A McDonald's restaurant in Times Square. McDonald's is the largest fast food restaurant chain in the world. ^[1]

A fast food restaurant, sometimes known as a quick service restaurant or QSR, is a specific type of restaurant characterized both by its fast food cuisine and by minimal table service. A restaurant is a retail establishment that serves prepared Food to Customers. Fast food is the term given to food that can be prepared and served very quickly Table service is a form of service in Restaurants Pubs and bars where food or drinks are served to the customer's table Food served in fast food restaurants typically caters to a Western-style diet and is offered from a limited menu; is cooked in bulk in advance and kept hot; is finished and packaged to order; and is usually available ready to take away, though seating may be provided. The Western pattern diet (also called Western dietary pattern or the meat-sweet diet) is a dietary habit chosen by many people in developed countries Fast food restaurants are usually part of a restaurant chain or franchise operation, which provisions standardized ingredients and/or partially prepared foods and supplies to each restaurant through controlled supply channels. Chain stores are Retail outlets that share a Brand and central management and usually have standardized business methods and practices The term "fast food" was recognized in a dictionary by Merriam-Webster in 1951. ^[2]

Arguably the first fast food restaurants originated with White Castle in 1916^[3]. White Castle is the oldest American Hamburger fast food restaurant chain Today, American-founded fast food chains such as McDonald's and Pizza Hut are multinational corporations with outlets across the globe. Multinational corporation ( MNC) or transnational corporation ( TNC) is a Corporation or enterprise that manages Production or delivers

Variations on the fast food restaurant concept include fast casual restaurants and catering trucks. Mobile catering is the business of selling prepared food from some sort of Vehicle. Fast casual restaurants have higher sit-in ratios, and customers can sit and have their orders brought to them. Catering trucks often park just outside worksites and are popular with factory workers.

History

See also: History of McDonald's and White Castle (restaurant)

Built around the country to deal with the demand. This is a timeline of the history of McDonald's. White Castle is the oldest American Hamburger fast food restaurant chain Automats remained extremely popular throughout the 1920s and 1930s. An Automat is a fast food Restaurant where simple foods and drink are served by coin-operated and bill-operated Vending machines. The company also popularized the notion of “take-out” food, with their slogan “Less work for Mother”. The American company White Castle is generally credited with opening the second fast-food outlet in Wichita, Kansas in 1921, selling hamburgers for five cents from its inception and spawned numerous competitors. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the White Castle is the oldest American Hamburger fast food restaurant chain Wichita (ˈwɪtʃɪtaː is the most populous City in the US state of Kansas, and the county seat of Sedgwick County. It is arugable because most historians and Secondary School textbooks state that A&W was the first fast food restaurant, which opened in 1919. (E. Tavares)

The hamburger restaurant concept which is most associated with the term "fast food" was created by two brothers originally from Nashua, New Hampshire. Nashua is a city in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, USA. As of the 2000 census Nashua had a total population of 86605 making it the second largest Richard (Dick) and Maurice (Mac) McDonald opened a barbecue drive-in in 1940 in the city of San Bernardino, California. Richard "Dick" J McDonald ( February 16, 1909 – July 14, 1998) and Maurice "Mac" McDonald ( November 26 barbeque block party Kansas cityjpg|thumb|right|275px|A barbecue on a trailer at a Block party in Kansas City. A drive-in is a facility such as a Bank, Restaurant, Movie theater where one can literally Drive in with an Automobile for service After discovering that most of their profits came from hamburgers, the brothers closed their restaurant for three months and reopened it in 1948 as a walk-up stand offering a simple menu of hamburgers, french fries, shakes, coffee, and Coca-Cola, served in disposable paper wrapping. Coca-Cola is a carbonated Soft drink sold in stores restaurants and Vending machines in more than 200 countries As a result, they were able to produce hamburgers and fries constantly, without waiting for customer orders, and could serve them immediately; hamburgers cost 15 cents, about half the price at a typical diner. A diner is a prefabricated Restaurant building characteristic of North America, especially on Long Island; in New York City; in Their streamlined production method, which they named the "Speedee Service System" was influenced by the production line innovations of Henry Ford. For the Detroit Red Wings scoring line see Production line (hockey A production line is a set of sequential operations established Henry Ford ( July 30, 1863 &ndash April 7, 1947) was the American founder of the Ford Motor Company and father of

