Will there ever be a new fast food chain that will grow to the size of McDonalds?
 

With so much media attention being shifted towards the dangers of fast food, we're seeing all the big boys such as McD's trying to adapt with "lighter choices" menu's, as well as new chains entering the game with their focus on healthly food items.

As people become more educated on the issue, they will begin to make healthier choices when eating out. Are people really going to hit up Mcdonald's when looking for healthier solutions, despite their attempts to create a lighter menu? Or is it time for a new player to enter the game?

It has been said that you can't solve a problem with the same mind that created it. Does this statement hold true to the fast food industry?

With the right menu and marketing, do you think it will be possible for a new player to get the reach McDonalds has now within the next 50 years?

Discuss.

all it will take is one lawsuit / medical study to get the ball rolling on how the food is affecting humans.

e.g.: chemicals found in hamburgers cause genetic mutation

or / common occurance that youth employees rub one out in milk shakes and over cheeze slices before serving customers.

suddenly I am no longer hungry.

you may not want to directly compare it to Mcdicks, but subway is now the largest fast food franchise in the world, in terms of number of stores.

interesting, didn't know that

edit: McD's still owns something like 40% of fast food sales in the U.S. alone, and presumebly would still be the largest in terms of sales.

Another edit

22124 Restaurants In 77 Countries
http://subway.com/subwayroot/AboutSu...ubwayFaqs.aspx

McDonald's operates over 31,000 restaurants worldwide
http://www.mcdonalds.ca/en/aboutus/faq.aspx

Who knows.. Maybe aliens will invade the earth and start treating us like meat for their own restaurants.

hmm, interesting. i had just heard that they had surpassed to become #1 in the world...

What's really interesting is to see how McD's sells different foods in different areas. :)

I also read yesterday they are starting to sell deli sandwiches in some stores in order to compete against Subway.

Subway and Starbucks are fast food (in a way) and they have grown up very big so of course it's possible.

All it takes is decent food and low prices and very good marketing...McDonalds has been in business for a long time for a good reason and I don't forsee them losing ground,,,

oh yeah

McDonalds had it's first quarterly loss in over 50 years not too long ago. Obviosly consumer dollars are starting to go elsewhere.

I doubt it.

why?

What do you think it will take?

Subway is a great fucking idea. Fresh healthy low fat/ low calorie food and you can get an entire lunch for around 350 calories. I eat there about 3X a week.

Still I see 10X as many people queing up for McDonalds. I think most people are too weak and stupid to ever change their ways.

Also its an age thing - most people under 25 (which is of course the target market) eat shit 3 times a day. They wait until they are about 40 and have a beer gut and their blood pressure is equal to their house debt - then they go to subways.

Weak and stupid enough to be convinced otherwise by a clever marketing campaign? :Graucho

Of course there wont be a new one to grow to the size of McDonalds, adjusted for inflation, etc.


When McDonalds started there werent fast food stores on every corner. Now there are about 20 per small town

hmm.. so in other words you're saying it's like asking if there will be another band as big as The Beatles?

McDonald's is so entrenched in the fast-food market that any decline or take over will be very very slow. as the figures obviously state above, they have an obscene amount of locations and in consquence, more access to the general population than any other chain....they will always win the war on convienance and impulse buys while on the road or traveling.

a foothold like this doesn't fall in a day or over 1 or 2 lawsuits, or one michael moore wanna-be getting fat by eating their food.... :2 cents:

FF

what is fucking INSANE is that McDonald's "Healthy" food items are hardly healthy at all. they're fucking horrible. Their salads are hundreds n' hundreds of calories.

they just market it as good food.


BULL-SHIT.



I believe there will be a fast food chain that could possibly rival mcdonalds. The fitness community has really not been around very long - and as far as dieting / nutrition is concerned, the nation as a whole = beginners. This is evident with all of these stupid fucking fad diets, although they are beginning to gear up a bit better.

People eat at mcdonalds because of two reasons - lack of knowledge about the serious negative effects it has - and partly because they don't care and have the motivation.

With all of the overweight obese people in the country, most of these people think it's impossible to lose weight, so they don't even give a shit about trying because it's viewed as such a difficult task - when it really ISN'T at all.

Once time marches on and people become more aware, I think we'll see more healthy chains. who knows though - wishful thinking on my behalf.

here in the Philippines MCDonalds no. 1 competitor is Jolibee, a no. 1 fast food chain here in our country own by a Chinese business tycoon. McDo & Jolibee has a great competition over here.

Yeah, like the link of cigarette smoking causing cancer, heart disease and other fatal diseases - no one smokes cigarettes anymore right?

problem is lots of people know stuff will kill them - they just don't care.

But don't you think if there was a "healthier" cigarette that still fulfilled their cravings they would switch brands?

Why? if they're already not scared of dying of lung cancer why would they all of a sudden be scared enough to change brands? there are many healthier alternatives to smoking, one of which is to use patches/gum/whatever to stop smoking, people would rather smoke, and gamble the odds of losing a lung.

At least in the U.S. they can't do that. After that movie super size me, a law was passed that you can't sue fast food for "making you fat."

I think we are all old enough to know how bad fast food is...:warning

There will definately be something that will come along and take the place of McDonald's, both in regards to dollar volume and popularity. :2 cents:

Because its like asking could a new OS take over from Microsoft ?

Linux hasnt suceeded, and it's free.