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. Food purchased may or may not be eaten quickly as well. 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 five years, shifting to the term quick service restaurant (QSR for short). Consumers still refer to the restaurants as fast-food restaurants despite the industry's efforts to change them.

The food in these restaurants is often cooked in bulk in advance and kept hot, or reheated to order. Many fast-food restaurants are part of restaurant chains or franchise operations, which ship standardized foodstuffs 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 are common throughout the world.

History

Although fast-food restaurants are often seen as a mark of modern technological culture, they are probably as old as cities themselves, with their style varying from culture to culture. Ancient Roman cities had bread-and-olive stands, East Asian cultures feature noodle shops. Flat bread and falafel are characteristic of the Middle East.

The modern history of fast food 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.[1] 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.

McDonald's, the largest fast-food chain in the world and the brand most associated with the term "fast food," did not appear until 1948 when a hot dog stand under the McDonald's brand name opened in San Diego. Ray Kroc, the distributor of an industrial milkshake mixer that the original McDonald's used, joined the founders of McDonald's in 1954 and began expanding the franchise.[2]

Wendy's, founded in 1972, 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.[3]

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.

Finger food comprises most fast food, and can be eaten without cutlery. Fast foods include fish and chips, sandwiches, pitas, hamburgers, fried chicken, french fries, chicken nuggets, tacos, pizza or ice cream, although many fast-food restaurants offer "slower" foods like chili, mashed potatoes, or salads. However, even though Western-style Chinese cuisine is most often served as take-away, it is seldom considered to be fast food.

Food Preparation

Fast food is often highly processed and prepared in an industrial fashion, i.e., with standard ingredients and methodical 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.

Business

Consumer spending

In the United States alone, consumers spent about US$110 billion on fast food in 2000, (which is up from US$6 billion in 1970<sup class="plainlinks nourlexpansion citation" id="ref_<1>">[4]. 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 will generate $173 Billion in sales. Fast food has been losing market share to so-called fast casual restaurants, which offer somewhat better and more expensive foods.

McDonald’s

McDonald's is a noted fast-food supplier. It is a phenomenally successful enterprise, in its financial dominance, brand-name recognition, and worldwide expansion. Ray Kroc, who bought the franchising license from the McDonald brothers, pioneered many concepts utilising 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.

International Chains

Fast-food restaurants are popular in the United States, the source of most of its innovation. Many major international chains are based in the United States. Consequently, fast-food restaurants have often been the target of globalization protests, the target of anti-Americanism sentiment and been subjected to attacks because of perceived cultural imperialism.

Multinational corporations typically modify their menus to cater to local tastes. However, this practice has 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. Most fast food in the developing world 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

In the United Kingdom, while fast-food restaurant chains are now common, the British tradition of take-away foods such as fish and chips and steak and kidney pie with mash remain popular. Closer to the end of the 20th century, these have been joined by take-away outlets selling ethnic or pseudo-ethnic foods such as Italian, Chinese, and Indian. For more on foods in the UK, see British cuisine.

Nutritional Value

The cooking method used for certain items is partly responsible for those items' higher caloric and saturated fat contents. Deep-fried items fried in shortening or other partially hydrogenated oils (an increasingly less common practice) may absorb trans fats which are damaging to the heart. When served with starchy vegetables such as potatoes (usually deep fried) and sugary soft drink beverages, fast-food meals contain a consimic load]].

To illustrate these health concerns, the 2004 documentary film Super Size Me had the director, Morgan Spurlock, eat nothing but McDonald's fast food -- and stop all exercise -- for 30 days. His health was adversely affected because of his refusal to exercise during the diet and his consumption of specific items on fast-food menus. He gained weight and became frequently sick. 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. [5] [6]

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 a Slow Food reaction. 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. [7]

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.[8]

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 alleged 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.
• Its franchising scheme (royalties).

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.

Legal issues

In 2004, the "Cheeseburger Bill" [9] was passed by the US Congress. 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.

See also

• List of fast-food restaurants

References

1. <span class="citation wikicite" id="endnote_<1>">^ 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 link

• Healthy Restaurant Eating / Fast Food Nutrition: Guide to Making Healthy Choices