20 Questions…Answered Book 1

"Fast Food (p. 61-62)

Before World War II there were lots of roadside diners sprinkled across North America. All these ""greasy spoons"" looked different and they did not cook your food until you ordered it. That changed with the introduction of the fast food franchise outlet, which would eventually become a permanent part of North American culture. In 1955 Ray Kroc wanted to figure out a way to offer the popular hamburgers of a local restaurant he owned (the first McDonald’s restaurant) to people in other parts of the United States.

He came up with the idea of franchising: making an exact copy of the original restaurant, putting it somewhere else, and hiring other people to run it. Everything would be the same, from the look of the restaurant to the way the food was quickly prepared and delivered. Mr. Kroc’s idea caught on fast. With the growth of automobile transportation and leisure travel in the late 1950s and early 60s, people welcomed the idea of pulling into a McDonald’s restaurant and being served their meal in a couple of minutes. Based on the success of the McDonald’s restaurant chain, other types of fast food outlets were franchised.

Chains selling hamburgers, pizza, tacos, fried chicken and submarine sandwiches began popping up across North America. The success of fast food chains is based on their ability to specialize in one kind of food and keep the standards of every outlet the same. Burgers, fish, french fries and other foods are delivered in pre-measured, frozen, ready-to-cook portions. And the cooking takes place in assemblyline fashion for speed and efficiency.

The result is a hot meal delivered within minutes of the order. Since the 1950s there has been phenomenal growth in the number of fast food outlets in the United States. In 1970 there were nearly 33,000 franchised outlets. By the early 1990s there were over 90,000 fast food outlets that employed close to 6 million people. Since 1990 Americans have spent an average of almost 150 billion dollars every year eating out. Most fast food meals are high in fat, sodium, and calories and low in fiber and nutrients.

Fast foods are often fried or deep fried. A typical fast food meal of a cheeseburger, an order of french fries and a milk shake can average about 1,800 calories with 50% of these calories from fat. Public health organizations recommend that only 30% of a total daily intake of 2,000 calories be made up of fat. In response to the current trend towards healthier diets, as well as government inquiries about fast food health issues, the fast food industry has added healthy alternatives to their menus.

Items like fresh salads and non-fried foods are now available. And vegetable oil has replaced animal fat in their deep-frying machines. The fast food experience has expanded beyond North America and has taken root in different places around the globe. In 1990 Pizza Hut opened an outlet in Russia and by 1991 the McDonald’s in Moscow’s Red Square was serving burgers to nearly 27,000 curious Russians every day. Many fast food chains are doing business all over Asia, too. In all there are now more than 4,000 Americanstyle fast food outlets outside North America."