Globalization of Fast Food

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McDomination The globalization of fast food has had a significant impact on not only the United States, but the world as a whole. According the Merriam-Webster dictionary, fast food is designed for ready availability, use or consumption and with little consideration given to quality or significance. This definition is one of the main reasons why fast food is such a controversial issue. In order to prepare the food quickly, not much consideration goes into quality and this is why many people blame fast food for weight gain and health issues. Many of the large fast food restaurants that we as Americans are familiar with are McDonald’s, Burger King, Taco Bell, Subway, and Kentucky Fried Chicken, but they do not end here. These restaurants, regardless of the controversy they cause in America, have become very popular across the world. The National Restaurant Association reported that in 2006 the global fast food market grew by 4.8 percent and reached a value of 102.4 billion and a volume of 80.3 billion transactions (Duram). Being that there are only seven billion people in the world, 80.3 billion fast food purchases between customers and restaurants is a great amount of transactions. We can closely the study the globalization of American fast food restaurants around the world and the impact they have had on other cultures. McDonald’s currently has over 30,000 franchise outlets in 121 countries, and serves about 46 million people a day (BBC). McDonald’s has become known worldwide for their golden arches, which has become as well known an American symbol as the American flag itself. On April 23, 1992, the largest McDonald's restaurant in the world opened in Beijing, China. With 700 seats and 29 cash registers, the Beijing McDonald's served 40,000 customers on its first day of business (Yunxiang). In a book titled Golden Arches East, James L. Watson talks about the

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