How has the quick service restaurant industry changed over the years? A lot has changed for all quick service restaurants over the years. This has a lot to do with technology evolving, as well as many people now wanting to know exactly what is in the food that they are eating. A brief history of QSR Quick service restaurants are believed to have all started in 1867 when a man named Charles Feltman opened up the first hot dog stand in New York.
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The word ‘diner’ is known to have first been used in the early 1870’s when a man named Walter Scott fitted a simple kitchen in to the back of a horse drawn wagon so that he could bring hot food to workers. After world war one finished and cars became both popular penis and affordable drive-in restaurants were introduced. Although the term ‘Fast Food’ didn’t come in to play until 1951 the first ever ‘high volume, low cost, high speed’ burger restaurant was built in 1916 and was called White Castle. Mcginley, L. (2004) Honk for service. Tray Days Publishing: 2004 Technology within QSR
A lot of fast food restaurants are now investing in new ways for customers to order food instead of just simply going in to restaurant and ordering what you want. A prime example of this is Dominos who, in 1999 started home deliveries, as well as online ordering. Since then many more quick service restaurants have started both home deliveries and online orderings. In 2011 Dominos, having realised that 46% of people now own a smart phone, decided to create their own app so that people could order their pizzas on their smart phones. [Online] www. dominos. uk. com/pdf/information_pack. pdf (Accessed19th Oct 2012)
At the moment Dominos is the only quick service restaurant that has converted to the smart phone but others will most likely follow in due course. Although McDonalds does not yet offer either a takeaway menu or a mobile phone app but they do have a web-based marketing at ronald. com which could be for children as young as 2 years old. This website includes games and a special virtual world called ‘Mc World’. As well as websites a lot of fast food service restaurants are creating Facebook pages to advertise their food and drinks, in 2010 Starbucks boasted more than 11 million fans and its now reached over 32 million. Counting Calories
Fast food chains within the United Kingdom first started putting the amount of calories, fat, protein, carbohydrates and sodium there is inside all of their food and drinks in 1994, and by 2011 all food establishments with 20 or more locations were required to do so as well. This was for several reasons, mainly because the government wants us all to think more carefully about what’s in the food that we are indulging on. As well as this it is also to hopefully help stop the rising obesity rates. When McDonalds announced, on September 5th 2011, that this is what they planned to do it was considered a very ‘ballsy move’.
It was thought that this would make it harder for customers to justify choosing a burger over a salad. A lot of fast food restaurants do offer healthier and lower calorie choices on their children menus. For example McDonalds offer kids the choice of carrot sticks instead of chips and a carton of milk or orange juice instead of a milkshake, but this has only recently started happening, before McDonalds introduced there healthy option when ordering a children’s meal restaurant employees automatically served chips with the meal.
This was also the same for burger king, but unlike McDonalds they are yet to introduce healthy options for kids. In 2010 just 12 out of 3,039 possible kids’ meal combinations met nutrition criteria for children in pre-school and only 15 met the nutrition criteria for older children. Research also found that Subway employees almost always offer their customers the healthier option when they first order their food. [Online] www. askville. amazon. com/fast-food-restaurants-start-putting-nutrition-foods/answerviewer. do? equestId=68133140 (Accessed October 19th 2012) Conclusion The fast food industry has been affecting our society in a number of different ways, these include the way that the food is processed to the labour force; American’s have seen a number of changes.
Quick service restaurants have been a huge part of America’s culture for over 70 years. What started out as a small hot dog stand has grown in to ‘an ugly monster’ that has taken over not only America’s society but Europe’s as well. Many people believe that jobs within the fast food industry are reserved for the neducated, teenagers and immigrants. The food served in them is of the poorest quality and the standards are lowered to insure company profit. The animals are treated poorly in the meat plants, which is because the industry requires a low-cost method. And many reports have shown that more people have gotten sick eating in fast food restaurants than any other type of restaurant. When parents are in a rush or can’t be bothered to cook for their children they will purchase food from a quick service restaurant, on average this is at least once a week.
Especially in America when quick service restaurants first took off fast food was considered ‘not just a burger but a way of life. ’ [Online] http://www. uncommonthought. com/mtblog/archives/011703-fast_food_society. php (Accessed 10th November 2012) Thankfully since this report was released in January 2003 this is no longer the case. A lot of quick service industries have changed their ways, many have now put salads and low fat meals on to their menus and in 2009 McDonalds won an award for ‘The best places to work in hospitality’ for the restaurant with 11 or more units.
Lewis, M. (2009) Best places to work in hospitality 2209- the winners [online] www. catersearch. com/bestplaces,2009 (Accessed 10th November 2012) This was an amazing achievement as people would always consider working in McDonalds ‘unpleasant’. As well as this they started using free range animals when making their food, and cooking the food in a much healthier way. So since quick service restaurants first started up they have change a significant amount and will probably continue to change in the foreseeable future.
