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The Shekel Before the Storm GA Magazine / Failing the taste test By Stephanie Freid Tags: GA, Jewish world, Israel news Full coverage of the 2008 GA conference In my parallel-universe food fantasy, a dream day goes something like this: Get the morning going with a kick start from sugar-glazed doughnut holes, washed down with a Starbucks grande non-fat latte, hold the foam. At midday, order a thin-crust, vegetable-loaded extra-cheese pizza. For dinner, it's off to KFC for a bucket of crispy chicken with a side of mashed potatoes and gravy. Of course, my fantasy world doesn't include cellulite. Advertisement But real-life fat content isn't the only obstacle to the fulfillment of my cravings, which took root in the red, white and blue land of fast food, where I was born and bred. That's because I live in Israel now, and although Israelis tend to embrace American music, fashion and popular entertainment trends, American food chains have not always fared favorably in the land of milk and honey (not to mention felafel and shwarma). Ben & Jerry's shops, Dunkin' Donuts and Starbucks have all made an appearance on the Israeli victuals scene, only to quietly fade away shortly thereafter. Other restaurants, like Pizza Hut and Kentucky Fried Chicken, are still in business but have either shut down many of their branches or never quite managed to penetrate the market. "In my opinion, the secret to success or failure is simple: If any chain tries to come into Israel's market, they have to adjust to local tastes," says Arnon Volosky, chief executive of Israel's Ethnic Restaurant Association. One important element that distinguishes Israeli food habits is kashrut. Even though a minority of Israelis consider themselves religious, many more adhere to traditional practices like not mixing meat and dairy. "If a cheeseburger is a best-seller in the U.S., logic will tell you that it probably won't go in Israel," says Volosky. Another aspect of the munchies market here is the Mediterranean palate, which some see as being at odds with the high-fat junk food so popular in the United States. "It's a hot country, so we don't eat a whole lot of greasy food. Even deep-fried felafel, prepared properly, isn't greasy," says Nir Zook, chef and owner of Jaffa's prestigious Cordelia Restaurant and Noa Bistro and host of Israeli cooking show "Zookaria." Three years ago, there were only two KFC branches, down from eight at its peak, says Udi Shamai, the CEO and owner of the Pizza Hut and KFC Israel franchise. But although he says the number of branches is climbing again, up to 10, existing branches are continuing to shut down - even if other ones are opening elsewhere - which may be contributing to the widespread view of the chain as a failure in the Israeli market. Dunkin' Donuts broke world chain sale records when it opened its Tel Aviv branch in August 1997, selling 3 million donuts in the opening month. "Israelis do not stop eating doughnuts," Tel Aviv operations manager Asa Reshef told The New York Times at the time. But Dunkin' Donuts franchisees folded their pastry-chef whites a mere five years after opening. Apparently, Israelis do in fact stop eating doughnuts - usually right around the end of Hanukkah. American chains like Ben & Jerry's, Kentucky Fried Chicken and Pizza Hut arrived here in the late 1980s. Nowadays, you can buy your B&J ice cream in pint form at the supermarket, but gone are the branch stores selling chocolate-coated cones filled with generous dips of chunky monkey or chocolate chip cookie dough. And while there are still 24 Pizza Huts across the country, that number is down by roughly half since its peak (though the franchise owner wouldn't give an exact number). Starbucks was perhaps the biggest surprise when it comes to failed chains in Israel. Half a dozen branches opened in 2001, but the caffeine didn't provide enough energy to keep the chain running more than two years. Starbucks "lacked a marketing strategy specific to this region. They were relying on their reputation to pull it off, and it didn't pan out," one ad executive said. "They came into Tel Aviv, where coffee-chain competition is already at a premium." Indeed, the country is chockablock with competing cafes; one popular chain, Aroma, has been so successful it decided to branch out to New York. Unlike the local cafes, Starbucks also offered too limited a choice of foods, some say. Local competition and Israeli culture aside, it appears that at least some of a chain's success may be due to timing and luck. After all, California-based The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf has about a dozen branches in Israel, and the country has been home to McDonald's for years. But time and again, food experts and amateurs alike pointed to the failure of some American fast foods to adapt to the reality of life in the Middle East, where felafel, it seems, is in little danger of being replaced by the burger or the chocolate-frosted doughnut. In Israel, "you wait a really long time for American fast food to be ready," says Ra'anana resident Peggy Weinreich, a translator who moved to Israel from Ohio in the late 1970s. "Israelis are used to fast food that is really cheap, like felafel and shwarma." Full coverage of the 2008 GA conference Bookmark to del.icio.us   The King is dead Archeologists find new evidence for King Herod's tomb site. Al-Hasbara Israel launches Arabic YouTube channel to bypass Arab media.   1.   Failing the taste test 17:14  |  Millicent 15/11/08   2.   Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks et al 17:35  |  just me 15/11/08   3.   Four bucks for a cuppa coffee 18:31  |  * BEN JABO 15/11/08   4.   restaurants 18:37  |  dan 15/11/08   5.   Too bad they couldn`t have taken McDonald`s with them 18:47  |  David Teich 15/11/08   6.   Please, don`t bring to us these American chains. We have our own 18:49  |  Gadi 15/11/08   7.   Gadi and David 19:35  |  just me 15/11/08   8.   our chains suck. PLEASE BRING AMERICAN CHAINS! 19:43  |  michelle 15/11/08   9.   America go away your not needed or wanted 19:49  |  zionist forever 15/11/08   10.   They don`t understand the market 21:34  |  S 15/11/08   11.   What ever happened to "McDavids" ?? 22:10  |  Jew 15/11/08   12.   McDonald`s 22:15  |  ISB 15/11/08   13.   American food and Americans 22:34  |  Guy 15/11/08   14.   Regrets? No: pride! 22:43  |  Asta 15/11/08   15.   starbucks is overpriced!dunkin donuts were neverin the same class 22:51  |  victor hardman 15/11/08   16.   hmm...zionist forever! 23:19  |  Ron 15/11/08   17.   #3 23:19  |  ARTH 15/11/08   18.   Could it be on account of the Mediteranean cuisine 23:46  |  Zev Davis 15/11/08   19.   forever zionist morons? 00:16  |  Joe Sittizen 16/11/08   20.   coffe 00:36  |  gracie 16/11/08   21.   Israeli culture needs slow food 01:10  |  Kate 16/11/08   22.   Answer is very simple 02:10  |  Yerushalmi 16/11/08   23.   Food, Glorious food. 06:14  |  Tony Price 16/11/08

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