McBeer is arriving in South Korea. McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) will start serving beer in the country the first ever time its offering beer in Asia. According to the company, customers can purchase beer at the Pangyo Techno Valley outlet in Gyeonggi province by paying a bit more than the amount for a soft drink. Beers are restricted to one drink per burger.
The outlet can accommodate 90 people, and if the concept does well, the company plans to start similar outlets in Seoul’s elite Gangnam and Sinchon districts.
As per McDonald the outlet in Pangyo Techno Valley is mainly having adults as customers because of the many offices in that area. The company said that drinkers will have to produce an ID for obtaining their beer. As per the World Health Organization, South Korea’s age for drinking alcohol is minimum 19.
The fast-food company is already offering alcohol in certain locations in Europe and the United States.
McDonald’s adding to its alcoholic drinks is a recent step in the fast-food sector. Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE:YUM) declared it would start a number of Taco Bell Cantinas that would offer frozen cocktails, sangria, wine and beer. Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX) has increased its menu to provide alcohol in a number of its American cafes.
It’s logical for the fast-food major to debut alcoholic drinks in the Asia-Pacific region by trialing in South Korea which has been dubbed Asia’s Ireland. As per the WHO’s 2014 global status report on alcohol and health, South Korean drinkers drank a huge 27.5 liters of pure alcohol per capita in 2010. South Korea is an ideal choice for McDonald’s to add alcohol to the menu considering the country’s population consumes twice as much alcohol per capita than the next nation.
McDonald’s first began offering beer in 1971 in Germany. It offers alcohol in restaurants in Spain and France.
South Korea hosts some of the heaviest alcohol drinkers in the world. Beer is inexpensive in the Asian nation, available for approximately $1 a bottle while the country’s national drink – Soju is available at approximately $2 a bottle.
