Fast food

Fast food is food which is prepared and served quickly at outlets called fast-food restaurants. It is a multi-billion dollar industry which continues to grow rapidly in many countries.

Overview

A fast-food restaurant is a restaurant characterized both by food which is supplied quickly after ordering, and by minimal service. Often this food is referred to as fast food. In response to increasing backlash against "fast food", the industry has been trying to move the public away from that term over the past ten to fifteen years, shifting to the term quick service restaurant (QSR for short). Despite the industry's efforts, consumers continue to refer to them as "fast-food restaurants".

The food in these restaurants is often cooked in bulk in advance and kept cold, or reheated to order. Many fast-food restaurants are part of restaurant chains or franchise operations, and standardized foodstuffs are shipped to each restaurant from central locations. There are also simpler fast-food outlets, such as stands or kiosks, which may or may not provide shelter or chairs for customers. See also automatiek.

Because the capital requirements to start a fast-food restaurant are relatively small, particularly in areas with non-existent or poorly enforced health codes, small individually-owned fast-food restaurants have become common throughout the world.

History

Although fast-food restaurants are often viewed as a representation of modern technology, the concept of "ready-cooked food to go" is as old as cities themselves; unique variations are historical in various cultures. Ancient Roman cities had bread-and-olive stands, East Asian cultures feature noodle shops. Flat bread and falafel are ubiquitous in the Middle East.

The modern history of fast food in America is connected with the history of the hamburger, as the earliest fast-food outlets sold hamburgers as their primary product. The American company White Castle is generally credited with opening the first fast-food outlet in 1921, selling hamburgers for five cents apiece.^* White Castle later added five holes to each beef patty to increase its surface area and speed cooking times. White Castle was successful from its inception and spawned numerous competitors. In recent decades, Mexican-style food like tacos and burritos, as well as pizza, have also become staples of fast food culture.

McDonald's, the largest fast-food chain in the world and the brand most associated with the term "fast food," did not appear until 1954 when a milkshake machine salesman named Ray Kroc purchased the rights to franchise a highly successful San Bernardino, California hamburger stand just off the famous Route 66 run by two brothers, Richard and Maurice McDonald. ^* The McDonalds' stand was the milkshake machine company's biggest customer and Kroc travelled to California to discover the secret to their high-volume burger-and-shake operation. Kroc thought he could expand their concept, eventually buying the McDonalds' operation outright in 1961 with the goal of making cheap, ready-to-go hamburgers, french fries and milkshakes a nationwide business.

Wendy's, opened in Ohio in 1969 by Dave Thomas, a protégé of Kentucky Fried Chicken founder Col. Harlan Sanders, is credited with pioneering the use of the "drive-thru" window to allow consumers to purchase fast food without having to park or exit their cars.^* Fast foods has been with American for 70 years, and in the year 200, U.S. citizens spent 110 billion dollars on fast food.

The "FAST" in fast food

Fast-food outlets are take-away or take-out providers, often with a "drive-thru" service which allows customers to order and pick up food from their cars; but most also have a seating area in which customers can eat the food on the premises.

Nearly from its inception, fast food has been designed to be eaten "on the go" and often does not require traditional cutlery. Common menu items at fast food outlets include fish and chips, sandwiches, pitas, hamburgers, fried chicken, french fries, chicken nuggets, tacos, pizza, and ice cream, although many fast-food restaurants offer "slower" foods like chili, mashed potatoes, and salads. However, even though Western-style Chinese cuisine is most often served as take-away, it is seldom considered to be fast food.

"Fast food" is also available in other places. For example many petrol/gas stations have convenience stores which sell pre-packed sandwiches, donuts or hot food. Supermarkets often include their own cafe with a prepared food service counter. Some, like Asda and Walmart may even include a well-known fast food chain within their own store, such as McDonalds. Fast food is even available in some hospitals, prompting some humorous observations on the irony of such a marketing partnership: "At least you're close when the coronary kicks in." (from the anti-fast food film Super Size Me).

Food preparation

The convenience of traditional street food around the world, from Vietnamese noodle vendors to Middle Eastern falafel stands to New York hot dog carts, lies in serving one or two basic ingredients that can be cooked in batches and served quickly on the spot. Modern commercial fast food, by contrast, is often highly processed and prepared in an industrial fashion, i.e., on a large scale with standard ingredients and standardised cooking and production methods. It is usually rapidly served in cartons or bags or in a plastic wrapping, in a fashion which minimises cost. In most fast food operations, menu items are generally made from processed ingredients prepared at a central supply facility and then shipped to individual outlets where they are reheated, cooked (usually by microwave or deep-frying) or assembled in a short amount of time. This process ensures quality and consistency of product, but is also key to being able to deliver the order quickly to the customer and eliminate labor and equipment costs in the individual stores. All in all fast food is a very reliable source to get convenient and cheap food.

Business

Consumer spending

In the United States alone, consumers spent about US$110 billion on fast food in 2000 (which increased from US$6 billion in 1970). The National Restaurant Association forecasts that quick-service restaurants in the U.S. will reach US$142 billion in sales in 2006, a 5% increase over 2005. In comparison, the full-service restaurant segment of the food industry is expected to generate $173 billion in sales. Fast food has been losing market share to so-called fast casual restaurants, which offer more robust and expensive cuisines.

