Fast Food in Decline

[KurtNYC]

McDonald's recently posted a loss in Japan and Company spokesmen said:

"The U.S. parent said on Wednesday that sales at stores open longer
than one year fell 2.4 percent in January, pulled lower by weakness
in its European, Asia Pacific and Canadian markets."

McDonald's has recently turned to buying mid-market chains such as Chipotle to make up ground lost in their fast food operations. Similarly, Wendy's bought Baja Fresh which promises "No lard. No Can-openers, No Microwaves" and features lean meats and fesh salsas.

Other fast food chains have seen similar problems. Pepsi sold off Taco Bell/KFC/Pizza Hut in 1997 and replaced them with orange juice (Tropicana) and Quaker Oats--far healthier wares. Burger King was sold by British drinks firm Diageo for 1/3 less than was expected. The corporations who trade in these things are seldom wrong and one had to assume they have seen the future and that future looks significantly worse for fast food.

With obesity rising it may seem that fast food giants have no need to worry about the anti-fast food movement yet the actions of these same corporations and their balance sheets tell a different story. The situation for those who want to combat the growth of obesity and diabetes in America is far from hopeless. In fact, with legislation banning "pouring contracts" and high fat foods at schools, and the companies themselves turning to healthier fare, it seems the tide has turned.

[LiberalEsto]

1. All our spare cash is going for gasoline

Who's got anything left to buy a mcburger?

[A Simple Game]

2. Not much left after a trip to the super market either. n/t

[Warpy]

3. Check out the number of sack lunches going in to workplaces

With inflation probably at double digit levels (were the CPI on the level), people are cutting back where they can. The first thing to go is lunch at a restaurant. I'll bet there are fewer fast food sacks in the car when the kiddies are picked up from day care, too.

[drdtroit]

4. There go all those "manufacturing" jobs! n/t

[trotsky]

5. I had already cut back on my fast food consumption when I saw Supersize Me

That pretty much sealed the deal.

[CountAllVotes]

6. yep, Supersize Me did it for ME too!

:puke:

How'd you like those "french fries" in that story!?!!! :puke:

[NMMNG]

7. No big loss

It's not like I fast food given the dearth of vegetarian offerings they provide at those places. :shrug:

[depakid]

8. It would be nice to know

which of the chain stores is owned by who. I've never eaten at a Chipotles or a baja "fresh" -but I've thought about it.

Now that I know who owns them- I won't be making any forays that direction, and as usual, I'll help spread the word.