Fast food

Fast food is a type of food made quickly and easily for people who are busy. It is ready to eat right away.

Some fast food is already cooked and just needs to be heated. Customers only wait a few seconds. Other places, like McDonald's and Burger King, cook fresh ingredients such as meat and fries before serving.

Fast-food restaurants often have drive-through windows. They can be small stands or bigger restaurants. Many are part of large franchise chains.

Many fast foods have a lot of saturated fat, sugar, salt, and calories. Eating fast food often can lead to health problems like heart disease and obesity.

History

See also: Fast-food restaurant § History

The idea of ready-to-eat food is connected to how cities grew. In new cities, homes often didn’t have space or tools to cook. Getting fuel for fires was also hard and expensive. Because of this, city people often bought food that was already cooked, like meats or breads. This was helpful for people with little time, like travelers or workers on short breaks.

After World War II, many Americans earned more money and bought more things. Both men and women worked outside the home more often. Eating out became something many families needed to do because they were busy. Fast food made it easy for people to get a quick, inexpensive meal, whether it was lunch or dinner. As a result, families spent less time cooking at home.

Pre-industrial Old World

In ancient Roman cities, many people living in apartment buildings bought food from street vendors. They could get bread, baked goods, and cured meats. In China around the 1200s, people ate fried dough, soups, and stuffed buns. In Baghdad, people bought ready-to-eat meats and processed foods. During the Middle Ages in cities like London and Paris, vendors sold pies, pasties, flans, waffles, and cooked meats. These foods were important for people who didn’t have kitchens, like travelers or those living alone.

United Kingdom

In areas near water, people in the United Kingdom often ate fast food like shellfish or seafood, such as oysters or eels. The mid-1800s saw the start of trawler fishing, which helped create the popular dish fish and chips. The first fish and chip shop opened in 1860. British fast food varied by region, with dishes like the Cornish pasty becoming local favorites. The UK also enjoys foods from other cultures, like pizza, doner kebabs, and curries.

United States

See also: Fast food restaurant § North America

After cars became common, drive-in restaurants appeared. White Castle, founded in Wichita, Kansas in 1921, is known for being the first fast food restaurant and the first hamburger chain. They sold hamburgers for five cents each. As the fast food industry grew, people started thinking more about health. Even during difficult times, people in the United States still enjoy fast food.

On the go

See also: Convenience food

Fast food places let you get food quickly to take home or eat there. Many have a drive-through where you can order and get your food from your car. Others have places to sit and eat inside or outside. With new technology, you can now order food from your phone to be delivered to your home.

Fast food is made to be eaten quickly, often without needing knives and forks, and is easy to eat with your hands. Common foods you can find at fast food places include fish and chips, sandwiches, pitas, hamburgers, fried chicken, french fries, onion rings, chicken nuggets, tacos, pizza, hot dogs, and ice cream.

Filling stations

Convenience stores at many petrol/gas stations sell ready-made sandwiches, doughnuts, and hot food. In the United States and Europe, many gas stations also sell frozen foods and have microwave ovens to heat them up. In Australia, gas stations sell foods like hot pies, sandwiches, and chocolate bars, which are easy to grab while traveling. These stations are often open long hours, making it easy to get food before or after regular shops are closed.

Street vendors and concessions

Main article: Street food

Street food can be found all over the world from small vendors selling food from carts, tables, grills, or small vehicles. Examples include Chinese rice soup, Middle Eastern falafel, New York City hot dog carts, and taco trucks. Street vendors often try to catch people's attention quickly by calling out prices or doing fun activities to attract customers.

Cuisine

Fast food is made from ingredients that have been prepared in factories. The food is then cooked quickly and served in restaurants or taken away. This makes the food cheap and ensures every meal tastes the same.

Fast food restaurants aim to be quick, easy, and affordable. The food is made to have a specific taste or texture and to stay fresh longer. Different places have their own types of fast food. For example, in Western countries, Chinese takeaways are popular. They often serve noodles, rice, or meat, sometimes letting customers choose what they want. Sushi, which began in Japan, is also popular. It is usually rice with fish or other fillings, often wrapped in seaweed. Pizza is common fast food in the United States, with many large chains offering delivery. Kebab houses, from the Middle East, serve meat shaved from a spinning spit and placed on flatbread with sauces. Fish and chips, where fish is coated and fried with potato strips, is popular in the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand. Each country has its own special fast food dishes, like grilled chicken in Portugal or filled pastries in Poland.

Business

In the United States, people spent a lot of money on fast food. In 2012, they spent $160 billion, much more than the $6 billion in 1970. By 2013, the whole restaurant industry was worth about $660.5 billion.

Fast food restaurants face competition from places that offer more expensive and varied meals. This has caused some big fast food companies to lose sales. But many Americans still eat fast food at least once a month.

Unlike many other places, Americans spend less of their money on food. This is because the government helps make fast food cheaper and easier to buy.

Australia’s fast food market is worth over 2.7 billion GPB. It includes 1.4 billion fast food meals served at about 17,000 locations. The fast food market there grows by about 6.5 percent each year, making it one of the fastest-growing parts of the food industry.

Employment

Many people work in places that prepare and serve food, including fast food restaurants. In the United States around 2010, about 4.1 million people had jobs in this area. Getting a diploma in Human Resource Management or Fast Food Management can help someone get a job in big fast food restaurants.

Globalization

Fast food is found all over the world. McDonald's has restaurants in many countries.

For example, when McDonald's came to Moscow, it changed its food to fit local customs. The first McDonald's in Moscow opened in 1990 and served many people on its first day.

Big McDonald's restaurants exist in places like Orlando, Florida. Other popular chains like Burger King, KFC, Subway, Wienerwald, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell are also in many countries.

Criticism

Main article: Criticism of fast food

Further information: Fast-food worker strikes

Fast-food restaurants sometimes get criticism. People worry that eating too much fast food can be bad for health and can make people gain weight. Some fast-food places are trying to offer healthier meals and use less waste in their packaging. However, some experts say that fast-food companies still advertise unhealthy foods a lot, which can make children want to eat them more often. There are also concerns about how fast-food jobs can affect teenagers who are still in school.