McDonald's and other major brands

McDonald's, a noted fast-food supplier, opened its first franchised restaurant in 1955. It has become a phenomenally successful enterprise in terms of financial growth, brand-name recognition, and worldwide expansion. Ray Kroc, who bought the franchising license from the McDonald brothers, pioneered many concepts which emphasized standardization. Implementing strict rules, he introduced uniform products, identical in all respects at each outlet, to increase sales. At the same time, Kroc also insisted on cutting food costs as much as possible, eventually using the McDonald's Corporation's size to force suppliers to conform to this ethos.

Other major American fast food chains include Wendy's, Burger King, Jack in the Box, Chick-fil-A, and the portfolio of restaurants owned by Louisville, KY-based Yum! Brands , including A&W Restaurants, Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC), Long John Silver's, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell. UK chains included EasyPizza, Pizza Express and KFC.

Many fast food operations have more local and regional roots, such as White Castle in the Midwest, along with Hardee's (owned by CKE Restaurants, which also owns Carl's Jr., whose locations are primarily on the West Coast), Krystal restaurants in the Southeast, and the famous In-N-Out Burger chain in Southern California.

International chains

The fast-food industry is popular in the United States, the source of most of its innovation, and many major international chains are based there. Consequently, fast-food restaurants have often been the target of globalization protests and anti-Americanism sentiment, and have been subjected to attacks because of perceived cultural imperialism. In 2005, for example, rioters in Karachi, Pakistan, who were initially angered because of the destruction of the Shiite mosque in Karbala, Iraq, destroyed a Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant to protest the American military occupation in Iraq.^*

Multinational corporations typically modify their menus to cater to local tastes and most overseas outlets are owned by native franchisees. McDonald's in India, for example, uses lamb rather than beef in its burgers because Hinduism traditionally forbids eating beef. In Egypt and Saudi Arabia, all menu items are halal. However, these concessions to local practice have not quashed criticism.

Additionally, multinational fast-food chains are not the only or even the primary source of fast food in most of the world. Many regional and local chains have developed around the world to compete with international chains and provide menu items that appeal to the unique regional tastes and habits. Most fast food in the developing world, however, is provided by small individual mom and pop eateries. In the developing world, multinational chains are considerably more expensive; they usually are frequented because they are considered chic and somewhat glamorous and because they usually are much cleaner than local eateries.

In the United Kingdom, many home based fast food operations were closed in the 1970s and 1980s after McDonald's became the number one outlet in the market. However, brands like Wimpy remain, although there are far fewer outlets than in previous decades. In France and Belgium, Quick (website) is a popular alternative to McDonalds and Burger King. Traditional ramen and sushi restaurants still dominate fast food culture in Japan, although American outlets like Pizza Hut, McDonalds and Kentucky Fried Chicken are also popular, along with Western-style Japanese chains like Mos Burger.

Nutritional value

Because the fast food concept relies on speed, uniformity and low cost, fast food products are often made with ingredients formulated to achieve a certain flavor or consistency and to preserve freshness. This requires a high degree of food engineering, the use of additives and processing techniques that substantially alter the food from its original form and reduce its nutritional value.

To illustrate these health concerns, in the 2004 documentary film Super Size Me, the director Morgan Spurlock ate nothing but McDonald's fast food -- and stopped all exercise -- for 30 days. His health was adversely affected because of his refusal to exercise during the diet and his consumption of extra-large "super-size" combination meals on fast-food menus. He gained weight and his overall health declined significantly. Several other dieters and documentarians have mimicked Spurlock's efforts and have lost weight and found other health benefits on an all-fast-food diet.[http://cei.org/gencon/023,04566.cfm

Spurlock has many critics himself, and some have accused the documentary of being, at the least, disingenuous.^* Spurlock did not exercise and continued to eat three times a day, even if he was not hungry.

Changes

Fast-food chains have come under fire from consumer groups (such as the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a longtime fast-food critic) over the past decade. Some of the concerns have led to the rise of the so-called Slow Food movement. This movement seeks to preserve local cuisines and ingredients, and directly opposes laws and habits that favor fast-food choices. Among other things, it strives to educate consumers' palates to prefer what it considers richer, more varied, and more nourishing tastes of fresh local ingredients harvested in season.

Some of the large fast-food chains are beginning to incorporate healthier alternatives in their menu, e.g., salads and fresh fruit. However, some people see these moves as a tokenistic and commercial measure, rather than an appropriate reaction to ethical concerns about the world ecology and people's health. McDonald's has announced that in March of 2006, the chain will include nutritional information on the packaging of all of its products ^*.

