Posted by Arno Maierbrugger on January 24, 2013
In its transition to become a 21st century economy, Myanmar now faces the advance of fast food companies trying to penetrate a market that had to starve for real hamburgers and french fries for decades, although some copycat shops in the bigger cities existed.

While US fast food chains such as McDonald’s and Kentucky Fried Chicken are still exploring how and when to enter the country, Malaysia’s Marrybrown chain has now settled the race of who makes the first step.
Marrybrown, known for its halal and rice-based fast food products, has signed a deal with a local Myanmar company to open 20 restaurants in Myanmar over the next five years, Malaysian news agency Bernama reported on January 17.
The first restaurant will open in Yangon “in the near future” on 550 square meters, the company said.
“We are the first international fast food company to operate in Myanmar,” said the group managing director, Nancy Liew.
“We see high demand for our products there and we expect our operations there to run smoothly,” she added.
Marrybrown already has restaurants in China, Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, Maldives and the Middle East, and Myanmar is the 16th country with Marrybrown operations.
Meanwhile, a Japanese company has partnered with Myanmar’s Zaygabar Company to open a chain of 7-Eleven convenience stories throughout Myanmar within a year, the Eleven Media Group reported.