Introduction
The theme I have chosen for the Bachelor degree “FAST-FOOD PRODUCTS – STUDY REGARDING THE REPORT OF THE FOOD RISK-EFFICIENCY “coordinated by Voinea Lelia PhD. Professor, is very important because offers useful information, and emphases the low impact of the Fast-Food products on our health trough concrete facts.
Besides that the paper draws attention to the importance of health, it has an informative purpose too as trough the following chapters the readers will be able to find out about the Fast-Food market and the main players on it which means that it may be helpful for someone specifically interested on this topic for business reasons.
The Bachelor degree paper is divided in three sections. The first section contains the Introduction which emphases the importance of the theme, as the section two includes three main Chapters with another three Subchapters each.
At the end of the paper, there is the section three which contains the Conclusion and the Bibliography.
The first chapter of the paper “THE EVOLUTION OF FAST-FOOD INDUSTRY” has an introductory purpose in order to accommodate the readers to the scientific writing style and to the chosen theme. Also it offers general information about the Fast-Food industry, its short history and the evolution of it.
Furthermore, this chapter describes the Fast-Food Phenomenon both in Romania and at international level, and it contains three subchapters that support the main idea of the chapter.
The second chapter of the paper “RESEARCHES OF CONSUMERS PERCEPTION REGARDING FAST FOOD DIET” also contains three subchapters, and it has a very important role as helps the readers to learn more about the Fast-Food products from a nutritional point of view, and the risks on our health caused by the consumption of those products.
Another important fact is that trough this second chapter we get to know the behavior of a typical Fast-Food consumer and why are those products so appealing to targeted costumers such as teenagers and young adults.
The third chapter of the paper “NUTRITIONAL PROFILE ANALYSIS OF SOME FAST-FOOD PRODUCTS” is an analytical chapter which also includes three subchapters that will aid the readers to enhance the information from chapter two regarding nutritional value of the Fast-Food products.
CHAPTER 1.
THE EVOLUTION OF FAST-FOOD INDUSTRY
1.1. Short introduction in Fast-Food industry
When life begun, in prehistoric era, the human was forced to fight for his own food and shelter in order to prevent starvation and death. His options were very limited comparing to nowadays when we are shot from everywhere we look around, by food commercials and advertising campaigns, leaflets and posters, discounts and promotions of tasty, good-looking foods.
There is still a fight present though, but we are not fighting for food in order to survive anymore. We are taking it for granted and we have become so spoiled that we are guided by our own desires.
You only have to wish to eat something and you will be served while others are serving you to increase their profits.
But what has changed since the fresh and simple foods from prehistory, to the unhealthy, processed and fast cooked foods of our era?
First of all, the evolution of human happened. There were wars, revolutions and battles that determined the world to change, and along with it the human being too.
Emancipation, industrialization, the great innovations in technology and economic growth led to the prosperity of the mankind and to human’s free will of making decisions and choosing for his own good.
But all this innovation and growth didn’t necessarily produced only good things, especially since the word “society” was introduced.
According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the word “society” represented in the beginning “friendly associations” in 1530’s (www.etymonline.com, by Modern French Societe), “people bound by neighborhood and intercourse aware of living together in an ordered community” in 1630’s (www.etymonline.com), and then becoming more and more segmented starting with 1823 “the more cultivated part of any community”, “fashionable people and their doings” (www.etymonline.com).
This segmentation of the communities fed people’s ego for centuries and determined them to create gaps between races, sexes, and classes.
Kings vs. villains, rich vs. poor, the authority vs. the working class, religion, sexuality, color, all these led to a lot of differences and these differences can be observed in people’s diet too.
Over centuries, the ones facing the poverty, were forced the find cheap alternatives of the regular meals while the bourgeoisie was enjoying nutritious superfoods and foods rich in lean proteins so they can be healthy for a long and successful reign.
Today we can still notice the differences from the fast-food industry to the fine dining, gourmet specialties and molecular kitchen.
However, human’s perception changed too. For example, people used to believe that hamburgers are obtained from the residues of the slaughter houses, and because of the low quality perception only a certain category of people consumed it.
Nevertheless, in the case of fast-food industry, something interesting happened and the previous example represents a strong evidence that with a brilliant idea and good advertising even the “low quality hamburger” can now be turned into cash. This is actually how the McDonalds phenomenon started.
1.2. The Fast-Food phenomenon at international level
Nowadays, the Fast-Food Industry is very dynamic and there are a lot of competitors on the market at international level. But the story didn’t start at an international scale.
United States of America, also called “the land of opportunities”, is the motherland of so many innovations from economics and politics and its famous Wall Street from New York, to technology and the IT specialists from Silicon Valley, San Francisco.
From the first man on the moon, and to the first black president, but apart from all of these crucial events for our existence, America also gave us Donald Trump, Kim Kardashian and last but not least, the Fast-Food Industry.
According to the official website of McDonalds, it has all started in the 40’s but the company had become really successful back in 1954, when Ray Kroc joined the small restaurant run by Brothers Dick and Mac McDonald. He developed the streamline system and the idea of a simple menu only with burgers and fries.
Another important aspect, he also invested in strong advertising campaigns such as “Look for the Golden Arches” (actually the golden arches remained the logo of the company up until
Present).
