Why McDonald's Is Only Selling Small Servings of Fries in Japan At McDonald's restaurants in Japan, medium and large fries have been taken off the menu.

By Kate Taylor

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Potato shortages are putting McDonald's customers in Japan on an unsolicited diet.

McDonald's is now only offering small servings of fries in Japan due to a fry shortage in the country, reports Kotaku. The shortage is due to ongoing labor contract disputes with dockworkers on the West Coast of the U.S.

Related: McDonald's Slashes Menu in Bid to Turn Around Sales

The shortage has been a months-long problem for the fry-loving country. One Japanese chain said it planned to fly in around 200 tons of fries to avoid running out, Business Insider reported earlier in December.

The shortage is coming at a particularly bad time for McDonald's, which is currently struggling to increase sales in Asia following an expired meat scandal in July. Last week, McDonald's reported that sales in Asia/Pacific, Middle East and Africa were down 4 percent in November, with especially poor performance in Japan and China.

Related: This Movie About McDonald's Could Be 'The Social Network' for Fast-Food

Kate Taylor

Reporter

Kate Taylor is a reporter at Business Insider. She was previously a reporter at Entrepreneur. Get in touch with tips and feedback on Twitter at @Kate_H_Taylor. 

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Side Hustle

This 30-Year-Old's $6,000-a-Month Side Hustle Started Making Money 'Immediately' — But He's Not Quitting His Day Job

Derrick Mathy works in orthopedic surgical device sales and is on a mission to bring people together in real life.

Business Ideas

70 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2025

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2025.

Celebrity Entrepreneurs

From Hollywood to Harvest — How Zooey Deschanel is on a Mission to Make Fresh Produce More Accessible

Along with her business partner and ex-husband, serial entrepreneur Jacob Pechenik, Deschanel founded Lettuce Grow. This hydroponic vertical garden system allows you to grow fruits, vegetables, herbs and edible flowers at home.

Business News

Elon Musk's xAI Claims Its New Grok 3 AI Is Better Than ChatGPT and DeepSeek: 'Seeing the Beginnings of Creativity'

xAI debuted the new AI on Monday, claiming it has 10 times the computational power of Grok 2.

Business News

'Unprecedented in Our 53-Year History': Southwest Airlines Announces Its First Mass Layoffs Ever

The airline is eliminating 15% of its corporate workforce, including many in senior leadership positions.

Business Models

How This Luxury Retail Store Builds 100-Year-Relationships with Its Customers

Brent Polacheck, owner of Polacheck's Jewelers, is proving that in an era of instant gratification, the art of generational relationship-building still drives retail success.