McDonald's closing all restaurants in Bolivia as nation rejects fast food.

McDonald's happy image and its golden arches aren't the gateway to bliss in Bolivia. This South American country isn't falling for the barrage of advertising and fast food cooking methods that so easily engulf countries like the United States. Bolivians simply don't trust food prepared in such little time. The quick and easy, mass production method of fast food actually turns Bolivians off altogether. Sixty percent of Bolivians are an indigenous population who generally don't find it worth their health or money to step foot in a McDonald's. Despite its economically friendly fast food prices, McDonald's couldn't coax enough of the indigenous population of Bolivia to eat their BigMacs, McNuggets or McRibs.

Source

Well, all I can say is good for them. they didn't fall for all the fancy marketing and pretty posters. They stuck to their guns and made their own food, grown locally and prepared properly. The fact that 'fast food' blows their mind because they don't like the idea of it, is awesome. It might have taken a few years to get rid of McDonalds, but they did it.

Well, if all people was like me, all fast food places would go bankrupcy in a very short period of time.

reply to post by sarahlm


some places the biz model wouldn't work. Not even close.

Yeah, McDonalds sure does seem to have closed their stuff in Bolivia

Why McDonald's Failed to Win Over Bolivians and Closed its Stores

It happened a couple years ago though, by the look of some older news stories on it. Natural News was a little late picking it up ...for that June article.

I always said if someone ever wanted to get rich, start a healthy fast food joint.

No doubt many realize it, but just imagine of everyone else figured out the crap that people in the United States eat every day, from fast food, to canned food, to boxed food and junk food filled with preservatives.

Americans probably create more trash a day just from that trash they eat than a Bolivian does all week from eating their clean, wholesome, freshly cooked, no preservative meals.

Americans have one thing going for them still, although it is quickly going downhill as well. Overall the sanity is much better than in many parts of the world. So eating healthy food still doesn't do much good, if you are not going to use proper sanitation, and cleanliness. It's a lose-lose all around when you figure in all the factors.

Sometimes when you visit some of these countries you wonder how they can be so filthy and unsanitary. It's just a part of their day-to-day life. They don't even realize it, unless they visit somewhere else where sanitation and cleanliness is customary.

From the comments I read, it had a lot to do with pricey 'happy meals'

They would rather eat their own tasty foods and save money than spend more for a Big Mac.
The high cost of a hamburger was McD's downfall and the people didn't eat there.

Personally, I wish they would all close up.
It sure would help with the obesity problem in the US, not to mention other health problems.

It's a funny world we live in peeps, read a thread here today about the recycling of "gutter grease" in china, (check it out, scary stuff) *shudders* kinda thing that makes you think wow, new low achieved for humanity....
Then I read this thread, faith in humanity partly restored....
Truly strange species we are

I guess they don't believe a clown telling them that his food is edible. In America we believe these clowns without questioning them I guess.

Well they rejected the idea of McDonalds not fast food and that had more to do with how hard it is to run a franchise of any sort in Bolivia. They stiill eat a ton of the stuff (hamburgers in particular) they just prefer it from street venders. Bolivia with out Mcdonalds since 2002 continues to have the same obesity and diabetes as the nations around them that do. They just get their junk food from locals and not a chain.

guess miccy dees never got round to doing lama burgers then or could it be the people wised up to the 100% beef burger with everything added .

many years ago i was working with a guy who printed of a bit about macdonalds burgers for me and some bloke had bought burgers from a few places and sent them off to be tested in a lab when the results came in it stated human faeces had been added and they tried to sue him unseccsessfully .

or could it be the chicken burgers with cancercerous growths left in or maybe they left the burgers for a year and noticed they did not rot .

or maybe they did not like eating other mammals who knows

Fast food restaurants are expensive and inconvenient for me.

I live in a rural area and the closest McDonald's is about 20 miles away, making it a 40 mile round trip. That's an hour's drive time and probably a little over two gallons of gas just to get there and back.

The closest place to buy a burger for me is the local dive bar that caters to bikers, it's only two miles away. That's about a 5 minute car ride, a 15 minute leisurely bicycle ride or a 45 minute medium paced walk.

It's has fair prices for a "choke-n-puke" "greasy-spoon" type menu and if I give the owner a little BS he might comp me something or buy me a drink. Plus it's a bar and I can order a cocktail or beer to have with my meal.

However, based on the condition of the men's room, I'm scared of what might be on the food there, so I usually order something deep fried, that way I get my fast food fix and know the food is sterile (hopefully).

I have to admit that I haven't eaten there in a year or so, it's a small creepy place.

reply to post by snarky412


I don't think closing McD's would do anything about obesity. So long as people eat carbohydrates, obesity will continue to plague that society. But our entire global food supply is based on easily/cheaply grown grains/carbs that can be stored. Rather than expensive meats or quickly rotting veggies.

I do have to disagree with the OP. McD's is not cheap. Not by a long shot. For what it takes to feed my family at McD's, i can make a 4 star meal at home. If i have some more pricey stuff like truffle oil, i can make that a 5 star meal. Its to where now, the only time we "eat out" is when we want fried chicken (but no KFC...i hate their wedges). Since we don't eat carbs very often, that is quite rare.

This is interesting

Obesity in Bolivia is a growing health concern. According to Forbes, Argentina ranks 31 on a 2007 list of obese individuals in countries with a percentage of 69.4% of its citizens being overweight of obese.

Obesity in Bolivia en.wikipedia.org...

What does it matter if they shy away from fast cooking if they are gonna still eat like pigs when they slow cook?

This policy they have sure doesn't seem to be health related at all.

What does that say about our country? They probably dont drink the tap water...

Night Star
I always said if someone ever wanted to get rich, start a healthy fast food joint.

I think subway tried that.

reply to post by sarahlm


Viva Bolivia.

McDonald's is one of the major culprits in rain forest destruction, adverse health effects to humans (and cows), and leads in the attempt to put a happy face on the corpsearian movement.

reply to post by snarky412


If the fast food workers all unionize and get their $15/hour, it'll happen. I can't see anyone paying the associated cost increases that would be necessary for a burger then.

I'm just glad I have never liked burgers and fries and fast food.

rickymouse
I guess they don't believe a clown telling them that his food is edible. In America we believe these clowns without questioning them I guess.

Sorry I just don't get it, why is it MacDonalds fault exactly? Are people forced to eat there? The story of how they became so successful is some genius business really, it may be unhealthy but no one is forcing people to go there. No one wants to take responsibility for their actions these days, its always someone else's fault.

reply to post by sarahlm

McDonald's closing all restaurants in Bolivia as nation rejects fast food.

Considering what fastfood has become... (not what it once was), how could anyone blame them?