The fast food market - United States

INFORMATION ON THE STUDY

Prix:
Last update: 02/04/2020
Language: EN
Category: Catering
Any questions?
(+33) 9 70 46 55 00

Content of the study

Available languages

MARKET OVERVIEW

1.1 Definition and presentation

Fast food is defined as food that is prepared quickly and which is ready to be taken away for consumption.

This sector includes all types of fast food restaurants, stalls, and tea shops. It does not include retail sales through vending machines.

The global fast food market has experienced years of positive growth, driven mainly by emerging markets and the increasing penetration of fast food restaurants, together with higher disposable income. On the other hand, the US’s growth has been low whilst Europe demonstrated moderate growth.

In the US, the fast-food industry has experienced stagnating growth over the last couple of years, due to competition from other food outlets which has had downwards pressure on prices, and ultimately revenues. [ibisworld] Nevertheless, the industry is set to benefit from a larger product offering where healthier alternatives are offered in parallel to societal health trends.

The US fast food market is highly fragmented with a large supply of different chains and independent distributors within different food segments such as pizza, burgers, tacos, and sandwiches. Notable market players include McDonalds, Subway, Starbucks, and Burger King.

Trends within fast food are impacted by the growing health consensus in society; in response to this, several distributors for example offer vegan friendly meals together with alternatives which are less rich in sugar, fat, and salts.