the two fast food joints as both joints struggle to establish dominance in this town's fast food industry. On a trip to Seoul, I made a comparison between Lotteria and McDonald's to identify which of the two fast foods was the obvious giant in regards to the quality of food they offered.

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The comparison between Lotteria and McDonalds is relatively easy despite the similarities such as burgers and fries centric menu and prices. Furthermore, McDonald's fast food in Seoul offers unique menu options that are not found in the United States, such as the egg bulgogi burger and the sweet corn chowder. Unfortunately, Lotteria is not available in the United States.

The locations for both fast foods are also similar in appearance, such that they both have a drive-through section that the customers can buy their foods without necessarily getting out of their vehicles. The position is also similar such that the locations are in strategic areas such as gas stations, next to schools, offices, and parks. This strategy is identical to all the McDonald's fast-food restaurants in all the other towns. The two restaurants are highly competitive. There is even a Lotteria fast food next to McDonald's, which forces customers to choose which of the two restaurants they want to associate with as soon as they enter the city.

Despite the similarities, one of the critical advantages that Lotteria has over its competitors is a "recommended menu." For customers who are indecisive about what they want to eat, a recommended menu is highly advantageous as it helps them to narrow down their options and, at the same time, identify the meal combinations that are mostly preferred by other customers. Unfortunately, McDonald's does not have an explicit "recommended menu" as all their burgers or meal combinations are relatively popular among the customers.

Despite the similarities in food prices between the two fast-food chains, Lotteria's meat quality and toppings did not invoke any elevated feelings, unlike McDonald's 'Big Mac.' However, the burger contained a punch of seasoning that made the patty full of flavor as compared to the typical McDonald's burger. Moreover, though Lotteria offers a variety of fries such as onion-flavored fries, they lack the specific quality that sets them apart from the other fast-food chains. The quality of fries at McDonald's is considered to be much better in regards to the quality of fries. Upon further inspection, I noticed that the quality of individual meals such as the mozzarella-topped chicken sandwich is quite disappointing in the majority of the McDonald's outlets.

The tie-breaker that sets Lotteria apart from the majority of the other fast foods and makes it a superior fast-food chain giant in Seoul is the quality of their egg bulgogi burger. Even though this type of burger is made in almost all fast-food outlets across Korea, the quality produced by Lotteria outlet is by far superior due to its superior array of flavors. Therefore, it is clear that despite the similarities in location, menus, and prices, Lotteria sets itself apart from the other fast-food chains by ensuring that the quality of food is higher. This quality is accomplished by ensuring that their food has an array of flavors that are unique and enticing to the customers.