Chapter 440: The Bestselling KFC
A food product like sausages could be a hit in many regions—even more so than instant noodles—because it had the potential to enter Western markets as well.
Zhou Haoran nodded. "Understood. I've already begun increasing production. We'll be entering the Taiwan market soon."
"Good. Let's proceed with that," Yang Wendong said. "Sausages will be one of our core food products moving forward. We need to increase our investment here. Get Wang Yu from Changxing Film Company to be our spokesperson. He's already quite popular in Taiwan.
As for Japan or Southeast Asia, if he doesn't work, we'll use local celebrities. What matters is getting the first step right."
Although they held some patents for their sausage products, they couldn't expect to monopolize the market. In his past life, countless new food and snack brands emerged, and none were able to completely stop others from copying them.
The key was being the first to enter the market, gain a first-mover advantage, and then use supply chain efficiency to lower costs and protect market share. That was the only path to sustainable success.
"Got it," Zhou Haoran smiled. "I've eaten quite a few of our sausages already and I'm still not sick of them. That's a good sign—they'll definitely become a core product for us."
"That's ideal. If this works, we'll have a real foothold in agriculture," Yang Wendong said. "Where are we sourcing the pork from? China Resources?"
"We're buying some from China Resources, and some from Southeast Asian distributors," Zhou Haoran explained. "We place joint orders with Carrefour. It's split between the two regions."
Yang Wendong nodded. "Alright. Demand for pork is going to explode. Start planning early. Source from the mainland if they can match or beat Southeast Asian prices."
Though people on the internet often joked that sausages were all starch, most still contained 10–20% meat—otherwise, they wouldn't taste good at all.
Starch was easy. Changxing Trading imported grain from the West and sent it straight to Sha Tin. But meat was trickier. Chickens could be raised in Hong Kong, but pigs were far more problematic due to pollution concerns.
Buying pork from the mainland wasn't just a supply chain decision—it was also a way for the mainland to earn foreign exchange. If their sausage products gained traction overseas, the demand for meat would grow rapidly, and China could benefit. It would be a win-win. But, of course, only if the price was competitive.
And no, it wouldn't burden China's food supply. As long as they earned foreign exchange, they could buy more grain from abroad. In fact, that would help alleviate domestic food shortages.
Solving food security in the long term required fixing fertilizer production—through industrial development—and that required importing entire chemical plant systems from the West. In fact, one of the most critical purchases during China's massive procurement wave in the 1970s was a complete set of fertilizer production equipment. That was the real foundation of solving the country's grain problems.
"Alright, I'll get in touch with the China Resources people," Zhou Haoran said.
Yang Wendong nodded. "Also, ramp up production as quickly as possible. On the R&D side, start developing other flavors—corn, chicken, beef. Not everyone likes pork. Even those who do don't want to eat the same thing every time."
In his past life, sausages came in countless varieties. It wasn't high-tech stuff—it just took time to fine-tune flavors for different markets.
"Understood. Our team's already working on new flavors," Zhou Haoran confirmed.
"Good. Let's aim to make sausages one of Watsons' top-performing products by the end of the year," Yang Wendong said.
In manufacturing, each business usually had its own core product line. Changxing Industries had several. Rongyao Electronics had some, too—not as successful yet, but promising.
Watsons, on the other hand, had always lagged. Herbal tea had limited market space, and Pepsi bottling had slim profit margins. Sausages were the first Watsons product with real potential for breakout success.
If they succeeded, it wouldn't just generate high profits. It would create massive job opportunities in Hong Kong, generate foreign exchange for the mainland, and even boost Changxing Trading's grain business.
This was the magic of a globally successful product. It might seem small—just a sausage—but if you sold hundreds of millions of units, the raw materials alone could stimulate an entire regional economy and even influence local policy decisions.
"Don't worry, Mr. Yang. We'll give it everything we've got," Zhou Haoran said confidently.
