Outlets may be stands or kiosks, which may provide no shelter or seating, or fast food restaurants (also known as quick service restaurants). Other fast food outlets, primarily hamburger outlets such as McDonald's and Burger King use mass-produced, pre-prepared ingredients (bagged buns and condiments, frozen beef patties, vegetables which are pre-washed, pre-sliced, or both etc.) and cook the meat and french fries fresh, before assembling 'to order'.įast food restaurants are traditionally distinguished by the drive-through. The fastest form of 'fast food' consists of pre-cooked meals which reduce waiting periods to mere seconds.
In 2018, the fast food industry was worth an estimated $570 billion globally. Fast food was created as a commercial strategy to accommodate large numbers of busy commuters, travelers and wage workers.
It is a commercial term, limited to food sold in a restaurant or store with frozen, preheated or precooked ingredients and served in packaging for take-out/takeaway. Examples of fast food (left to right, top to bottom): Cheeseburger, soft drink, french fries, pizza Margherita, hot dog, fried chicken, submarine sandwich, and donuts.įast food is a type of mass-produced food designed for commercial resale, with a strong priority placed on speed of service.
