Local eateries greatly enhance one's travel experiences, live octopus in Cheju-do and horsemeat plov in Kazakhstan, and things I was too polite to ask my host about. I'd occasionally eat at Subway because I can see what I'm getting and point at the foodstuffs until I learn some vocabulary. The "Subway Economic Index" gave a relative comparison of cost of living in various locales...what does a 6" sandwich cost in one country vs another. Rio de Janiero had the most expensive Subway sandwiches. Surprisingly, in Moscow when it was in the Top 5 most expensive cities, the cost of a Subway was close to back home in Texas.
The local variations of American fast food are somewhat intriguing. I stopped eating at fast food restaurants at home very many years ago. If I've been in one place for an extended time (weeks) I may try the local variants out of curiousity and the experience has always lived down to my low expectations. Bulgogi burgers in Seoul, McSchwarma at the Tel Aviv airport, and at the oldest McDonalds in Russia simply because my friends from Western Siberia were visiting when me in Moscow when I worked there and despite my protestations, they were anxious to visit that historical site. (Also took a visitor to the McD's at the Kremlin because there was something special about enjoying this showcase of American capitalism within sight of Lenin's tomb...and that was the only thing notable about that meal.)
While Subway has the most US locations of the chains, they are #2 worldwide behind McD's. Starbux and KFC have fewer stores worldwide than McD's but each have more revenue.
