McDonald’s close all their stores in Bolivia, making Bolivia the only Latin- American free McDonald’s.

McDonald's in Bolivia

Would you like some fries with that Big Mac or would you prefer just to go down the street and get yourself an empanada?
It seems like a very unlikely situation, but McDonald’s can now add the country of Bolivia where it came and attempted to conquer the food market and to its chagrin was tossed out. Hardly the exported American dream story it may have hoped for when it opened its first store 14 years ago.
hispanicallyspeaking: After 14 years in the nation and despite many campaigns and promos McDonald’s was forced to close its 8 Bolivian restaurants in the major cities of La Paz, Cochabamba and Santa Cruz de la Sierra.
McDonald’s served its last hamburgers in Bolivia Saturday at midnight, after announcing a global restructuring plan in which it would close its doors in seven countries with poor profit margins.
With over 33 000 stores  worldwide one could suppose that 8 less would hardly make a difference to the world’s largest food vendor’s bottom line. Though what may be at stake isn’t so much the immediate bottom line of the behemoth food chain but the fact that Bolivia represents the only Latin American country to exist without a McDonalds (and perhaps going forward not the only one?) which could inspire a revolt amongst other nations who equate the chain as low brow fast food that leads to health problems or worse American imperialism- something that has never gone down too well with the locals in Bolivia if one judges the leftist stance taking by as some would argue the belligerent Evo Morales, the leader of Bolivia who hasn’t hidden his disdain for private American interests and hegemony in the past, especially his outspoken stance on cocoa production and American politics

Scallywag December 26, 2011 14