Things You Must Know About the Fast Food Industry

A few things can deliver as much pleasure as a bite of your favorite fast food does. Coupled with fast delivery, it is no wonder that approximately eight out of ten Americans visit a fast-food restaurant weekly. Besides this statistic, there are more facts and trends in fast food industry to learn.

The fast-food industry became popular in the mid-1920s

While restaurants existed as early as cities did, fast food joints mushroomed much later. In the early 1920s, people maintained a negative perception of snacks like hamburgers. It was not until later in the decade, after some entrepreneurs established a white-walled, open kitchen structure, that the public changed its mind.

However, recent statistics highlight the exponential growth of the industry. As of 2019, over 80 million adults in the United States eat at a fast-food restaurant daily. Further, every one in three children enjoys some fast food every day.

Healthier fast foods are on the way

As the fast-food industry strives to keep up with changing consumer needs, its products are becoming healthier. Recent statistics show that 39% of fast-food fans prefer having healthy meals on the menu. In response, fast food chains are offering low-calorie dishes, especially to kids.

A look at the trends in fast food industry reveals that it will be no surprise to find a staunch nutritionist enjoying a ham at a restaurant. Following the Food and Drug Administration’s requirement for menus to display nutritional information about foods, customers will know what they are ordering. Thus, the tendency to refer to fast foods as unhealthy will subside as people take the calories their bodies can handle.

Fast-casual restaurants are rivaling fast food joints

Initially, fast food’s main competitors were fine dining establishments. Today, however, a new sector known as fast-casual is springing into action. Fast foods and fast-casual outlets make up Quick Service Restaurants (QSR). Remarkably, QSRs make half of all restaurant sales.

While the number of fast foods outlets exceeds fast-casual by far, the latter is expecting immense progress in the future. For example, fast-food restaurants anticipated a 4.2% revenue growth in 2019, while their fast-casual counterparts projected an 8.3% increase.

Indubitably, it may be too early to decide what sector will emerge victorious in this rivalry. Current trends in fast food industry indicate that fast food restaurants are offering increasingly healthy products to match or exceed what fast-casual is selling. Besides quality food, restaurants continue to differentiate themselves via prices, taste, and customer service.