Consumer appeal

Fast-food outlets have become popular with consumers for several reasons. One is that through economies of scale in purchasing and producing food, these companies can deliver food to consumers at a very low cost. In addition, although some people dislike fast food for its predictability, it can be reassuring to a hungry person in a hurry or far from home.^*

In the post-war period in the United States, fast food chains like McDonald's rapidly gained a reputation for their cleanliness, fast service and a child-friendly atmosphere where families on the road could grab a quick meal, or seek a break from the routine of home cooking. Prior to the rise of the fast food chain restaurant, people generally had a choice between greasy-spoon diners where the quality of the food was often questionable and service lacking, or high-end restaurants that were expensive and impractical for families with young children. The modern, stream-lined convenience of the fast food restaurant provided a new alternative and appealed to Americans' instinct for ideas and products associated with progress, technology and innovation. Fast food restaurants rapidly became the eatery "everyone could agree on", with many featuring child-size menu combos, play areas and whimsical branding campaigns, like the iconic Ronald McDonald, designed to appeal to younger customers. Parents could have a few minutes of peace while children played or amused themselves with the toys included in their Happy Meal. There is a long history of fast food advertising campaigns, many of which are directed at children.

In other parts of the world, American and American-style fast food outlets have been popular for their quality, customer service and novelty, even though they are often the targets of popular anger towards American foreign policy or globalization more generally. Many consumers nonetheless see them as symbols of the wealth, progress and well-ordered openess of Western society and therefore become trendy attractions in many cities around the world, particularly among younger people with more varied tastes.

Criticisms

Because of its convenience, fast food is popular and commercially successful in most modern societies, but it is often criticized for having the following shortcomings, among others:

Many popular fast-food menu items are unhealthy, and excessive consumption can lead to obesity.
Exploitative advertising and marketing are used, especially directed at children (which can have an adverse effect on their eating habits and health).
It causes environmental damage through excessive packaging and clearing forests for animal rearing.
It reduces the diversity of local cuisines.
It survives on a low-wage, low-benefit employment model, promoting exploitative labor practices throughout the food and food service industry
Its franchising scheme (royalties).
Its often lower quality versus sit-down restaurants.

The fast-food industry is a popular target for critics, from would-be populists like José Bové (whose destruction of a McDonald's in France made him a folk hero to some) to vegetarian activist groups such as PETA.

In his best-selling 2001 book Fast Food Nation, investigative journalist Eric Schlosser leveled a broad, socio-economic critique against the fast food industry, documenting how fast food rose from small, family-run businesses (like the McDonald brothers' burger joint) into large, multinational corporate juggernauts whose economies of scale radically transformed agriculture, meat processing and labor markets in the late twentieth century. While the innovations of the fast food industry gave Americans more and cheaper dining options, it has come at the price of destroying the environment, economy and small-town communities of rural America while shielding consumers from the real costs of their convenient meal, both in terms of health and the broader impact of large-scale food production and processing on workers, animals and land.

Schlosser's critics^* respond that fast food companies merely provide something consumers want and that the economies of scale developed by the industry have had a net positive effect on the American and global economy. Defenders of fast food companies point out that they provide entry-level jobs to people with few skills who might otherwise be unemployed and that individual consumers should be responsible for their eating choices, not business.

Legal issues

In 2003, McDonald's was sued in a New York court by a family who claimed that the restaurant chain was responsible for their teenage daughter's obesity and attendant health problems. By manipulating food's taste, sugar and fat content and directing their advertising to children, the suit argued that the company purposely misleads the public about the nutritional value of its product. A judge dismissed the case, but it nonetheless drew unwanted attention to the fast food industry's practices, particularly the way it targets children in its advertising.^*

In response to this, the "Cheeseburger Bill" was passed by the US Congress in 2004. This law was claimed to "[ban frivolous lawsuits against producers and sellers of food and non-alcoholic drinks arising from obesity claims." The bill arose because of an increase in lawsuits against fast-food chains by people who claimed that eating their products made them obese, disassociating themselves from any of the blame.

References

Schlosser, Eric. Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the American Meal. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2001. ISBN 0395977894

Hogan, David. Selling 'em by the Sack: White Castle and the Creation of American Food. New York: New York University Press, 1997.

Kroc, Ray. Grinding It Out: The Making of McDonald's. Chicago: Contemporary Books, 1977.

Luxenberg, Stan. Roadside Empires: How the Chains Franchised America. New York: Viking, 1985.

External links

Healthy Restaurant Eating / Fast Food Nutrition: Guide to Making Healthy Choices
Fast Food database Searchable database of nutrients for over 1000 fast food items.
The British Library - finding information on the fast food industry (UK bias)

Slow Food Movement Official website of the Slow Food Movement, which, as an alternative to the spread of fast food restaurants, encourages sustainable agriculture, organic foods, and the preservation of local food cultures around the world.
Tech Central Station Tech Central Station is a pro-business, conservative-libertarian opinion page featuring essays and commentary supportive of corporations and critical of government regulations and labor unions. It often provides a forum for responding to critics of the fast food industry.
QSR Magazine QSR Magazine is a monthly b2b publication covering the business of quick-service, fast-casual, and related segments of the restaurant industry.
Why fast foods are bad, even in moderation - New Scientist
Are We Worthy of Our Kitchens? - Christine Rosen, The New Atlantis