Later in 1960’s, Kroc bought the exclusive rights of the name and restaurant and started to sale his burgers worldwide, turning McDonalds from a small restaurant from California, into a multinational company.
This event represented the birth of a multi-billion dollar industry and along with it, the flourishing of the competitors too.
In about same period of time when Ray Kroc joined the McDonalds team in 54’ in San Bernardino, California, two businessmen James McLamore and David Edgerton, visited the Dick and Mac’s restaurant and enjoyed the system.
Then, they decided to open in Miami, Florida one of their own, and this is how the Burger King became “the second largest fast food hamburger chain in the world”.
But when it comes about “the largest fast food chain in the world”, McDonalds actually lost the first place in 2017.
According to The Daily Records, “As of the year 2017, the world’s largest fast food chain was Subway, the franchise opened in 1965 Connecticut, USA.
The restaurant, managed to edge out McDonalds as the top fast food chain, and they have more than 44,882 outlets worldwide, operating in 112 countries and generating revenue of $11.9 billion comparing with its main competitor (McDonalds) which holds a total of 36,899 globally, and operating in 100 countries.”(The Daily Records, august 2017)
KFC or Kentucky Fried Chicken founded by the Colonel Sanders, occupies the third place and it has become a famous fast food chain because of the special chicken recipe having as a secret ingredient (which is not so secret anymore), a crust made of 10 herbs and spices.
Because of the Colonel Sander’s signature chicken recipe, Kentucky Fried Chicken has become third largest fast food chain in the world, having 20,604 stores and generating annually $23 billion.
Burger King, the franchise inspired by McDonalds (as I mentioned before) ranked the forth place on the run to the largest fast food chain globally and the giant Pizza Hut holds the fifth place on the list.
Pizza Hut is a restaurant founded in 1958 in Kansas, USA, and it is owned by the company Yum! Brands, Inc. along with KFC.
The restaurant became famous because was the first fast food chain that was offering delivery services at home, and because of the pepperoni pizza whose image is representative when it comes to the restaurant.
Nowadays its popularity is attested by the 13,000 stores from 100 countries, making the franchise the largest pizzeria chain in the world.
On the seventh position on The Daily Records’ “largest fast food chains” list, it is mentioned a place for the sweets lovers. It is actually about both a donut shop and a coffee house called Dunkin’ Donuts.
The Dunkin’ Donuts was founded in 1950, when Bill Rosenberg opened his first shop in Quincy, USA. Today the company holds over 11,300 outlets worldwide, in 36 different countries.
When it comes to Domino’s Pizza, all we can think of is the puffy dough and the Philadelphia cheese crust but the American pizzeria represents Pizza Hut’ biggest competition.
The company was founded in 1960, Michigan, and in the present owns over 8,200 stores worldwide.
And the top continues as there are a lot of others fast food chains that I didn’t mention, but the following table (table 1.2.) will name the full list:
Table 1.2. – Fast food chains
Name No. of restaurants worldwide
1 Subway 44,882
2 McDonalds 36,899
3 KFC 20,604
4 Burger King 15,000
5 Pizza Hut Over 13,000
6 Dunkin’ Donuts Over 11,300
7 Domino’s Pizza Over 8,200
8 Baskin Robbins 7,500
9 Taco Bell 7,000
10 Wendy’s 6,500
1.3. The current development stage of the Fast-Food industry in Romania
Recently, Sphera Franchise Group had been opened the first Taco Bell restaurant (part of the Yum! Brands, Inc. along with KFC and Pizza Hut) from our country, with the location in Bucharest Mall Baneasa, and after only two months it has been announced that they want to open a second one in Mega Mall as soon as possible.
This is a very good example of how things work in Romania, when it comes about the fast food.
Even though the fast food industry in Romania is pretty much the same as the country, in a continuously developing stage, there are a lot of opportunities for new investors and what is advantageous for them is that the Romanian people are big fast food consumers.
According to the Euro monitor, the Romanian people are spending annually over 2 billion lei on fast food products. Also, because they are fascinated by the Western lifestyle and because of the globalization, they have come to a point where are going out for dinner more often than during the last decades, the fast food courts from the mall’s being the best place to meet with friends and socialize over a tasty and affordable meal.
But let’s see who the giants of the fast food industry are, and which fast food chain is leading the market in Romania.
On the Romanian market there are two main players that are in a direct competition, the leader McDonalds (part of the Premier Capital since 2016), and its strong competitor KFC (part of Sphera Franchise Group).
Once upon a time, back in 1995, in a newly democratic country and an “untouched” market, McDonald’s opens its first restaurant from Romania, in Bucharest (Unirea shopping center) and introduces to the population, the Western lifestyle and the American legacy.
Ever since that moment, Romanian people fell in love with the system, with the Kroc’s burgers and with the cheap prices and turned McDonalds into the main player on the market, now leading with 69 restaurant in 21 cities.
After a year, in 1996, KFC opens its first restaurant too, in Bucharest, and starts a fierce competition with McDonalds for the leading position, in the present being the second main player on the market and owning 65 restaurants in the national level.
Even though McDonalds and KFC are by far the leaders of the market, they are in a direct competition with smaller fast food chains in Romania, such as Subway and with the local “shaormerii” and Turkish fast food shops, which are becoming more and more popular amongst Romanian citizens as the days go by.