Years ago, KFC made a business decision that changed the course of its profits forever. It chose to expand into China at a time when the fast food market was just starting to get off the ground in the country. According to Business Insider, KFC started establishing a presence in China in the late 1980s, putting its first location near the Great Wall. The strategic move essentially guaranteed that KFC would at least have a customer base of tourists. Eventually, though, the product grew on locals, too, and KFC continued expanding throughout the country.
In 2017, KFC made nearly $5 billion dollars in China — the most of any fast-food chain in that country. Since then, other chain like McDonald’s have continued to make waves throughout China, though for now, KFC still runs the show. As of 2018, KFC has 5,200 Chinese locations; McDonald’s had fewer than half of that.