1.1 Definition and scope of the study

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

This market research includes all types of fast food, stands and tea rooms. It does not include retail sales through vending machines.

The global fast food market has experienced years of growth, driven primarily by emerging markets and increasing penetration of fast food restaurants, as well as rising disposable incomes. In contrast, growth in the United States has been low, while Europe has experienced moderate growth.

In the U.S., the fast-food industry has grown slightly over the past two years, as competition from other food outlets has put downward pressure on prices and ultimately revenues. [ibisworld] Nevertheless, the industry should benefit from a broader product offering, where healthier alternatives are offered alongside societal health trends

The U.S. fast food market is highly fragmented, with many different chains and independent distributors in different food segments such as pizza, burgers, tacos and sandwiches. Some of the major players in the market include McDonalds, Subway and Starbucks.

Fast food trends are influenced by society's growing consensus on health issues; in response to this, several retailers are offering vegan meals as well as alternatives that are lower in sugar, fat and salt.

1.2 The global market

After a year **** marked by the health crisis with a significant number of temporary closures of establishments, the global Fast Food market was valued in **** at *** billion USD, and is expected to grow with a compound annual growth rate of *.**% to reach a value of **** billion USD in ****.

Global Fast Food ...

1.3 The American market

The U.S. fast food market was estimated at USD ***.* billion in ****.

The constant growth observed since **** was abruptly interrupted by the health crisis, with a decrease of nearly **% from **** to ****. Nevertheless, a recovery is observed from ****, confirmed in ****.

US fast food restaurant market United States, ****-****, in USD billion Source: ...

2.1 Determinants of US demand

If we first look at the age of American adults who consume Fast Food, we can see that the share of the population consuming it is greater in the youngest categories.

Indeed, while nearly **% of the American population aged ** to ** years old consumes Fast Food, only **.*% of the population over ** years ...

2.2 Demand by segment

The Top Agency website offers data on the patronage of major fast food chains in the United States.

If we distinguish the segments of the sector via their category of offer, it is possible to identify trends in demand by type of Fast Food.

For example, the following chart shows the ...

2.3 Popularity of delivery and take-out

The health crisis has led to an increase in the popularity of take-out food. In fact, **% of the U.S. population would have had food delivered to them by early ****. It is also interesting to note that Americans eat **% more packaged food than fresh food and that more than one in ...

3.1 Main market players

The most important players in the market are the established fast food chains. The following graph shows the leaders in terms of establishments.

It can be seen that the leaders in terms of establishments differ from the leaders in terms of turnover. Indeed, while Subway is the chain with the largest ...

3.2 Operation of fast food chains

The American fast food market is mostly composed of chains.

These chains offer mostly highly processed and industrially produced foods. The final product is prepared with standard ingredients and standardized cooking methods. Thus, menu items are prepared in a central supply center in large quantities to exploit economies of scale and ...

3.3 Workers in the sector

The Bureau of Labor offers statistics on fast food or counter workers in the United States. Their total number was estimated at *,***,***, with *,***,*** working in the restaurant industry.

The leading states in terms of absolute numbers of workers are.

California: ***,*** workers Texas: ***,*** workers Florida: ***,*** workers New York: ***,*** workers Pennsylvania: ***,*** workers

Wages ...

4.1 Current offer and prices of the main players

The fast food market is characterized by intense competition and high product substitutability, which makes price a powerful weapon to wage war. The initial success of the fast food business model is based on a dual variable: price and speed. These two elements are closely linked, because in order to make ...

4.2 A healthy fast food offer

Development of a lower-calorie offer

There is a development of a healthy fast food offer from the main fast food chains.

In fact, since ****, restaurants that are part of a chain with ** or more locations must offer nutritional information on their products including the calorie count of their options.[***]

These guidelines ...