Egypt topped the list of Mena countries for consumer preference to not eat at quick-service restaurants, said a report.

While 37 per cent of the people polled expressed their preference against fast food eateries, the figure was followed by 16 per cent in the KSA and 10 per cent in the UAE, and 29 per cent in remaining countries, said a recent poll run on social media site Netlog, which reveals the popularity of major quick-service chains in the Mena region.

McDonalds scored well in Saudi Arabia (31 per cent) and UAE (37 per cent) while its performance waivered in Egypt (14 per cent) and in all remaining countries (16 per cent), the report said.

Pizza Hut maintained an 18 per cent share-of-popularity across the UAE, Egypt and all remaining countries, except for Saudi Arabia where it scored at 12 per cent.

KFC scored 11 per cent in Saudi Arabia, 14 per cent in the UAE, 12 per cent in Egypt, and 17 per cent in remaining countries.

“Pizza Hut and KFC, both franchises under the Yum! Brands umbrella, do remarkably well when tallied together,” said Timothy Bataillie, managing director of the Mena region at Massive//Media, the media group behind Netlog.

“While McDonalds has a steady lead in the KSA, its position in the UAE is less tenable, and it has considerable catching up to do in all remaining countries,” he added.

“It is unclear as to exactly what factors contribute to this dramatic difference in preference,” said Amir-Esmaeil Bozorgzadeh, Special Projects manager at Massive//Media.

“Whether it be a combination of dietary habits and preference on the part of consumers, or brand presence and marketing on the part of the franchise chains, it is certainly an indicator which begs us to look deeper.” – TradeArabia News Service