By 1954, The McDonald brothers' stand was restaurant equipment manufacturer Prince Castle's biggest purchaser of milkshake blending machines. Prince Castle salesman Ray Kroc traveled to California to discover why the company had purchased almost a dozen of the units as opposed to the normal one or two found in most restaurants of the time. Raymond Albert Kroc ( October 5, 1902 - January 14, 1984) took over the then small-scale McDonald's Corporation franchise in 1954 and Enticed by the success of the McDonald's concept, Kroc signed a franchise agreement with the brothers and began opening McDonald's restaurants in Illinois. ^[4] By 1961, Kroc had bought out the brothers and created what is now the modern McDonald's Corporation. One of the major parts of his business plan was to promote cleanliness of his restaurants to growing group of Americans that had become aware of food safety issues. As part of his commitment to cleanliness, Kroc often took part in cleaning his own Des Plaines, Illinois outlet by hosing down the garbage cans and scraping gum off the cement. Another concept Kroc added was great swaths of glass which enabled the customer to view the food preparation, a practice still found in chains such as Krispy Kreme. Krispy Kreme is a chain of Doughnut stores Its parent company is Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Inc A clean atmosphere was only part of Kroc's grander plan which separated McDonald's from the rest of the competition and attributes to their great success. Kroc envisioned making his restaurants appeal to suburban families. ^[5]

At roughly the same time as Kroc was conceiving what eventually became McDonald's, two Miami, Florida businessmen, James McLamore and David Edgerton, founded a small take-out shop in the northern section of their home city they named Insta Burger King. Inspired by a visit to the same San Bernardino McDonald's restaurant, the came to the same conclusion about the business structure as Kroc. Utilizing the same assembly line concept, but instead of fried burgers, they used an automated broiling unit invented by McLamore. Roughly a year later they dropped the "Insta" from the name and became Burger King.

While fast food restaurants usually have a seating area in which customers can eat the food on the premises, orders are designed to be taken away, and traditional table service is rare. Take-out (in North American English) carry-out (in US and Scottish English) take-away (in Australian English, Orders are generally taken and paid for at a wide counter, with the customer waiting by the counter for a tray or container for their food. A "drive-thru" service can allow customers to order and pick up food from their cars. A drive-through, or drive-thru, is a type of service provided by a business that allows customers to purchase products without leaving their cars

Nearly from its inception, fast food has been designed to be eaten "on the go" and often does not require traditional cutlery and is eaten as a finger food. Cutlery refers to any hand Implement used in preparing serving and especially eating Food in the Western world. 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. Fish and chips (sometimes written " fish ’n’ chips " is a popular Take-away food originating from the United Kingdom. A sandwich is a food item made of two or more slices of Bread with one or more layers of a filling Pita (also called and less commonly known as pitta or pide (Turkish pitka (Bulgarian and pronounced "pitta" in Greek is an often round A hamburger (or burger) is a Sandwich consisting of a cooked ground Meat Patty, usually Beef, placed in a sliced bun or between Fried chicken (also referred to as Southern Fried chicken) is chicken which is dipped in a Breading mixture and then deep fried, pan French fries ( North American English; sometimes not capitalized chips ( British English) fries or French-fried potatoes (formal A Chicken nugget is either whole or composed from a paste of finely minced chicken and sometimes purposefully added chicken skin which is then coated in batter or A taco ( is a traditional Mexican dish composed of a Maize or wheat Tortilla folded or rolled around a filling Pizza (ˈpiːtsə, in Italian:) is a popular dish made with an Oven -baked flat generally round Bread that is covered with tomatoes or a tomato-based Ice cream or ice-cream (originally iced cream) is a frozen dessert made from Dairy products such as Milk and Cream, combined Chili con carne (often known simply as chili) is a spicy Stew made from Chili peppers Meat, Garlic, Onions The potato is a Starchy Tuberous crop Vegetable from the perennial Solanum tuberosum of the Solanaceae Salad is a mixture of cold foods usually including vegetables and/or fruits often with a dressing occasionally nuts or Croutons, and sometimes with the addition of

