Fast food is one American export the world would be better off without IMO. That is quite a sight, though, seeing Colonel Sanders face in a zoo in Thailand!
Maybe it's an Asian thing to have fast food in a zoo. I can' think of any others apart from Singapore having KFC too.
Seeing this makes me want to rip my eyes out. Now, I'm a bit of an anti-corporate man, I don't set foot into Starbucks, McDonalds, KFC, Burger King or any of these places; in zoos or elsewhere; I'll rather go to great trouble finding something else. But I guess it's needed for the families that go visiting zoos so I'll bear with it.
Practically all zoos have just fast food, which is a shame. I'll be visiting the Dallas World Aquarium in the autumn. I understand that its owner started out in the catering business and thus puts great pride into the aquarium's restaurant. I'm looking almost as much forward to see and try the restaurant as I am to see the animals of the place! Burgers' Zoo in Arnhem in the Netherlands also has a very good restaurant as I remember in the 'Bush' building with a jungle theme.
Maybe I should clarify what I meant when I said fast food. I meant it as franchise fast food (KFC and the likes). Most Australian zoos have fast food and then alternatives for anyone willing to pay a bit more. Melbourne Zoo for example has a self service kind of cafe and then a proper resteraunt to sit down at a table in.
I don't recall a KFC from my visit in 2008. My travel experience in Asia is actually limited to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia and Singapore. But while I know that western brands are the name of the game in this part of the world, I'd rather have the zoos offering their genuine cuisine to the guests. But because most of the guests are locals, they want 'exotic' food in the form of KFC and the like, just as their local food is exotic to me and I would have to visit expensive restaurants to get it in the west. This comes from someone who wanted nothing else than fried chicken and chips during travel as a child and teenager. Approaching my 30th birthday, I can't tell you how much I regret it, but I hope to have some decades to make up for my foolishness and immaturity when I was younger!
These places serve a purpose in the 'real world' (i.e. outside of zoos) - you've no idea how grateful we were of a McDonald's on our first night in the distinctly under-restauranted city of Ostrava after an hour driving around looking for food! Of course, the next night on the way back from the zoo we found a very nice little place with a good line in local beer and pizzas (not Czech, but tasty!) a matter of minute's walk from our hotel. Such is the way of the world!
True, hunger gets you to do things you wouldn't have believed you would ever do. Those who have seen the film 'Alive' will know what I mean!