McDonald’s, the world’s most widely recognizable symbol, has grown at a substantial rate since its creation in 1940 and fast food restaurants like it that offer quick, inexpensive, and abundant service are revolutionizing the very way in which society finds sustenance. Today, someone could drive through almost any populated area in the country and they would be greeted with a plethora of fast food establishments, all offering cheaper, tastier food. Although many popular fast food chains have been proven time and time again to contain very little or even no nutritional value, society continues to utilize these locations on a regular basis. According to a study performed in 2006 in the Minnesota – St. Paul area by CBS news, fast food chains have soared in popularity for their availability, low prices, and quick service, allowing them to expand and reach even more customers worldwide.
Not only have fast food chains begun to riddle every major street in the nation, they are even now beginning to occupy historical, tourist, and sacred ground worldwide. Just recently, France has denied the addition of a McDonald’s restaurant to a section of the Louvre Museum and underneath the Eiffel Tower. Other countries have also had to deal with fast food’s ever-expanding presence, including Spain, Britain, and Italy, all of which have denied fast food chain construction at other prominent locations, like the Louvre. This is an example of the tremendous availability that fast food chains offer. Their proximity to populated regions makes them more successful and accessible to families or business men and women that either do not want to cook, don’t have the time to sit down to a meal, or prefer a cheaper and quicker food source. As these restaurants see more and more income in populated areas, they begin expanding their influence to tourist destinations, airports, museums, gas stations, and even stores. Even back in 1999, 700 Wal-Warts nationwide sported a McDonald’s, a number that has no doubt increased. Essentially, fast food chains now occupy almost every life aspect from the drive home from work or a vacation a thousand miles away, ready to serve food at a moment’s notice.
In addition to their constant availability, fast food chains compete against each other over prices. Let’s say someone wanted a quick cheeseburger for lunch. They have the opportunity to choose at least four or more fast food chains that all offer a cheeseburger. However, when choosing, the restaurant that can boast the lowest price will receive their business. Everyday, society is bombarded with fast food advertisements flaunting their low price value meals and buy one get one free deals all in an effort to attract attention away from the other similar restaurant chains. Due to this constant competition, fast food chains have produced lower and lower prices, once again attracting more attention to their businesses and adding more reasons for families and people to abandon dinner preparation cost and instead substitute it with fast food. At McDonald’s for instance, one could order two double cheeseburgers, a small order of fries, and a small drink for just over four dollars, a meal that would satisfy even hungry teenagers. When compared with a dinner cost, four dollars would almost not cover a dinner’s portion, let alone enough to satisfy a family. This importance on low prices in the fast food industry has even begun to trickle down to sit-in restaurants that fear losing business to a cheaper fast food source, placing even more influence on price in sustenance and drawing innumerable people away from typical, sit at home dinners.
Finally, a fast food chain’s main attraction occurs in its name. Society has developed to a point where time management and speed allow for success. In many cases, working citizens have very little time to complete work tasks and balance life’s challenges, even without the added inconvenience eating presents. They simply do not possess enough time to juggle work, families, and eating, so, they invest and search for quicker ways to add more time to the day. On average, fast food chains take about five to ten minutes from the order time to serve food to the customer, depending on the order’s size. Plus, most fast food restaurants use a dual operating feature, relying on inside dining and drive through window ordering, essentially providing them with double the income. So, customers could receive a meal and eat it in just about ten minutes, allowing them to return their attention to a different area like work or family.
Fast food chains have provided society with a quick and accessible option to long meals that can cut into work, family, or personal time. These quick service times, coupled with ever lowering prices and ever increasing availability and proximity have allowed fast food chains to provide customers with a cheap, effective food source that allows for fast food growth and success in a society that requires consistent and quick nourishment.
Works Cited
Brox, By Denene. "Quick Fast Food Service Crucial to Success - QSR Magazine." Quick-Service and Fast Casual Restaurant News and Information - QSR Magazine. Web. 08 Nov. 2010
By. "Causes and Consequences of Fast Food Sales Growth - Statistical Data Included | Food Review | Find Articles at BNET." Find Articles at BNET | News Articles, Magazine Back Issues & Reference Articles on All Topics. Web. 08 Nov. 2010.
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