First McDonald’s in Africa, Arab World Opens in Casablanca
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CASABLANCA, Morocco — The first McDonald’s hamburger restaurant in Africa or the Arab world opened in Casablanca on Friday.
The owners of the 300-seat restaurant, at the eastern end of the Avenue de la Corniche a few steps from the beach, expect to serve up to 3,000 meals a day.
An early customer appeared confused about the origin of the hamburger.
“I’ve eaten hamburgers before, but I’ve never had an American meal,” said Nafissa Elallam, a college graduate student. “Hamburgers are from Germany, right?”
Most of the ingredients, including the meat, buns and potatoes, are imported.
The price of a Big Mac, fries, drink and dessert is about $6.25, pricey in a country where minimum wage is around 75 cents.
There are now McDonald’s restaurants in 64 countries around the world, with annual sales of more than $20 billion.
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