The first fast-food chain to open in Singapore was the A & W family restaurant. In 1966, the franchise opened its first outlet at Dunearn Road, paving the way for the establishment of other fast-food restaurants. Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) followed suit with the opening of its Somerset outlet in 1977, and McDonald's with its Liat Towers outlet at Orchard Road on 20 October 1979. The proliferation of these franchises was rapid. After the burger joints, Singapore saw the entry of pizza outlets and delis. However many fast-food franchises came and went in the face of stiff competition. Even A & W, a pioneer in the business, did not survive and closed in 2003. Today, the three giants in the local fast-food business are McDonald's, Kentucky Fried Chicken and Burger King, with McDonald's leading the pack.
The Development of the Local Fast-Food Industry
A & W (Alan and Wright) is America's oldest franchise restaurant chain. In 1962, an American couple, Al and Geri Lieboff toured Southeast Asia and saw the opportunity of setting up business here. They bought an A & W franchise and opened an outlet, first in Kuala Lumpur and then in Singapore in 1966. A & W thus, introduced hamburgers, hotdogs and its brand of root beer which was well-received by Singaporeans. In 1970, they opened the drive-in A & W Family Restaurant at Bukit Timah Road.
Although KFC opened in 1977, it did not make as big an entrance as McDonald's when the latter opened its first outlet on 20 October 1979 at Liat Towers. The number of people who thronged the opening was so large, a world record was set for serving the world's highest volume of hamburgers in a single day. This record was held until the 1990s when it was broken by McDonald's in Beijing. McDonald's made its inroad into the heartland when it opened its first outlet in Hougang on May 1984. Today one can find a McDonald's restaurant in almost every corner of the island. There are more than 100 McDonald's outlets operating in Singapore with over 40 operating as 24 hours stores, while KFC has more than 70 outlets.
Another prominent player in the fast-food business was Burger King, which opened its first outlet in Singapore in 1982. By then A & W was facing stiff competition. It finally closed down in 2003. There were also other fast-food chains which wanted a piece of the pie. Some survived but many did not. The better-known ones that have closed include Texas Fried Chicken, Hardee's, Dunkin' Donuts, Wendy's, Taco Bell, Wimpy's, Milano's Pizza, Shakey's Pizza, Domino's Pizza and Mr Potato.
In recent times, McDonald's and KFC have managed to enlarge their market by going halal. Certified by MUIS (Islamic Organisation of Singapore), these stores serve food which comply with Muslim dietary requirements. The move towards serving halal food started in the early 1990s but it took quite some time for them to obtain certification. To date Long John Silver and Delifrance have also obtained halal certification.
Author
Marsita Omar
References
Aroma Cookery. (2005). Yesterday's tales - A & W was fast-food king. Retrieved June 28, 2005, from http://www.aromacookery.com/aromacookery/2005/02/yesterdays_tale.html
The Development of the Local Fast-Food Industry
A & W (Alan and Wright) is America's oldest franchise restaurant chain. In 1962, an American couple, Al and Geri Lieboff toured Southeast Asia and saw the opportunity of setting up business here. They bought an A & W franchise and opened an outlet, first in Kuala Lumpur and then in Singapore in 1966. A & W thus, introduced hamburgers, hotdogs and its brand of root beer which was well-received by Singaporeans. In 1970, they opened the drive-in A & W Family Restaurant at Bukit Timah Road.
Although KFC opened in 1977, it did not make as big an entrance as McDonald's when the latter opened its first outlet on 20 October 1979 at Liat Towers. The number of people who thronged the opening was so large, a world record was set for serving the world's highest volume of hamburgers in a single day. This record was held until the 1990s when it was broken by McDonald's in Beijing. McDonald's made its inroad into the heartland when it opened its first outlet in Hougang on May 1984. Today one can find a McDonald's restaurant in almost every corner of the island. There are more than 100 McDonald's outlets operating in Singapore with over 40 operating as 24 hours stores, while KFC has more than 70 outlets.
Another prominent player in the fast-food business was Burger King, which opened its first outlet in Singapore in 1982. By then A & W was facing stiff competition. It finally closed down in 2003. There were also other fast-food chains which wanted a piece of the pie. Some survived but many did not. The better-known ones that have closed include Texas Fried Chicken, Hardee's, Dunkin' Donuts, Wendy's, Taco Bell, Wimpy's, Milano's Pizza, Shakey's Pizza, Domino's Pizza and Mr Potato.
In recent times, McDonald's and KFC have managed to enlarge their market by going halal. Certified by MUIS (Islamic Organisation of Singapore), these stores serve food which comply with Muslim dietary requirements. The move towards serving halal food started in the early 1990s but it took quite some time for them to obtain certification. To date Long John Silver and Delifrance have also obtained halal certification.
Author
Marsita Omar
References
Aroma Cookery. (2005). Yesterday's tales - A & W was fast-food king. Retrieved June 28, 2005, from http://www.aromacookery.com/aromacookery/2005/02/yesterdays_tale.html
Brazil. D. (1991). Street smart: Singapore (pp. 22-24). Singapore: Times Books International.
(Call no.: RSING 959.57 BRA-[HIS])
(Call no.: RSING 959.57 BRA-[HIS])
Combing Singapore for You. (2005). Singapore's first McDonald's. Retrieved June 28, 2005 from, http://www.can.com.sg/content/neocan/en/streetwise/can_book_of_records/singapore_s_first2.html
ExpatSinagpore. (1997-2005). Fast food chains that used to operate here n have gone. Retrieved June 29, 2005, from http://www.expatsingapore.com/ubb/Forum4/HTML/026227.html
KFC Singapore (2007). KFC Singapore. Retrieved March 6, 2008, from http://www.kfc.com.sg
McDonald's Singapore (2006). McDonald's Singapore. Retrieved March 6, 2008 from, http://www.mcdonalds.com.sg
Yohanna A. (1990, December 14). Fast-food outlets give assurance on halal switch. The Straits Times. Retrieved, February 16, 2011, from NewspaperSG.
The information in this article is valid as at 2008 and correct as far as we are able to ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. Please contact the Library for further reading materials on the topic.
