History of Fast Food Timeline

In 1970, consumers in the United States spent $6 billion on fast food, a figure that would grow dramatically over the following decades as the industry expanded nationwide.

In 2006, the global fast-food market grew by 4.8% and reached a value of £102.4 billion and a volume of 80.3 billion transactions, reflecting the industry's robust worldwide growth.

As of 2010, millions of workers were employed in food preparation and serving, including fast food, in the United States, making it one of the largest employment sectors in the country.

In April 2011, McDonald's hired approximately 62,000 new workers and received a million applications for those positions—an acceptance rate of 6.2%, highlighting both the scale of its workforce needs and the competitiveness of even entry-level fast food jobs.

Image source: McDonald's

In the United States, consumers spent $160 billion on fast food in 2012, up from just $6 billion in 1970, illustrating the enormous growth of the American fast food market over four decades.

Time invested on food preparation is getting lower: in 2013, the average woman in the United States spent 47 minutes per day preparing food and the average man spent 19 minutes per day, contributing to demand for convenient fast food options.

Image source: Fast food

In 2013, the median age of workers in the fast food industry was 28, indicating that the workforce included many adults beyond teenagers, contrary to common perceptions.

In 2013, the US restaurant industry had total projected sales of $660.5 billion, encompassing fast food outlets as a major component of the broader dining economy.

Image source: Restaurant

In 2018, the fast-food industry was worth an estimated $570 billion globally, cementing its status as one of the largest industries in the world.

As of 2018, millions of workers were employed in the areas of food preparation and food servicing, including fast food, in the United States, underscoring the sector's role as a major employer.

In 2023, the median age of a fast-food worker was 22, and workers' wages make up about one third of the cost of operating a fast food restaurant, highlighting ongoing labor dynamics within the industry.

Subway's first non-US location opened in December 1984 in Bahrain, marking the start of the chain's international expansion into markets around the world.

On January 31, 1990, McDonald's opened a restaurant in Moscow and broke opening-day records for customers served. The opening was seen as a symbol of Western influence entering the Soviet Union near the end of the Cold War.

As of May 2009, Subway had approximately 39,129 restaurants in 90 countries, making it one of the fastest growing franchises in the world since its international expansion began in 1984.

Image source: Subway (restaurant)

Eric Schlosser published Fast Food Nation in 2001, arguing that fast food chains are not only a financial but also a psychological bait, luring students toward early employment opportunities without teaching skills, at the cost of wasted time.

Image source: Fast Food Nation

The 2004 film Super Size Me was designed to highlight the potential negative health effects from the overconsumption of fast food, such as its contribution to obesity, joining other books and films critiquing the industry.

Image source: Super Size Me

A 2010 study undertaken in the city of Jeddah indicated that fast-food habits were related to an increased level of obesity among adolescents in Saudi Arabia, adding to global concerns about fast food's health effects.

In a 2010 article in The Atlantic, Kelly Brownell argued that Burger King and McDonald's adopted another dangerous practice for marketing to children, further supporting critiques of fast food companies' advertising strategies.

Image source: Kelly D. Brownell

In 2014, the World Health Organization published a study which indicated that deregulated food markets were largely to blame for an obesity crisis, and suggested tighter regulations to reverse the trend.

Image source: World Health Organization

In the United States, it was reported in 2015 that local governments were restricting fast-food chains by limiting the number of restaurants found in certain geographical areas, a regulatory response to health concerns.

In a 2017 study, fifty-six percent of university students in Germany consumed fast food on a weekly basis, showing the strong hold of fast food on young adults' diets in Europe.