Which sociocultural factors have informed McDonald’s global expansion? MCDONALD’S—A GLOBAL GIANT From the Maharaja Mac in India to the Prosperity Burger prepared especially for Chinese New Year celebrations, McDonald’s has built a global fast-food empire under its golden arches. Only 33.5 percent of McDonald’s revenue now comes from sales in the United States, and most of its international growth has come from the surging economies of Brazil, Russia, China, and India.67 A pioneer in overseas franchising, McDonald’s has spared no effort in its attempts to penetrate foreign markets. In China, it currently has more than 2,400 stores and is building partnerships with local companies that will help open 1,500 more over the next several years.68 In Brazil, it created Latin America’s first environmentally certified fast-food restaurant. A vast market defined by stark cultural differences, India has required a more modest approach that would allow McDonald’s to develop its real estate and supply infrastructure, train the local workforce and management at its famed Hamburger University, and adjust the menu for vegetarian customers.69 There are currently 400 McDonald’s locations in India; in 2016, it introduced its first Big Mac–

branded vegetarian burger, the Veg Maharaja Mac.70 But McDonald’s growth strategy relies on more than just added locations. In crowded cities, with real estate prices too high to build drive-through restaurants, the company has hired droves of motorbike drivers to bring Big Macs to customers. This nimble delivery approach is now a mainstay in cities from Beijing to Kuwait City