With the changing times, the food habits of the consumers have changed and cooking has gradually ceased to be a productive chore. Fast food is not a recent phenomenon, it has grown over the years especially after the 1950s and a variety of factors such as socioeconomic, technological, ecological and market perspectives have contributed towards its growth. Edible products that are prepared and served quickly at outlets are gaining immense importance and such readymade food preparations have become the consumers' choice. The relatively low price of the fast food/takeaway food ensures high sale, thereby making it recession-proof. Although fast foods are known to be quick, cheap, convenient, and bad for health, yet people are crazy about them. Due to busy consumer lifestyles and dual-income households, the emphasis is on quick-meal solutions. The fast food industry comprises a large number of unorganized operators and is situated in locations where consumers are able to access. As fast-food purchases are impulse buying decisions, this paper evaluates the most influencing factors and identifies the service gap between the actual perception and expectation of fast food services.
The history of fast food can be traced back to the early 1900s, with the opening of the
Fast Food Outlet (FFO) by Automat, rendering simple foods and drinks using a coin based
mechanism through vending machines. This concept picked up and became popular with
a slogan ‘less work for mothers’ and changed into a culture in most of the households.
The concept of gaining acceptance was also found in serving the customers in cars and
trains. It was followed by white castle which was basically into producing hamburgers.
The fast food formula was so successful that it attracted big food chains such as McDonalds
(1940), Burger King and TV Dinner (1950), Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC, 1962), Taco Bell
(1962), Wendys (1972) to be a part of the fast food industry.
In this era of globalization, factors such as economic crisis, political unrest, imbalances
in income distribution, environmental degradation and a plethora of other factors tend
to increase the challenges and threats faced by companies and nations. While these factors
can be threats to a business, marketers try continuously to convert them into opportunities. |