Cuisine

Old commercial fast food is highly processed and prepared on a large scale from bulk ingredients using standardised cooking and production methods and equipment. It is usually rapidly served in cartons or bags or in a plastic wrapping, in a fashion which promotes reduces operating costs by allowing rapid product identification and counting, promoting longer holding time, avoiding transfer of bacteria and facilitating order fulfillment. In most fast food operations, menu items are generally made from processed ingredients prepared at a central supply facilities and then shipped to individual outlets where they are cooked (usually by grill, microwave or deep-frying) or assembled in a short amount of time either in anticipation of upcoming orders (i. e. , "to stock") or in response to actual orders (i. e. , "to order"). Following standard operating procedures, pre-cooked product is monitored for freshness and disposed of if holding times become excessive. This process ensures a consistent level of product quality, and is key to delivering the order quickly to the customer and avoiding labor and equipment costs in the individual stores.

Because of commercial emphasis on taste, speed, product safety, uniformity and low cost, fast food products are made with ingredients formulated to achieve an identifiable flavor, aroma, texture and "mouth feel" and to preserve freshness and control handling costs during preparation and order fulfillment. This requires a high degree of food engineering. Food engineering refers to the aspects of Food production and processing. The use of additives, including salt, sugar, flavorings and preservatives and processing techniques may limit the nutritional value of the final product.

Value meals

A value meal is a group of menu items offered together at a lower price than they would cost individually. They are common at fast food restaurants. Value meals are a common merchandising tactic to facilitate bundling, up-selling, and price discrimination. Merchandising refers to the methods practices and operations conducted to promote and sustain certain categories of commercial activity Product bundling is a Marketing strategy that involves offering several products for sale as one combined product Up-selling is a sales technique whereby a salesman attempts to have the Customer purchase more expensive items upgrades or other add-ons in an attempt to make a Price discrimination exists when sales of identical goods or services are transacted at different Prices from the same provider Most of the time they can be upgraded to a larger size of fries and drink for a small fee. The perceived creation of a "discount" on individual menu items in exchange for the purchase of a "meal" is also consistent with the Loyalty Marketing school of thought. Loyalty marketing is an approach to Marketing, based on Strategic management, in which a company focuses on growing and retaining existing customers through incentives ^[6]

Technology

In able to make speedy service possible and to ensure accuracy and security, many fast food restaurants have incorporated Hospitality point of sale systems. Hospitality point of sales systems are computerized systems incorporating registers computers and peripheral equipment usually on a computer network which exist in the food service This makes it possible for kitchen crew people to view orders place at front counter and drive through in real time. Wireless systems allow orders placed at drive through speakers to be taken by cashiers and cooks. Drive through and walk through configurations will allow orders to be taken at one register and paid at another. Modern point of sale systems can operate on computer networks using a variety of software programs. Sales records can be generated and remote access to computer reports can be given to corporate offices, managers, troubleshooters and other authorized personal.

Food service chains partner with food equipment manufacturers to design highly specialized restaurant equipment, often incorporating heat sensors, timers and other electronic controls into the design. A sensor is a device that measures a physical quantity and converts it into a signal which can be read by an observer or by an instrument collaborative design techniques, such as rapid visualization and parametric modeling of restaurant kitchens are now being used to establish equipment specifications that are consistent with restaurant operating and merchandising requirements. Collaboration is a recursive process where two or more people or organizations work together toward an intersection of common goals — for example an intellectual ^[7]

Business

Neighboring fast food restaurant advertisement signs in Bowling Green, Kentucky

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). Bowling Green is the fourth-most populous City in the US state of Kentucky after Louisville, Lexington and Owensboro The United States of America —commonly referred to as the 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. Year 1970 ( MCMLXX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link shows full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. ^[8] The National Restaurant Association forecasts that fast-food restaurants in the U. The National Restaurant Association is a Restaurant industry business association in the United States with 60000 member companies representing a total of more than 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. Market share, in Strategic management and Marketing, is the percentage or proportion of the total available Market or Market segment that is Cuisine (from French cuisine, "cooking culinary art kitchen" ultimately from Latin coquere, "to cook" is a specific set

