Why is there no McDonalds in Cambodia?

No McDonalds in Cambodia why oh why? There are many mysteries to living in Cambodia, such as Tuk-Tuk drivers, why oh why do they think if they shout “Tuktuk” at you enough times you will suddenly require their services? Then there is the obsession with TikTok, what is that all about? There are though other easier to answer mysteries, such as the reason why is there no McDonalds in Cambodia. Khmer Nights went into some serious investigative journalism.

The Cambodian Fast-Food scene

Cambodia has developed rapidly since the end of communism and the civil war with the Khmer Rouge, lives have gotten better, people have more money and of course that means the fast-food chains start to arrive. KFC were the first big player to enter the scene in March of 2008, with Burger King following in 2013, although alas there is still no Ronald McDonald in the Kingdom.

It might seem strange from a western point of view for KFC to come in before McDonalds, but KFC are actually the biggest fast-food franchise in the world, being in 144 countries and territories, compared to 117 for McDonalds, and exactly 100 for Burger King.

Note this has since changed changed, with Russia now “without McDonalds”, although they do have their own very authentic knock-off version. As one Russian embassy person out it to me “We built a nuclear bomb, we can make our own Big Mac and Coke”. Sanctions? What Sanctions?

KFC have traditionally moved much quicker in Asia than McDonalds, with it being not only the number chain in China, but also KFC’s biggest market globally (there are a lot Chinese people).

Note – with regards to countries and territories this would mean that Guam would count as a “country”, whilst Alaska would not. You can read an interesting take on what counts as a country here.

Why is KFC bigger than McDonalds?

There’s no definitive answer to this, but from an Asian perspective at least people have been frying chicken for a long time, whilst a hamburger is seen more as a foreign food.

So, this partially explains why KFC got in first, but since then Burger King has arrived and thrived, so why no McDonalds?

Burger Franchises in Cambodia

Burger King arrived to Cambodia in 2013, from here they have been moderately successful, currently having 11 stores in both Phnom Penh and Siem Reap.

Other active brands include Carls’ Junior, Lotteria and most recently Habit Burger, who opened their second branch last month.

If you have never heard of, or tried it, Lotteria is a Korean/Japanese chain that are huge in Vietnam, as well as being part of the reason why McDonalds is not all that popular there.

You can read about Lotteria here.

Why is there no McDonalds in Cambodia?

So, if Lotteria and Carl’s Junior can enter the market, why no McDonalds in Cambodia? The word on the street is that the owners of Burger King are not all that keen on the competition that McDonalds would bring to the Kingdom, although of course we do not comment on mere rumours.

Another factor though is that despite us barang loving a Big Mac, McDonalds isn’t all that big a deal in South-East Asia, as mentioned McDonalds only has a few stores in Vietnam, which is dominated by Loterria, with the big Kahuna in the Philippines being Jolibee. Believe me you have not lived until you’ve eaten Jolibee spaghetti.

You can read about Jolibee spaghetti here.

But, of course never say never and ignoring countries such as North Korea – where you can actually get a burge, Cambodia is the last McDonaldsless country in the region. Which begs the question…

When is McDonalds coming to Cambodia?

There are numerous blogs and forums devoted to the question of when McDonalds is coming to Cambodia, with rumors of McDonalds “imminent” arrival doing the rounds since 2005 – alas 16 years later than they remain just that, rumours. The short answer is that McDonalds are not likely to be entering the Kingdom any time soon and this for a number of reasons.

To read about when Hooters might come to Cambodia click here

As things stand not only are we in the midst of a pandemic, but the local populace are far from rioting on the streets due to a lack of McNuggets. Quite simply until there is enough demand and willingness from both sides don’t be expecting a Sausage McMuffin in Phnom Penh any time soon.

All hope is not lost though as there is a McDonalds Cambodia Facebook page that not only has a whopping 371 likes, but also offers a great forum for angry barang to vent demands fro McDonalds to enter Cambodia. Quite how successful these 371 voices will be is yet to be seen.

Can I get a Big Mac in Phnom Penh?

Well yes, you kinda can. As has been seen in other countries that do not have a McDonalds there are usually local entrepreneurs that are happy to jump in and fill the gap, in this case The Vine, on the notorious Street 172.

We will undoubtedly give “The Vine” its own article at some point, but they have a number of mimicked McDonalds dishes from breakfast all the way up to their not so subtle “Big Mac”. The Phnom Penh Big Mac is not all that bad, with the burger and the Big Mac sauce certainly coming across as authentic, although the buns and the fries let it down somewhat, not to the mention the not so cheap $7.75 it costs to get one.

and that is why there is no McDonalds in Cambodia