Millennial Fast Food Trends: Impact on the Fast Food Industry

Millennial Fast Food Trends: Impact on the Fast Food Industry

Fast Casual Eating places, Millennials and the Evolution with the Fast Food Industry in America

When we think of fast food restaurants, we think of oily fries, burgers, fried rooster, sugary pastries and calorie-laden soft drinks. This phenomenon is by far the case in America for a very long time with fast food franchises such as McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Burger Cal . king and White Castle taking over the market. However , over the past twenty years, fast food in America has slowly and gradually changed from greasy chips and burgers at McDonald’s to deli sandwiches and milkshakes at Panera Loaf of bread or Chipotle. This happening is known as the rise with the ‘fast casual’ restaurants which provide the casual dining experience of healthy, organic meals made with produce that is sourced hereabouts but served at the rate and convenience that one would experience at a fast food diner. This trend points to a fast-food industry that is transforming and becoming healthier while nonetheless maintaining the convenience and the comparatively low price point that manufactured fast food restaurants so effective in the first place. This essay will present evidence on how the fast-food in America is changing by becoming healthier, exotic, customizable, ethical and ambient and also the role that fast informal restaurants and Millennials are playing in driving this change.

The main driver of this shift in the fast food industry is the increased health consciousness of Americans.best quality writing paper As outlined by Miller (182), the organically grown food movement which was founded in the 1960s has been extremely successful in educating People in america about the dangers of highly processed foods, Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) and the poisonous pesticides which can be used in modern agriculture. On the other hand, the movement implored People in america to eat locally grown foods natural and healthy servings. The success of this activity has had a detrimental impact on classic fast-food restaurants who have typically come under attack intended for selling high-calorie meals which are unhealthy and cause obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure. Traditional fast food restaurants have also been charged of advertising unhealthy foods to children and using abnormal and highly refined ingredients to make their meals. This kind of increased health consciousness contributed to reduced sales in junk food restaurants and constant hazards of class action lawsuits through those who think their health conditions have been caused by eating take out (Dixon et al. 104). In order to deal with this trend, fast food restaurants have increased the number of healthy meals on their menus, but their subscriber base has not been very high.

The rise connected with fast casual restaurants can be attributed to the fact that they provide healthy food with the same comfort as fast food restaurants. Eagan (178) reports that it is due to this health consciousness that the “number of diners checking out fast-casual restaurants grew on ten times the rate associated with traffic to fast-food restaurants via 1999 through 2014. ” Fast-casual restaurants have grown in popularity due to their healthy, clean made offerings at a low price in addition to high convenience. Food places to eat such as Panera Bread and Chipotle are fast everyday restaurants that have succeeded within providing healthy meals quickly. These restaurants have self-service kiosks and drive by way of windows to compete efficiently with fast food restaurants by healthy meals in a fast and convenient manner (Treflis Team 1). It appears that innovations in fast food in America will include far more fast-casual restaurants.

The tastes of Americans have also changed, with Millennials being more adventurous using food tastes. Due to the climb of social media, Americans are more aware of exotic cuisines such as Mexican, Greek, Jewish, Italian and Chinese and they are more willing to try these (Williams 1). Moreover, eating exotic meals and publishing them on social media boosts the social capital of Millennial leading to a sharp rise in their demand. Since traditional ready made meals restaurants still offer conventional meals such as burgers, french fries, and chicken they are getting edged out by fast-casual restaurants which offer a wide range of spectacular meals which customers can certainly customize in a dozen different methods. The ability to customize meals is particularly important to Millennials who are at this point the dominant working creation in America as they see meals as an extension of their individuality (Eagan 177). These styles point to a future where fast food will consist of exotic as well as international cuisines which will be highly customizable.

Yet another shift in food approach that has been experienced in America is the increased need to eat in a environmentally friendly and socially aware manner. There is an increase in the desire to eat food that has been sourced hereabouts to support local farmers and local economies and also to eat food that has is grown in an good for the environment manner (Miller 182). Often , the food served at standard fast food restaurants violates these kinds of ideals as the breeding of these animals is done in galetas, the food is grown applying pesticides, and they do not help local farmers. On the other hand, quick casual restaurants often espouse these ideas and more People in the usa, especially Millennials are choosing quick casual restaurants over traditional fast food restaurants to express all their beliefs on ethics regarding food sourcing. In the future, fastfood is likely to be ethically sourced via local farmers using organic and pasture raised ingredients.

The grow of social media and the want to share one’s activity intended for social capital has also changed what Millenials require involving fast food joints by increasing the patronage of places and food that is photo perfect, and that can be posted on social media sites such as Instagram (Williams 1). Social media requires that will restaurants have great environment and artistically presented meals that is ‘Instagram ready’ regardless if they are not fine dining restaurants, and they are willing to pay a little more for your experience. Fast-casual restaurants including Chipotle have capitalized within this by having a brick and iron theme with high ambient lighting effects that has attracted Millennials within droves (Dixon et ‘s. 104). These changes mean that traditional fast food restaurants are edged out by fast-casual restaurants which provide a great ambiance that can provide web 2 . 0 likes for Millennials. Using this trend, it looks like fast food eateries will have to become posh to help compete effectively.

These changes in the fast food sector can be attributed to the coming of age of millennials who are currently working and have disposable earnings to spend eating out, their attitudes about healthy food and the values of food sourcing in addition to production have played a vital role in making fast food more healthy and fueling the surge of fast-casual restaurants. In accordance with Williams (1), Millennials may also be more likely to cook their meal than to eat out which can lead to a decline in eating out generally as really them get into the job marketplace and are earning salaries. Web 2 . 0 has also fueled these alterations as it has made exotic foods more popular and also required that restaurants become more chic and background so that they can take photos in addition to post them online with social media sites. The internet has also aided in spread the message of healthy food, environmental brain, ethical food sourcing along with the dangers of refined food for you to more people than before. That generation will continue to have an effect on not only the fast food business but food trends in general.

From the former discussions, it is clear the fact that fast food industry in America is definitely poised for significant modifications as a result of increased health mind, fast casual restaurants, and the Millennial generation. The future of fast food is likely to include healthier meal, exotic food, ethically found ingredients, and more choices. Moreover, fast food restaurants are likely to be a lot more chick and ambiently ornamented even as they focus on portion food as fast as possible through self-service kiosks, online ordering, and drive-through windows. It appears that fast-casual restaurants, the internet, and Millennials are going to be the drivers these changes in the fast food industry.