Major brands

McDonald's, a noted fast-food supplier, opened its first franchised restaurant in the US in 1955 (1974 in the UK). 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. 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 prominent international fast food companies include Burger King, the number two hamburger chain in the world, known for promoting its customized menu offerings (Have it Your Way); Wendy's, the number three burger chain and creator of the Drive thru concept; Dunkin' Donuts, a New England based chain that emphasized and refined the commissary model of food preparation, yet is not officially considered fast food, due to its concentration on breakfast and coffee; Starbucks, Seattle-born coffee-based fast food beverage corporation; KFC, a part of the largest restaurant chain in the world, Yum! Brands; and Dominos Pizza, a pizza chain known for popularizing home delivery of fast food. Burger King ( often abbreviated to A hamburger (or burger) is a Sandwich consisting of a cooked ground Meat Patty, usually Beef, placed in a sliced bun or between Wendy's is an international chain of Fast food Restaurants founded by Dave Thomas in 1969 in Columbus Ohio. A drive-through, or drive-thru, is a type of service provided by a business that allows customers to purchase products without leaving their cars Dunkin' Donuts is an international donut and Coffee retailer founded in 1950 in Quincy, Massachusetts, U History See also History of New England New England's earliest inhabitants were Algonquian -speaking Native Americans including the Starbucks Corporation ( is an international Coffee and coffeehouse chain based in Seattle Washington. Kentucky Fried Chicken, usually known as KFC, is a chain of Fast food restaurants based in Louisville Kentucky. Yum! Brands Inc ( or Yum! is a Fortune 500 Corporation, that operates or licenses Taco Bell, KFC, Pizza Hut, and Domino's Pizza Inc ( is an international Fast food Pizza delivery corporation headquartered just outside Ann Arbor Michigan, United States Pizza (ˈpiːtsə, in Italian:) is a popular dish made with an Oven -baked flat generally round Bread that is covered with tomatoes or a tomato-based

Subway restaurants are known for their sub sandwiches and Subway is the largest restaurant chain to serve such food items. Subway Restaurants, commonly known as Subway, is a Fast food restaurant franchise that primarily sells Sandwiches and Salads called The Subway restaurant chain is the fastest growing restaurant chain in the world surpassing even McDonald's. Subway has the second most stores of any chain restaurant system in the world after McDonald's, and the most locations in North America of any chain. Quiznos, a Denver based sub shop is another fast growing sub chain. Quiznos is a fast-food restaurant franchise. As of 2005 it was the second-largest Submarine sandwich shop chain in North America after Subway With over 6,000 locations it is still far behind Subway's 28,000 locations. Other smaller sub shops include Blimpie and Mr. Blimpie is a Fast-food Submarine sandwich chain headquartered in Scottsdale Arizona, and is the third largest Sandwich chain Goodcents, and Firehouse.

Regional chains

Many fast food operations have more local and regional roots, such as White Castle in the Midwest United States, along with Hardee's (owned by CKE Restaurants, which also owns Carl's Jr., whose locations are primarily on the United States West Coast), Krystal, Bojangles', and Zaxby's restaurants in the American Southeast, Raising Cane's in Louisiana, the famous In-N-Out Burger (in California, Arizona, and Nevada) and Tommy's chains in Southern California, Dick's Drive-In in Seattle, Washington, and Arctic Circle in Utah and other western states and Burgerville in the Portland, Oregon area. White Castle is the oldest American Hamburger fast food restaurant chain Hardee's is an American Fast-food restaurant chain located mostly in the Midwest United States and Southeast regions CKE Restaurants Inc ( is the parent company of the Carl's Jr, Hardee's, Green Burrito, and Red Burrito Restaurant chains Carl's Jr is an American Fast-food restaurant chain, located mostly in the Western United States and West Coast regions Krystal is known for small square Hamburgers, and unique breakfast food like the "Scrambler" a mixture of eggs Sausage and other items Bojangles' Famous Chicken n' Biscuits is a regional chain of Fast food restaurants based in Charlotte North Carolina, specializing in spicy "Cajun" Zaxby's is a franchised chain of Fast casual restaurants that operates primarily in the Southeastern United States. "Raising Cane" redirects here For the 1992 film see Raising Cain. In-N-Out Burger, usually called In-N-Out, is a chain of Fast food restaurants located in the Western United States. Original Tommy's is a Southern California American Hamburger chain known for its chili - Cheeseburgers. Dick's Drive-In is a fast-food Restaurant chain in Seattle Washington, USA Arctic Circle Restaurants is a chain of burger and shake Restaurants based in Midvale, Utah. The State of Utah (ˈjuːtɔː or) is a western state of the United States. Burgerville USA is a privately held American Restaurant chain in Oregon and southwest Washington, owned by The Holland Inc Also, Whataburger is a popular burger chain in the South and Mexico, and Jack in the Box located in the west and south. Whataburger is a privately held, regional Fast food restaurant specializing in Hamburgers The company established by Harmon Dobson opened Jack in the Box ( is an American Fast-food restaurant founded in 1951 in San Diego California, where it is still headquartered today Canada pizza chains Topper's Pizza and Pizza Pizza are primarily located in Ontario. Pizza Pizza ( is a Canadian franchise chain of Pizza restaurants mainly located in the province of Ontario. Ontario (ɒnˈtɛrioʊ is a province located in the central part of Canada, the largest by population and second largest after Quebec Coffee chain Country Style operates only in Ontario, and competes with the famous coffee and donut chain Tim Hortons. Country Style, formerly Country Style Donuts, is a Tim Hortons Inc is a Coffee -and- Doughnut Fast food restaurant chain Rasta Taco is a chain in Southern California with a focus on Caribbean and Mexican food. Rasta Taco is a Mexican casual Fast-food Chain, located in California's Gold Coast Dana Point (Orange County