Within Changxing Group, the three "super-tier" core divisions were Changxing Real Estate, Changxing Industries, and Changxing Shipping. Several other first-tier subsidiaries existed at the same organizational level, but the gap between them and the super-tier ones was obvious.
The group's structure was summarized as "Three Supers, Many Strongs." Those in the "strong" category all hoped to break into the "super" tier—but it was far from easy.
For service-based subsidiaries like Changxing Media and Changxing Film, that leap was nearly impossible in the short term due to the natural limitations of their industries. Group policy also restricted each company to its own lane. Even if they expanded, it had to be in a similar line of business—they couldn't jump into unrelated, high-profit sectors like real estate or finance.
Watsons, however, still had a shot. They made and sold physical products. If a product took off, the group could shift resources their way and scale up rapidly—just like with Changxing Industries and its globally sold goods.
Rongyao Electronics could do it too, but their products required far more technological sophistication. Success would take time. Meanwhile, the food and beverage space—especially with a creative approach—offered more immediate opportunities.
On April 25, in the center of Pak Sha Road, Causeway Bay, crowds gathered in front of a storefront as a dragon dance and lion dance performance filled the air with excitement. Surrounding the scene were vibrant flower arrangements celebrating the grand opening of a new store.
Above the entrance, in bold block letters, hung the name: KFC.
Yang Wendong stood across the street, wearing sunglasses. Beside him were Bai Yujie and several assistants and bodyguards. They watched the scene quietly.
The lion and dragon dances were spectacular. The energy and movement captured everyone's attention. In this era, entertainment options were limited, so performers in these traditional arts poured their hearts into their craft. The old saying "one minute on stage takes ten years of training" applied perfectly here.
"Bravo! Excellent!" shouted the onlookers, applauding enthusiastically. The performance was indeed impressive.
When the show ended, a woman stepped forward with a loudspeaker and called out to the crowd: "Ladies and gentlemen of Hong Kong, good day! Today marks the grand opening of KFC's first storefront in Hong Kong!
KFC is a Western-style fast-food chain from the United States, specializing in fried chicken, burgers, French fries, cola, and more..."
As the woman continued her introduction, the crowd below listened attentively—not just because she spoke well, but because a mouthwatering aroma was wafting from inside the store, drawing everyone in.
Once the speech was over and the cameras flashed, several senior executives from KFC, along with Zheng Zhijie, stepped forward to cut the ceremonial red ribbon. KFC was officially open for business.
The crowd surged into the store almost immediately. Yang Wendong, Bai Yujie, and their group followed behind, but they were already too late—the seating area inside was completely full.
"No seats left," Bai Yujie noted, glancing at the other patrons still standing. "Should we go speak to the manager?"
"No need. I'm just here to observe. Let's not bother them—they're already overwhelmed," Yang Wendong said with a shake of his head. "Besides, with a packed house like this, how could we ask a customer to give up their seat for us?"
In the service industry, customers were always the top priority—as long as they weren't being unreasonable.
"Then why don't we line up, buy something, and take it to-go?" Bai Yujie suggested.
"Sure," Yang Wendong nodded. "I'd like to see how the food tastes on opening day."
He had already tried the various KFC menu items before, but those were lab samples, prepared under controlled conditions. Mass production was a different story—the final taste would surely differ.
The queue was long. Yang Wendong and Bai Yujie waited for about 20 minutes to place their order—relatively quick thanks to the store's size and the 12 cashiers on hand. After receiving their handwritten number slips, they waited another 20 minutes at the pickup counter before finally getting their food.
As they stepped outside, Bai Yujie said, "An hour in line... this business is doing incredibly well."
"It's normal. This is one of the busiest streets in Causeway Bay," Yang Wendong smiled. "Plus, it's the grand opening. I think business might get even better."
