Did French Fries Disappear from McDonald's and Kyochon Chicken Due to COVID-19?
[Asia Economy Reporter Seoyoung Kwon] The logistics shortage caused by the recovery signs in the economy, which was severely affected by COVID-19, has unexpectedly disrupted the supply of French fries at various fast food restaurants.
On the 15th, the food service industry reported that various burger and chicken brands have experienced difficulties in securing French fries supply this summer. For example, McDonald's has been offering McNuggets, cheese sticks, and other alternatives instead of French fries with burger set purchases at some stores since the 2nd. Depending on each store's situation, they chose to provide substitute menu items where French fries were in short supply.
This phenomenon arose because the main source of frozen French fries used by major domestic fast food chains is the United States. As the global economy, which had been stagnant due to COVID-19, began to recover gradually, international maritime cargo volume surged, causing delays in imports. This affected the supply of French fries, which rely almost entirely on imports.
In particular, the timing of French fries supply disruptions varied slightly among companies depending on which supplier they received their fries from. Lotteria already experienced a shortage of French fries in June. Lotteria stated, "At that time, cargo demand surged, causing logistics costs to rise sharply and delaying French fries deliveries," adding, "The situation has now normalized."
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Meanwhile, Kyochon Chicken temporarily suspended the sale of set menus including wedge potatoes starting this month. They explained, "Due to a sudden increase in demand for wedge potatoes and instability in maritime transport, potato supply is not smooth," and "If wedge potato stock runs out depending on the store situation, the sale of the corresponding set menu will be temporarily suspended."
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