International chains

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. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country In Israel some McDonald's restaurants are kosher and respects the Jewish shabbat, there is also a kosher McDonald's in Argentina. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Israel topics. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Argentina topics. In Egypt, Morocco and Saudi Arabia, all menu items are halal. This article is about the country of Egypt For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Egypt topics. Morocco (المغرب "al-Maghrib" officially the Kingdom of Morocco (المملكة المغربية is a country located in North Africa The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, KSA ( المملكة العربية السعودية, al-Mamlaka al-ʻArabiyya as-Suʻūdiyya) or Suudi Halal (حلال ḥalāl, halaal) is an Arabic term meaning permissible.

In Canada the majority of fast food chains are American owned, or were originally American owned but have since set up a Canadian management/headquarters location in cities such as Toronto and Vancouver. Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page Toronto (təˈrɒntoʊ colloquially pronounced or) is the largest city in Canada and is the provincial capital of Ontario Vancouver (vænˈkuːvɚ is a coastal Although the case is usually American fast food chains expanding into Canada, Canadian chains such as Tim Hortons have expanded into 22 states in the United States, but are more prominent in border states such as New York and Michigan. Tim Hortons Inc is a Coffee -and- Doughnut Fast food restaurant chain New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous Michigan ( is a Midwestern state of the United States of America.

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. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located This article is about the Decade 1970-1979 For the Year 1970 see 1970. The 1980s was the decade spanning from January 1 1980 to December 31 1989. However, brands like Wimpy still remain, although the majority of branches became Burger King in 1989.

Traditional ramen and sushi restaurants still dominate fast food culture in Japan, although American outlets like Pizza Hut, McDonald's and KFC are also popular, along with Western-style Japanese chains like Mos Burger. is a Japanese Noodle dish that originated in China. It tends to be served in a meat-based broth and uses toppings such as,, Kamaboko, green onions In Japanese cuisine, is Vinegared Rice, usually topped with other ingredients including fish various meats and vegetables For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. from the initial letters of "Mountain Ocean Sun" is a fast-food restaurant chain (fast-casual that originated in Japan.

In Africa, Mr. Bigg's and Tantalizers are the predominant fast food chains in Nigeria, while Nando's and Steers are predominant in South Africa. For the American R & B singer sometimes called Mr Biggs see Ronald Isley. Nigeria, officially named the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal Constitutional republic comprising thirty-six states and one Federal Nando's is a restaurant chain originating from South Africa with a Portuguese -theme Steers is a fast-food franchise Burger Restaurant chain originating from South Africa. The Republic of South Africa (also known by other official names) is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa

In Hong Kong, although McDonald's and KFC are quite popular, there are 3 major local fast food chains providing Hong Kong Chinese style fast food. Hong Kong ( officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, is a territory located on China 's south coast on the Pearl River Delta, and borders These 3 major chains are Café de Coral, Fairwood Fast Food and Maxim MX. Café de Coral ( is a fast food franchise based in Hong Kong owned by the Café de Coral group Fairwood () is a fast food chain offering Chinese and Western food at affordable prices Maxim's (Full name Maxim's Catering Limited) is Hong Kong 's largest food & beverage corporation and restaurant chain In recent years, they have been extending their operations to Mainland China also. Talk People's Republic of China) PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA ARTICLE GUIDELINES

Trends

Health concerns

Some of the large fast-food chains are beginning to incorporate healthier alternatives in their menu, e. g. , white meat, snack wraps, 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. Tokenism refers to a policy or practice of limited inclusion of members of a Minority group usually creating a false appearance of inclusive practices intentional or not Ecology (from Greek grc οἶκος oikos, "house(hold" and grc -λογία -logia) is the scientific study of Health is a state of complete physical mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity McDonald's announced that in March of 2006, the chain would include nutritional information on the packaging of all of its products. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ^[9].

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. ^[10]

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 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. Ronald McDonald is a Clown character used as the primary mascot of the McDonald's Fast-food restaurant chain Parents could have a few minutes of peace while children played or amused themselves with the toys included in their Happy Meal. " Happy Meal " is a Meal specially tailored for Children sold at the fast-food chain McDonald's since June 1979 There is a long history of fast food advertising campaigns, many of which are directed at children. Fast food advertising is the promotion of Fast food products and ventures through a variety of media.

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 openness of Western society and therefore become trendy attractions in many cities around the world, particularly among younger people with more varied tastes.

Innovations timeline

• 1872: Walter Scott of Providence, RI outfitted a horse-drawn lunch wagon with a simple kitchen, bringing hot dinners to workers^[11]
• 1902: First Horn & Hardart Automat opened in Philadelphia
• 1912: Horn & Hardart become a "chain", opening an Automat in Manhattan
• 1916: Walter Anderson built the first White Castle (restaurant) in Wichita, KS in 1916, introducing the limited menu, high volume, low cost, high speed hamburger restaurant^[12]
• 1919: A & W Root Beer took its product out of the soda fountain and into a roadside stand^[13]
• 1921: A & W Root Beer began franchising its syrup^[14]
• 1930's: Howard Johnson's pioneered the concept of franchising restaurants, formally standardizing menus, signage and advertising^[15]
• 1948: In-N-Out begins drive-through service utilizing call-box technology
• 1967: McDonald's opens its first restaurants outside the U. Horn & Hardart is a company that came to prominence as the proprietor of the first Automat in New York City Horn & Hardart is a company that came to prominence as the proprietor of the first Automat in New York City An Automat is a fast food Restaurant where simple foods and drink are served by coin-operated and bill-operated Vending machines. White Castle is the oldest American Hamburger fast food restaurant chain A&W Root Beer is a Root beer franchise in the United States and Canada that was started in 1919 and inspired a restaurant chain in 1922 A&W Root Beer is a Root beer franchise in the United States and Canada that was started in 1919 and inspired a restaurant chain in 1922 Howard Johnson's is a chain of restaurants and Hotels, located primarily throughout the United States and Canada. In-N-Out Burger, usually called In-N-Out, is a chain of Fast food restaurants located in the Western United States. A drive-through, or drive-thru, is a type of service provided by a business that allows customers to purchase products without leaving their cars S. A. [3]
• 1971: McDonald's begins serving breakfast, test-marketing Egg McMuffin in the U. The Egg McMuffin is the signature Breakfast sandwich sold by the Fast-food restaurant chain McDonald's. S. [4]
• 1971: The first Starbucks store opens in Seattle, Washington in Pike Place Market to sell high-quality coffee beans and equipment
• 1980: 7-Eleven introduces the 32-ounce Big Gulp
• 1981: Arby's offers nutritional information
• 1987: Howard Schultz leads purchase of the Starbucks brand from its founders (who adopted the name Peet's) and begins offering coffee drinks modeled after those sold in Italian coffee bars
• 1994: McDonald's begins "supersizing" Extra Value Meals
• 1994: Arctic Circle becomes the first fast-food restaurant to sell Angus beef exclusively. Starbucks Corporation ( is an international Coffee and coffeehouse chain based in Seattle Washington. Pike Place Market is a Public market overlooking the Elliott Bay waterfront in Seattle Washington, United States. 7-Eleven is a worldwide chain of Convenience stores It is since March 2007 the largest chain store in any category beating McDonald's by 1000 stores 7-Eleven is a worldwide chain of Convenience stores It is since March 2007 the largest chain store in any category beating McDonald's by 1000 stores Arby's is a Fast food Restaurant chain in the United States and Canada that is a wholly owned subsidiary of Wendy's/Arby's Group Howard Schultz (b July 19, 1953) is an American Businessman and Entrepreneur most widely known as the Chairman and Peet's Coffee & Tea is a specialty Coffee roaster and retailer Supersize was a trademark that referred to the largest portion size available in meals offered by McDonald's. Angus cattle is a term that refers in much of the world (though not in the United States) to either or both (collectively of two types of naturally hornless Cattle
• 1994: Arby's is first fast-food restaurant to implement a no-smoking policy
• 2002: McDonald's cuts back on the amount of trans fat by 48 percent on french fries
• 2006: Arby's begins elimination of trans fat oils in french fries