In the original timeline, KFC didn't enter Hong Kong until the 1970s. After just two years, it failed and closed shop—mostly because they brought over the American recipes without localizing the taste. Any restaurant that did that was asking for failure.
This time, after KFC entered the Hong Kong market, Yang Wendong had implemented a dual strategy: send teams to the U.S. to study management and operations, while also heavily adjusting the imported flavor profiles to suit Chinese tastes.
Yang Wendong himself and several senior executives from Changxing Group had personally visited the test kitchen multiple times. They even sent samples to Carrefour stores for free public testing. After months of experimentation, they finally settled on a recipe.
Bai Yujie took a bite of her chicken and commented, "This tastes really good! Much better than anything I've tried to fry at home."
"Well of course—it's made by professionals," Yang Wendong chuckled. "But it's even better with this sauce. The sauces from the U.S. are still top-notch."
Sauces were the soul of fried food. While Chinese cuisine was far superior in most respects, Western sauces still had their strengths.
In the West, most food was bland—meat was either fried or grilled, vegetables were boiled or steamed. To make up for the lack of variety, they had invested a lot into sauce development.
Bai Yujie laughed. "That may be true, but who knows—maybe Hong Kong can come up with even better sauces. I like oyster sauce-based flavors myself."
"If KFC manages to gain a strong foothold in Hong Kong or Asia," Yang Wendong said, "we might just develop our own sauces here too."
"You're planning to expand KFC across Asia?" Bai Yujie asked.
"Exactly. Normally, not many people dislike fried food. Especially in Asia, where economies are just beginning to grow. Most people haven't had much exposure to Western fast food," Yang Wendong explained.
In his previous life, KFC's arrival in mainland China had been nothing short of a cultural phenomenon. The lines outside its Beijing store stretched for blocks. Wealthy families even dreamed of hosting weddings there—it was a status symbol.
In its first year, that one store became the highest-revenue KFC outlet in the world. Foreigners were stunned. No one had expected such strong consumer power in a developing market.
Now, although the era was different, parts of East Asia still resembled early-reform mainland China. People's tastes may vary, but the craving for high-calorie fried food and sugary soft drinks like cola would likely be the same.
There was another reason, too: the world was still under Western cultural dominance. Even in Chinese-speaking regions, Western consumer trends held strong. In Southeast Asia, it was the same—even culturally insulated Japan eventually embraced KFC, McDonald's, Starbucks, and others.
The next day, KFC's Hong Kong operations manager, Tian Shengyi, visited Changxing Tower to report to Yang Wendong.
"How were yesterday's numbers?" Yang Wendong asked.
Tian Shengyi responded, "Mr. Yang, we did 13,000 HKD in sales from 9 AM to 9 PM. Today, when I passed by the store before coming here, people were already lining up before it even opened."
"Great. Looks like the media promotion from Changxing Media really paid off," Yang Wendong said. "TVB also aired a segment last night. We should expect good numbers for the next few days.
Get as many people as possible to try the food—especially families with children. Kids will become our most loyal customers."
In his past life, KFC was packed with families. Children were the main driver of repeat visits.
"Understood. We'll be launching various family meal combos," Tian Shengyi said. "That'll also make it easier for staff to pack and serve orders."
Fast food combos weren't just a marketing tool. They reduced the workload for employees and minimized errors. Without set menus, the sheer number of possible combinations would be chaotic and inefficient.
"When's the Admiralty store opening?" Yang Wendong asked.
"Next month," Tian Shengyi said. "The Changxing Real Estate property we're leasing there was handed over a bit later. Renovations will take an extra month. Plus, we need time to train the new staff at the Causeway Bay store."
"Alright. Follow your own timeline," Yang Wendong nodded. "Training is the most critical step. We need a solid team of fast-food professionals. Once we're ready, I plan to expand across all of Hong Kong—and eventually into Taiwan as well."
Fast food might look simple, but ensuring consistency across stores was not easy.
"Understood," Tian Shengyi replied confidently.
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