Most of you probably don't know, but I actually worked for McDonald's Australia for 15 years in many different capacities from store operations to new business development.
As such, I still have a soft spot for QSRs (Quick Service Restaurants - or fast food joints if you prefer) and whenever I see or go into one I am judging the operation in terms of QSC (quality, service and cleanliness) and in terms of the business itself. I must admit that I also get excited when I discover a new brand.
Today was one of those days when I had my first encounter with Kungfu.
They are a modern QSR serving Chinese food, their point of differentiation was the fact that the food was healthy (steamed meats, soups and quick boiled vegetables), and they have Bruce Lee on everything!
Sabrina and I had lunch at the store in Hong Kong Plaza on Huahai Lu (its inside behind KFC). So here is my critique:
Service
The service was very quick and attentive, however it was very haphazard. We ordered and the cashier was very friendly and helped us with the menu, but when we ordered at one cash register he walked back to the middle of the counter and punched in the order. Then over the top of all the customers he yelled over to Sabrina the amount that was due. She then had to fight her way through the lining up customers to get to the register to pay. Not a nice experience.
The other problem was with the disclosure of what was in certain dishes (this is a common China problem). Sabrina doesn't eat pork, so we ordered a beef and a chicken meal with an egg custard dish on the side. Once we got the egg custard dish, there was a funny grey meat in it. After quizzing the staff it turned out that it was pork. The food providers in this country need to get their act together and disclose the contents of some products. This is particularly crucial for the upcoming Olympics and World Expo 2010 as it will drive hundreds of thousands additional visits over the next 10 years, many of these people will be Jews, Muslims, Hindus etc with particular beliefs. It would be very easy to ruin someones experience in China with an innoculous egg custard.
On the positive side, the manager happily replaced the offending egg custard with another dish, so full points for service and customer care after the fact.
Food
The style of food would be described as modern casual Chinese. It consisted of steam rice with mushrooms, noodles, soup, beef with rice, soy milk etc. You can see more here.
The food quality was great. Everything was hot and fresh and tasted very good.
We had to wait for the beef noodle soup, but it was delivered quickly.
The boiled lettuce in strange brown sauce was ok - a bit more up Sabrina's alley than mine.
The food was all served in branded melamine bowls with lids - even the spoons were melamine and had the Bruce Lee image. This kept the food hot and made the eating experience more like that of a traditional restaurant (ie cutlery and crockery) although the chopsticks and cups were disposable.
The prices were reasonable, 16 RMB for a meal with some steamed chicken & mushroom, rice and soy milk - and only 6RMB for a small bowl of beef noodle soup (and it wasn;t really that small).
Decor & Cleaniness
The decor was great. The colours, furniture and lighting was very modern, acctractive and comfortable. The store was absolutely spotless. There was not an uncleared table in the store when we entered, not a mark on the floor or the windows. What I could see of the kitchen was clean and tidy as well.
Branding
They have certainly positioned the name and imagery to capture the youth market. Huge Bruce Lee pitures abound and his iconic image appears on everything from the signs, cups, bowls to the tray mats (I wonder about the licensing of his image!?).
The Bruce Lee images made me think of them running birthday parties with a martial arts host instead of a clown. Might catch on!
The quality of the branding and the image they portrayed overall shows that a great deal of money and developmenbt time has gone into these stores.
Overall I rate it a good experience, good value for money in a very clean and enjoyable decor. I hope to see more of them soon.
Kungfu is owned by Global Fast Food Chains and is based in Guangzhou. They operate a total of 106 stores in China, 46 of them being in Dongguan (only 3 in Shanghai at the moment).
Tags: Shanghai China Fast Food Kungfu QSR McDonald's Bruce Lee
I thought it would be a good idea to share what camera gear I use. I shoot (sometimes) with a Canon EOS350D with standard EF-S 18-55 mm f/3.5-5.6 II lens and EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM zoom lens. 
Hi Brad, thanks for sharing on the Kungfu fast food. I know I'm asking a really dumb question but does the company have the rights to use Bruce Lee's pictures?
Posted by: fei | 28 March 2006 at 10:08 PM
Hi Fei,
Not a dumb question at all, I was thinking the same thing.
Anywhere else in the world I would say that yes of course, you can't open 100+ stores with someones image plastered all over it and not be licensed. But then, this is China - anything is possible!!!
I wouldn't be surprised if we see that they are getting sued one day!
Posted by: Brad | 28 March 2006 at 11:20 PM
can i know how to take kung fu fast food franchise to malaysia...
Posted by: vanessa | 13 February 2007 at 02:20 AM
may i know the kungfu fast food address or telphone number...regarding the franchiser...
Posted by: vanessa | 13 February 2007 at 11:45 PM
Hi Vanessa,
You can try this link for some help..
http://www.chinafranchiser.com/contact-us/
Posted by: David | 14 February 2007 at 10:27 AM
I was just in Guangzhou last November and these cafes were everywhere indeed! Now I wish I'd stopped to eat the food and bring home some of those cool bowls (surreptitiously of course)...those would've been the best souvenirs!!! Hopefully they won't get sued and be forced to change their branding before I find my way back to Asia for another visit.
Posted by: michelle | 19 March 2007 at 06:53 AM
Hi there!
I've just seen a great programme on TV that featured The KungFu fast food restaurants in China. I love the uniforms that the employees wear featuring Bruce Lee. Just wondered - any idea how I can get hold of one of the T-shirts worn by the employees? I would wear it in England with pride!
Yours hopefully,
Paul.
Posted by: Paul Lappin | 11 June 2007 at 03:26 AM
I like bruce lee very much .....i like to learn martial arts from brucelee ....
Posted by: chythythanya | 01 September 2007 at 10:50 PM
Bruce Lee is like the Martin Luther King for Asian-Pacific American. Not only he fought for martial art, the bad guys, but injustice or prejudice of Asian-Pacific American or Asian. He wanted to put us in the same scale w/ everyone else, in particular in motion picture, leadership, muscular, etc.
I think he had a lot to communicate to the outside world and what so much inside him forced him to be the best. He was smart, strategic, hardworking, w/ vision, and implementation.
We should create more things to help memorize him and continue his legacy years to come.
Posted by: Eastern_Leader | 13 January 2008 at 08:53 AM
i like to learn kungfu but i dont have certain fecility so can u send send me some tips and styles how to practice the kungfu.
Posted by: chythanya | 21 March 2008 at 10:22 PM
When he "...punched in the order" did he make a little "huuu-aaaa" sound.
Posted by: KungFood | 16 September 2008 at 08:27 PM
those images, graphics, etc... don't actually look like Bruce Lee. After his death, many films were made with Bruce Li or Bruce Le, stating that they were the "real" bruce le but were just ripoffs. i wouldn't doubt that those images are also knock-off Bruces... haha i could be wrong.
Posted by: Damien | 17 September 2008 at 07:50 AM