世論 What Japan Thinks

I personally go to Subway about once every few months and Mister Donuts with about the same frequency; Subway for carry-out dinner, Mister Donuts to loiter and drink lots of free coffee refills! However, it is obvious that McD’s are wildly popular in Japan, and this recent survey by MyVoice on fast food backs up this casual observation.

Demographics

Over the first five days of September 2007 13,728 members of the MyVoice internet community completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 54% of the sample was female, 2% in their teens, 17% in their twenties, 39% in their thirties, 27% in their forties, and 15% in their fifties.

I’d love to know exactly why McDonalds comes tops of frequency of use in Q3 but MOS Burger is prefered in Q5. One reason is definitely the relative number of outlets; 1,500 MOS Burgers but 3,800 McDs, and the second being price; McDs has plenty of 100 yen menu options, whereas MOS Burgers sell for about 700 yen each. Since MOS Burger’s selling point is quality, they refuse to get into price wars.

Lotteria have recently annouced a 100 yen menu to compete with McDonalds, and the bonus question in Q6 on Krispy Kreme Doughnuts is perhaps inspired by the huge queues outside their shop, even after nine months after opening!

Oh, and the MOS of MOuSe Burger is made up from the initials for “Mountain, Ocean, Sky”, apparently.

Research results

Q1: How often do you go to a burger bar or other fast food restaurant? (Sample size=13,728)

Almost every day	0.3%
Three or four times a week	1.2%
Once or twice a week	10.8%
Two or three times a month	30.2%
Once a month	30.1%
Few times a year or less	22.6%
Don’t use them (to Q6)	4.7%

Q2: At what times of the day do you often go for fast food? (Sample size=fast food users, multiple answer)

1 am to 2 am	1.0%
2 am to 3 am	1.0%
3 am to 4 am	1.1%
4 am to 5 am	0.5%
5 am to 6 am	0.5%
6 am to 7 am	0.9%
7 am to 8 am	2.6%
8 am to 9 am	3.5%
9 am to 10 am	3.4%
10 am to 11 am	4.4%
11 am to 12 am	13.4%
12 am to 1 pm	48.1%
1 pm to 2 pm	33.8%
2 pm to 3 pm	16.3%
3 pm to 4 pm	14.2%
4 pm to 5 pm	8.3%
5 pm to 6 pm	8.2%
6 pm to 7 pm	11.1%
7 pm to 8 pm	10.1%
8 pm to 9 pm	7.3%
9 pm to 10 pm	4.5%
10 pm to 11 pm	3.0%
11 pm to 12 pm	1.6%
12 pm to 1 am	0.9%
No answer	0.2%

Q3: Which fast food chains do you frequently visit? (Sample size=fast food users, multiple answer)

McDonalds	85.4%
MOS Burger	38.8%
Mister Donuts	37.8%
Kentucky Fried Chicken	28.9%
Lotteria	12.4%
Freshness Burger	4.7%
Subway	4.0%
First Kitchen	3.6%
Wendy’s	3.1%
Other	2.3%
None in particular	1.1%
No answer	0.4%

Q4: What is important when choosing a fast food restaurants to use? (Sample size=fast food users, multiple answer)

Cheap price	67.4%
Delicious	52.2%
Discount coupons	32.3%
Easy to enter	32.2%
Short waiting time	25.6%
Close to home	20.5%
Wide selection of sets	19.3%
Has parking	17.0%
Wide selection of standard items	15.5%
Easy to go with children	15.4%
Clean shop	13.4%
Can trust quality of ingredients	13.4%
Wide selection of seasonal and other limited-availability items	12.9%
Reasonable price	11.9%
Good customer service	11.7%
Big sizes	10.5%
Close to school or work	10.0%
Spacious interior	9.4%
Things other than food to enjoy	8.9%
Can trust the cleanliness of food preparation	8.7%
Can loiter in shop for a long time	8.6%
Good shop or chain image	6.5%
Has healthy menu	4.9%
Quiet and relaxing	4.3%
Origin of ingredients displayed	3.5%
Other	2.6%
Nothing in particular, don’t know	2.0%
No answer	0.1%

Q5: Which is your favourite fast food restaurant? (Sample size=fast food users)

MOS Burger	29.5%
McDonalds	25.7%
Freshness Burger	6.2%
Kentucky Fried Chicken	6.0%
Mister Donuts	6.0%
Subway	3.6%
Wendy’s	2.0%
Lotteria	1.4%
First Kitchen	1.2%
Other	1.3%
None in particular	16.5%
No answer	0.6%

Q6: The recent opening of Krispy Kream Doughnuts in Shinjuku, Tokyo has become a topic of conversation. Do you know about this shop? (Sample size=13,728)

Already been there	5.0%
Know of it, not been yet, but definitely want to go	15.2%
Know of it, not been yet, but if I get the chance I want to go	26.4%
Know of it, not been yet, and don’t plan to go	7.2%
Don’t know of it, and don’t plan to go	20.1%
Just don’t know	25.1%
No answer	1.1%