The Hamburger & Fast Food Concept An Alternative Fast Food

Competitive Analysis of the Industry:

The fast food industry is an important and growing segment of the broader food-service industry, which can broadly be defined as providing ready-to-eat meals, as distinct from food items to be prepared at home, or snack foods requiring no preparation before eating. Fast food in some form is as old as sidewalk food vendors, but in the form we know it now it appeared in the United States in the 1950s, as particularly suited to drive-up or drive-through service.

Originally provided by individual stand-alone outlets or small local chains, since the 1960s it has been dominated by nationwide and then global chains, of which McDonald's is dominant. The primary advantage of large chains is branding (Bodine). Branding in turn implies a reliability of experience. A stand-alone outlet might well be better than any chain, but is at least as likely to be worse. At a McDonald's or KFC outlet, customers know what they can expect.

In addition to competing with one a

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w other items such as french fries, continue to account for a large share of all fast-food items sold. The center of the fast-food industry remains the United States, and the concept (including the name "Basic Burger") has been formulated with the American market in mind. However, the same concept could well be applied elsewhere, and if originating in a different national market, could draw on local casual-dining traditions rather than the American-style hamburger. Assuming that the concept is first applied in the American market, subsequent global expansion might seem to be hampered by recent international consumer resistance to American-identified brands (Emling). Much of this recent resistance is due to US foreign policy, specifically the war in Iraq. As American public opinion has now also turned against the war and the Bush administration, however, this point of resistance can be expected to be a thing of the past before a new brand, having established itself in the American market, is ready to extend a global reach. Returning to the Basic Burger concept, the trade-off, naturally, will be in having fewer items offered. Customers not interested in the handful of menu choices offered will have to go elsewhere. Howe
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Approximate Word count = 1558
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page)

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