Fast food is an American staple and in some respects has been an American phenomenon, though it has been spreading to other countries with American franchising and marketing. In the U.S., certain types of fast food have long held sway, with the hamburger segment being the biggest. However, by the 1990s both growth and overall sales in the hamburger segment were declining, while there was some growth in other segments. The top three hamburger chains continued to struggle against the tide, facing declining customer base, sales, and profits. The chains were faced with the need to expand their menus in response to the public's demand for lighter, healthier foods and greater variety. Healthier foods have been offered in the fast food format by a number of different chains and in a number of different forms. The marketing of healthier fast food internationally offers a growth opportunity for business today, but it is an opportunity that is also fraught with possible dangers and problems.
Fast food has made inroads at different rates in different parts of the wold. Hong Kong has become an important fast food market, where the quick-service-restaurant segment constituted 13 percent of the market in 1993. Households spent more than half their food budgets on dining out. The core product offered by international fast-food chains consisted of hamburger, chicken, or pizza. The chains sought market share with aggressive marketing. Local Chinese-style fast-food chains, on the other hand, are product oriented and offer greater variety (Lan and Khan, 1995).
In Jamaica, American fast food stores have been proliferating, and among the name chains represented there are Kentucky Fried Chicken, Burger King, and Pizza Hut--the same three core products noted for Hong Kong (Campbell, 1997). Pizza has been making strides in London for companies like PizzaExpress (Blackwell, 1997). The hot dog has become a favored item exported to the interna...