McDonalds is set to raise prices for the fifth time in two years. Citing the pressures of rising food and rental costs, McDonalds said it would increase the prices of some of the items on its menu by between 0.5 and 2 RMB. With the changes, a 5-piece box of McNuggets now costs 1 kuai more at 8RMB, and a Big Mac 18.5RMB, up from 17.5RMB previously. more ›

Their "Christmas Party Pizza" features a pie that is topped with turkey meat and surrounded by a crust-like object, half of which comes stuffed with cheese with the other half stuffed with sausage. You can see a video advertisement for it here (where you can also see the full holiday spread on offer — they supposedly have egg nog). The Christmas Party Pizza looks to be a riff on the Jessica Simpson-approved Cheesy Bites Pizza in the US, which is 360 calories per slice sans toppings — a fact Ms. Simpson apparently knows all too well. more ›

From Reuters:

UP TO five per cent of infants in Shanghai could have kidney stones after drinking tainted milk formula, media reported on Friday, as publicity surrounding the scandal was muted by China's manned space launch. more ›

At the side of the Maglev station, between the two terminals, three new restaurants are opening at Pudong Airport on August 10 (Sunday). There is a new KFC (for those who can't walk 5 meters to the existing branch), a Pizza Hut, and a Chinese fast-food joint. Also opening soon is a branch of the noodle chain that features Bruce Lee wearing the "Game Of Death" yellow tracksuit as their logo (Note to self: find out name of that restaurant!). more ›

Though this article is a little old, from Reuters we learn that McDonald's is expanding its delivery service, which we first wrote about way back when. Apparently, demand for home delivery was strong but the restaurants could only meet orders within walking distance. But now, after spending the past year outsourcing its delivery operations and investing in 300 motorcycles across its 42 locations, McDonald's is in a better position to compete with rival Yum! restaurants KFC and Pizza Hut, which have been delivering to customers for years. more ›

A few weeks ago it came to our attention that what appeared to be a large price tag-shaped sign was affixed to the front of a building under construction across the street from Zhongshan Park. The sign was under wraps, but the shape alone was enough to conjure up images of Best Buy and many high school hours spent searching in vain for movies and music that they don't keep in stock. Now despite the fact that Zhongshan Park already has a Gome, Yolo, Suning, and a host of other crappy electronics stores, we couldn't help but get a little nostalgic for the good old days, when buying a print cartridge just meant you had to pick up the box and take it to the register. No red stamps, no getting an attendant to take it out from behind bullet-proof glass, and no waiting around for someone to go find the 'real' product after you've paid and shown your stamp to the requisite three to ten people. more ›

Taco Bell, we hardly knew ya. An article in this morning's Metro Express commuter paper reported that a Yum Enterprises spokesperson has confirmed the closing of Shanghai's two Taco Bell Grandes, at People's Square and in Gubei, as well as the chain's single Shenzhen location. Instead of pushing Americanized Mexican food in a tough market, the owners of KFC and Pizza Hut have chosen to concentrate on expanding their new Chinese "quick service" venture East Dawning (东方既白), which according to Dianping.com already has 10 locations sprinkled throughout greater Shanghai. The People's Square former Taco Bell Grande will become East Dawning's flagship location. According to TIME magazine: more ›

Back in the office and just can't concentrate on work? Here's a bunch of useless links we gathered that you can entertain yourself with (while pretending to look oh-so-busy)! more ›

McDonald's has announced that with effect from next month, it will increase workers' wages in China to levels 12 to 56 percent above local minimum wages. The move comes after a 4-month long controversy which began in April, when Chinese newspapers reported it was paying part-time workers far below local minimums -- eg., 4 yuan (52 cents) per hour in Guangzhou, or just over half the city's minimum. McDonald's is not the only foreign company facing accusations of exploitation. Chinese unions have also criticised the wage policies of Pizza Hut and KFC and may be expected to step up pressure on them next, while Wal-Mart only began to allow its Chinese staff to join unions after the media slammed it for exploiting lower paid workers. more ›

McDonald's, KFC, and Pizza Hut have been accused of paying part-time workers less than the minimum wage in various Chinese cities, Chinese labor officials found. more ›

Zhou Wenyue of Shanghai Daily tells us about the debate that has been simmering for some time now, since the issue of sexual discrimination in advertising ignited. more ›

Quick -- How many Papa John's locations are there in Shanghai? If you said 15, either it was a lucky guess, you eat too much pizza or you get out a lot more than Shanghaiist. Papa John's opened its 15th Shanghai store earlier this week. It's a dine-in restaurant -- unusual for the delivery chain -- at 999 Changning Lu, near Zhongshan Park. more ›

Rising up from the soulless Pizza Hut, Starbucks, and McDonald's doldrums of "Thumb Plaza" in Pudong is the Shanghai Zendai Museum of Modern Art's international new media exhibition, ElectroScape. Only in operation for six weeks, it has created one of the first avant-art footprints in Shanghai with its premier. Don't know about you, but creating a discourse between the digital and organic usually makes Shanghaiist's stomach go to tizzies. While this exhibition falls well short of inducing a state of tizziness, it is well worth checking out if you enjoy such exercises in mental masturbation. And if you want to support the Shanghai art scene, it's the place to be before August 25. more ›