Criticisms

Hot Dog

The fast-food industry is a popular target for critics, from would-be populists like José Bové to vegetarian activist groups such as PETA. Arby's is a Fast food Restaurant chain in the United States and Canada that is a wholly owned subsidiary of Wendy's/Arby's Group Trans fat is the common name for a type of Unsaturated fat with trans - isomer Fatty acid (s French fries ( North American English; sometimes not capitalized chips ( British English) fries or French-fried potatoes (formal Arby's is a Fast food Restaurant chain in the United States and Canada that is a wholly owned subsidiary of Wendy's/Arby's Group Trans fat is the common name for a type of Unsaturated fat with trans - isomer Fatty acid (s French fries ( North American English; sometimes not capitalized chips ( British English) fries or French-fried potatoes (formal Joseph (José Bové (born June 11, 1953) is a French farmer and syndicalist, member of the alter-globalization movement, and spokesman Vegetarianism is the practice of a diet that excludes Meat (including game and slaughter by-products Fish (including Shellfish and other sea

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. Fast Food Nation The Dark Side of the All-American Meal (2001 is a book by Investigative journalist Eric Schlosser that examines the local and Eric Schlosser (born August 17, 1959) is an award-winning American journalist and Author known for investigative or Muckraking 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.

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. Seen as symbols of US dominance and perceived cultural imperialism, American fast-food franchises have often been the target of Anti-globalization protests and demonstrations against the US government. Cultural imperialism is the practice of promoting distinguishing separating or artificially injecting the Culture or language of one nation into another " Anti-globalization " is a term that encompasses a number of related ideas In 2005, for example, rioters in Karachi, Pakistan, who were initially angered because of the bombing of a Shiite mosque, destroyed a KFC restaurant. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. (ڪراچي) is the largest city in Pakistan. It is the world's second largest city proper behind Mumbai in terms of population which exceeds 10 million Pakistan () officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located in South Asia, Southwest Asia, Middle East and ^[16]

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. Childhood Obesity is a condition where excess body fat negatively affects a child's health or wellbeing 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 the fast food industry disliked the publicity of its practices, particularly the way it targets children in its advertising. ^[17] Although further lawsuits have not materialized, the issue is kept alive by in the media and political circles by those promoting the need for tort reform^[18]. Tort reform refers to the idea of changing the rules applicable to the Law of Tort.

In response to this, the "Cheeseburger Bill" ^[19] was passed by the U. The Personal Responsibility in Food Consumption Act, also known as the Cheeseburger Bill, was passed by the U S. House of Representatives in 2004; it later stalled in the U. S. Senate. The law was reintroduced in 2005, only to meet the same fate. This law was claimed to "[ban] frivolous lawsuits against producers and sellers of food and non-alcoholic drinks arising from obesity claims. Obesity is a condition in which excess Body fat has accumulated to such an extent that health may be negatively affected " 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

• Fast food advertising
• List of fast food restaurants

Notes

References

External links

• The British Library - finding information on the fast food industry
• Book defending fast food