Topic: Way better than fast food?
Americans love their food fast, hot, and on the spot. And now one restaurant chain has come up with a new phenomenon: fast food that’s “way better” than fast food. If you’re like me, you probably find that statement a little confusing. Fast food can’t be better than fast food, can it? The truth is:
Not all fast food is created equal.
Today I will discuss the differences in fast food restaurant chains, including the nutritional value of the food, price of the food, taste of the food, and advertising differences.
There are differences in the nutritional value of the food served at different fast food restaurants. In 2004, a man named Morgan Spurlock filmed a movie called Super-Size Me, in which he went on a 30-day McDonald’s only diet, three meals a day, every day. Throughout those thirty days, he ate everything on the McDonalds menu at least once, and any time he was asked if he wanted to super-size his meal, he said yes. He consumed twice the calories that nutritionists suggested. At the end of those 30 days, he had gained 24 lbs. He also began to have severe chest pain, his liver wasn’t working correctly, and he was showing signs of being addicted to fast food. On the other hand, Jared Fogle went on a Subway diet of a 6 in. turkey sub for lunch, and a foot-long veggie sub for dinner everyday, and after 3 months, lost 100 pounds. Apparently you can lose weight eating fast food!! The primary difference between the two men’s diets was that Jared ate only healthy things from the Subway menu, and Morgan, on the other hand, ate, well, everything on the McDonalds menu
Now lets compare the calories in four of the most popular meals from four different fast food restaurants: McDonalds, Burger King, Wendy’s, and Chick-fil-a. The Big Mac, Whopper, ¼ lb Single, and Original Chicken Sandwich meals. First we will compare the burgers, the big mac, whopper, and single. These three burgers are all in the range of 1000 and 1500 calories, which is almost the average amount of calories a person should eat per day!!! So if you eat one of those meals, you shouldn’t eat much else that day! Not worth it. I’d rather eat three low calorie meals a day than one high calorie meal. The chicken sandwich, however is only 810 calories! That is still quite a few calories, but a lot less than any of the burgers, making the sandwich the “healthier” choice. Best to stay away from all four, though!!!
But, most fast food restaurants offer healthier alternatives, in addition to their unhealthy, signature items. Wendy’s offers a baked potato, chili, and salads. Subway has a veggie sub, and plenty of vegetable condiments for their sandwiches. Chick-fil-a’s salads and fruit cups are delicious, and even McDonalds has salads, fruit cups, and a parfait. This sounds very reassuring, but can still be misleading. A McDonald’s salad with dressing has practically the same amount of calories as a Big Mac. Things that are considered “healthy” aren’t always what they seem. So some fast food is okay for you, but not all of it.
Let’s face it, we usually don’t choose fast food because we are trying to be healthy. Sometimes, it’s the cost that matters most when you decide where you go to eat. Usually we’re looking for a quick and inexpensive meal. If you’re trying to eat cheap, fast food is the obvious choice. The prices of a big mac meal, whopper meal, and ¼ lb. Single meals are all below $5, whereas the Chick-fil-a Original Chicken Sandwich meal is $5.45, so you can see how much more expensive a chick fil a sandwich is than any of the burgers. Some fast food restaurants have extra value menus. These menus offer certain items for cheap prices, usually $.99 to $3. Wendy’s has a 99 cent menu, with a large selection of items, for example, side salads, baked potatoes, some small burgers etc… Value meals are a great way to save money at a fast food restaurant. For instance, my family always gets items off the value menu at Wendy’s if we go to that restaurant. It’s cheap, tastes good, and is convenient.
Many people have asked the question “What is the most prefered fast food restaurant, or which is the best burger. Because of this, there have been many polls where people have voted for whichever burger or restaurant they think is best. There was a yahoo poll disputing which was better:a big mac, or a whopper. The score was close, but the whopper won by a few votes. Another poll from Zogby International said Wendy’s was best. These polls sound official, but they’re definitely not. The fact is, everyone has different tastes, and not all the people in America voted. If you like the food at a restaurant, you most likely will go back to it at some point, so the taste of the food, if it’s good, will attract customers. And yes, some fast food does taste “good”. Different people prefer different fast food. One man interviewed in the film Super-Size Meloved the taste of Big Macs so much that he had eaten two every day for three years! Talk about preference, and customer loyalty! A comedian named Tim Hawkins loves chick-fil-a so much that he wrote a song about the restaurant! Now that’s an ardent fan!!! There really isn’t a best fast food restaurant or best burger. They are all different, and which is the best to you is a matter of preference.
Another difference between fast food restaurants is their advertising. The different restaurants advertising is directed towards different age groups. For instance, most of McDonalds advertising is directed towards kids. Their advertisements are filled with Ronald McDonald, and their current Happy Meal toy. Subway, on the other hand, advertises their healthy subs, and Jared Fogle, who lost a lot of weight on a Subway diet.. Their slogan is “Eat Fresh”. This is definitely more attractive to adults and dieters than a clown and toys! Arby’s seems to be catering to adults, not kids, with their slogan, “Now that your tastes have grown up, what are you eating today?”. Burger King has created a very different sort of advertiment, a puppet (the king), and adult humor. It seems as if they can’t decide who they want to attract! I mean, that puppet is a little freaky! Chick-fil-a’s billboards usually have a clever advertisement written on them, and sometimes it is easier for adults to understand what they mean.
What is the point of advertising to kids? I mean, it’s not like they have the money to buy the meal, or can drive to the restaurant. It seems like advertising to parents would be a better investment, since they have the money, and can drive. Some Fast food companies advertise to kids to induce the kids beg their parents into taking them to the restaurant, which can almost assure the company of a future customer. This is wrong, and very bad for future Americans. Fast food is getting too popular. It’s pushed in our faces almost everywhere we go. It’s on billboards, on tv on the computer! All fast food companies have different advertisements targeting different age groups. This is just another example of how different fast food restaurants are.
It’s arguable whether any fast food chain is way better than another, but there are differences that you should consider before you plunk down five dollars for your “value” meal. Consider what you value. Do you value your health? Do you value what’s in your wallet? Or do you value good food? Does it bother you that fast food restaurants are trying to get you and your kids hooked on their junk? Remember, not all fast food is created equal.
