Fast Food: Then Vs Now

Fast Food: Then vs. Now

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’ll be discussing the in-and-outs (see what we did there?) about Fast Food: Then vs. Now.

Opinions differ as to what was exactly the very first fast food restaurant. Self-service, cafeteria-style dining can be traced back to places like Berlin, Germany, and the automats in Philadelphia and New York. However, the traditional fast food experience that we recognize today was pioneered by the White Castle hamburger chain that initially centralized their service in the Wichita, Kansas area.

White Castle didn’t only pioneer selling hot and ready-made food to their customers, however. They also served as the prototype for a streamlined ecosystem of fast food supply that serviced the demand. Founders Walt Anderson and Billy Ingram knew that branding was key. Soon, the menu, appearance, and aesthetic of a White Castle meal were codified within the public consciousness. Other franchises would follow in their wake, excited to buy into this new world of fast-food self-expression.

This is one of the reasons why not only Americans, but people all over the world seem to possess such personal relationships with fast-food restaurants. You’re probably thinking right now about which one of the chains we’re going to discuss is your personal favorite. You also likely have a “go-to” meal already laid out in advance. It may seem like hyperbolic insanity to label the fast food landscape as a cultural utopia, but a 2019 article from Smithsonian Magazine underlined how we all congregate all this altar of convenience on a daily basis, a Taco Bell or McDonald’s dining room that’s intrinsically devoid of classism.

Speaking of McDonald’s, the 2016 film “The Founder” dramatized the life of Ray Kroc and the company’s expansion into its current status as an international fast food giant. McDonald’s didn’t get there by accident, and it helped pioneer an assembly line delivery system for their meals that’s still employed today. The original McDonald’s drive-in utilized the sort of carhop service we currently see at retro-styled chains like Sonic. They also served barbecue. Eventually, however, the McDonald brothers (pre-Kroc) streamlined their operation by utilizing disposable food containers and simplifying their menu to burgers, fries, desserts, and beverages. Before long, life working at a McDonald’s franchise became an assembly line of preparing customers’ orders as quickly, efficiently (and cheaply) as possible.

McDonald’s abandoning of the drive-thru model didn’t mean that this way of delivering fast food to customers was dead, however. Far from it. After all, there’s a reason why so many older movies utilize that classic Americana image of the drive-thru in such a nostalgic and rose-tinted fashion. A Texas chain of restaurants known as the Pig Stand popularized drive-in dining as far back as 1921, while Red’s Giant Hamburg is largely seen today as the first drive-through restaurant. This latter innovation allowed speed, cut costs, and imbued the industry with a fire to see exactly which new chain could automate and facilitate their orders the quickest.

The fast food industry, as a result of innovations like the drive-thru, had nowhere to go but up as the 1950s moved into the sixties, seventies, and eighties. Options sprung up around the world, from Burger King and KFC to Taco Bell and Wendy’s. With this explosion came franchise opportunities, as well, from suburban neighborhoods to the inner city. The idea was that this was a ready-to-go, “can’t fail” business model that could assist in lifting up marginalized communities while giving these neighborhoods a sense of community. Whether or not this is unrealistic or not is up to debate, and this utopian scenario has admittedly been counterbalanced by accusations that the infiltration of fast-food restaurants has contributed to the creation of “food deserts” in those very same communities.

Indeed, not everyone was happy to see Big Fast Food connect so strongly with consumer’s diets, and it wouldn’t be long before additional criticisms with regard to nutrition would come into play. There are conflicting reports as to whether or not the fast food served today is more or less healthy. For example, a 2015 study from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Tufts University displayed that modern amounts of salt, saturated fats, and calories changed little between the years 1996 and 2013. That same study singled out the phasing out of trans-fats as a positive trend within the industry.

Other studies don’t necessarily tell the same story. One that was published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (and cited by Time Magazine) cast a wider net with its data. This study compared ten different fast-food chains and three separate years: 1986, 1991, and 2016. Their findings saw significant rises in caloric counts across the board and pointed at growing portion sizes as a partial contributing factor. This was despite the fast food industry’s diversification with regards to offering foods that were perceived, at least within an advertising context, as “healthy.”

One example of such an option is the increasing popularity of “plant-based” foods. These highly processed alternatives offer little in the way of caloric reprieve and instead represent more of fast food’s desire to innovate and experiment. After all, there’s a reason why so much brand loyalty exists within the world of fast food. We, as consumers, may occasionally branch out and try an Impossible Whopper out of curiosity, but these same consumers are also eating with our hearts as much as our stomachs. We’re seeking out that dopamine of our childhood, of getting that Happy Meal with our parents at the end of the week. Why would we want the taste of that food to change?

It could be argued that food labeling has curbed this emotionally-based eating approach, since actually seeing those calories and fat grams in front of us may give us collective pause before we hit the drive-thru. However, fast food in the modern day could also be (at least partially) defined by its willingness to go ALL IN with crazy and outlandish ideas. Doritos Locos Tacos, Halloween Whoppers, the KFC Double Down. The YouTube landscape is littered with food reviewers trying the latest experiments from all of these fast food companies.

It feels so far removed from the fast food culture our parents and grandparents enjoyed back in their day. After all, some of our elders will likely recall living without a refrigerator or microwave, making the advent of quick and convenient fast food something of a revelation. The same goes for those chains of casual, sit-down restaurants like Applebee’s or Chili’s. Many of us probably remember the excitement level of our parents when a new Outback Steakhouse arrived in town. This was despite the fact that Outback didn’t exactly invent the steak, they were selling the sizzle. And folks bought in. After all, it was something new!

And “new” is the proverbial carrot-on-a-stick that fast food companies always seem to be chasing. Except maybe dip said carrot in some cake batter and put it between two fried donuts. Fast food today is a place of two extremes: the Id of sugar, fat, and calories versus the Ego of cooked-to-order burgers and a lack of genetically modified ingredients or high-fructose corn syrup. There’s a place for both sides, as well, evidenced by the fact that fast food is still VERY much a big business.

If Morgan Spurlock’s 2004 documentary “Super Size Me” attempted to shame the public into denouncing fast food, it didn’t work. Yet, the aforementioned article from Smithsonian Magazine featured an interview with author Adam Chandler, where he spoke of the potential of cultural divides between places like Texas and New York City. Chandler told Smithsonian that he didn’t feel it was “polarizing” to eat fast food in Texas, whereas opinions might differ in a place such as Brooklyn.

We may tell ourselves we deserve fast food, or that it’s a guilty pleasure that we enjoy once in a while. This will probably never change. Fast food, by its very nature, is a place of both worlds. On one hand, the industry and its options are changing on a daily basis, staying competitive and trying to predict what the customer base will want next. Then again, it can never change too much, because then it risks losing what brings us all to the table in the first place: the food we want to eat.

What do you think about fast food? How do you think your relationship with eating on the go differs from the relationship your parents or grandparents had when they were young? Let us know in the comments!