December 06-2013
Fast food is America’s gift to the world—or assault on cuisine, depending on your perspective.
Wherever you go now in the world you see American fast food outlets because they serve a need in cities worldwide.
Even in Iran.
Yes, there you will find the familiar Golden Arches over a “Mash Donalds” shop. And then you wouldn’t want to miss “Pizza Hat.”
Mash Donalds? Pizza Hat?
Sanctions prevent popular US chains from opening outlets in Iran. But that hasn’t stopped enterprising Iranians from supplying a local demand for all things American.
And since the Islamic Republic is not a member of the International Copyright Convention and won’t enforce patents, copyrights and brand registrations in Iran, Iranians are free to steal to their heart’s content.
Many Tehran entrepreneurs have signaled they aren’t the real thing by modifying the familiar brand name—hence, the Pizza Hat restaurant in Tehran with the logo of a man in a red hat.
The Tehran KFC, however, has just lifted the familiar look lock, stock and chicken wing.
The rise of the “fake franchise” invariably catches the attention of Western visitors to Tehran. One of them, Iranian-American Holly Dagres, a Middle East analyst who travels to Tehran often from her home in Cairo, took a stack of photos of unfranchised franchisees and published them in a photo essay on BuzzFeed in October.
Dagres told National Public Radio (NPR) she has counted nine so far that look familiar: Baskin-Robbins, Chipotle, Domino’s Pizza, KFC, Mash Donald’s, Pizza Hat, Raees Coffee, Subway and Super Star.
Raees Coffee is a replica of Starbucks, as can be seen in its logo if not its name. Super Star is inspired by Carl’s Jr. in the US, she says.
Dagres said, “I think Starbucks actually tried to sue Raees Coffee, but there was no success; and the same with KFC. And they’ve done such a perfect job, in some circumstances, of emulating things. Baskin-Robbins and KFC look like the real deal. It’s kind of confusing.”
At Baskin-Robbins, for example, Dagres says you have the 31 flavors, with the same cups and spoons. But the quality of ice cream might be better because it’s Italian gelato.
Others say they find Tehran hamburgers better than the US variety because they generally don’t have as much filler.
If diplomatic relations are ever restored, these faux franchises might have a problem, as the US corporations would likely sue once they had access to Iranian courts. But It should be remembered that it was the Shah who decided not to join the International Copyright Convention and Iranian publishing houses have a long-long history of stealing material from other counties—not just the United States—and would probably lobby hard against any signing of the agreement in the future.