McDonald's Opens First University Campus Restaurant In Mainland China

McDonald's has opened its first campus restaurant in mainland China at Wuhan's Huazhong University of Science and Technology, and it welcomed over 1,000 students and teachers on its first business day.

This new McDonald's restaurant beckons students as it faces the Yuyuan Cafeteria at the Huazhong University of Science and Technology. With two floors and an area of 361 square meters, it can accommodate nearly 100 customers. Food and beverage provided in this restaurant are the same as any other McDonald's in regular business areas. Apart from in-store dining, this restaurant also offers delivery services.

Jin Bingmei, general manager for McDonald's China central and western areas, said that McDonald's main consumers have expanded from the working-class to students. To respond to the market demands, McDonald's entered the university campus for the first time, providing not only dining options but also part-time job opportunities. At present, Wuhan has over one million college students.

Over recent years, food ordering via the Internet has become popular among college students in China, which is also an important reason for the campus deployment at McDonald's. In 2012, about 50% of McDonald's orders from Wuhan college students were reportedly completed via the Internet. In 2013, the number of McDonald's restaurants in Wuhan increased by 20% year-on-year. Following the opening of the campus restaurant, the fast food company plans to distribute also at underground subway stations.

Jin said Wuhan will open seven subway lines in 2015 and the subway economy will become an important potential market. McDonald's says it has already reached an undisclosed deal with the subway developer for the opening of subway restaurants.