What Are The Benefits Of Fast Foods?

Fast food gets blamed for contributing to many of the United States' health problems including obesity, type 2 diabetes and increased risks of heart disease. According to "Fast Food Nation," typical fast food fare is high in saturated fat, calories and cholesterol. Examples of fast food restaurants include hamburger joints like McDonald's and Burger King, pizza places like Pizza Hut and Dominoes, family-style restaurants like KFC and Boston Market, sandwich shops like Subway and Quizno's, as well as any food found in shopping mall food courts. Other sit-down chain restaurants like Applebee's, Azteca, Chili's and Panda Express are also considered fast food restaurants. While fast food often gets a bad rap in the media, it has some advantages.

Convenient

According to Bill Myers Online, Americans spend more money on fast food than on new cars, college education and software because fast food is so convenient. Fast food restaurants are easy to find in cities and towns across America. They offer quick meals for busy lifestyles that are so quick and convenient, you don't even have to get out of your car to get them. An article in "USA Today" points out the convenience of drive-through windows, stating that many fast food places aim to have customers wait less than a minute. Since the 1970s, fast food drive-through windows have become ubiquitous, and restaurants continually employ new tactics to shorten wait times for their drive-through customers. The article ranked drive-through convenience by testing chains for order accuracy and speed. According to their research, the top ranking drive-throughs are Wendy's, Burger King and Chik-fil-A while the lowest ranking drive-throughs are Jack-in-the-Box, Whataburger and Captain D's.

Cheap

Another advantage of fast food is that it is very inexpensive, notes MSN Money. It reveals data about how fast food sales stay consistent even in tough economic times in the United States. Brands that are well-known for inexpensive meals like McDonald's and Taco Bell recorded sales growth during the fourth quarter of 2009 as compared to losses at high-end restaurants. MSN Money ranked fast food cost-effectiveness by studying how much certain fast foods cost per calorie. The best bargains were White Castle Cheeseburger Slyders, which cost 41 cents per 100 calories and Taco Bell's Fiesta Taco Salad, which cost 48 cents per 100 calories.

Some Healthy Options

According to the American Consumer News website, fast food franchises are responding to consumers' desire for healthier fare. Many fast food chains now offer healthy options including low-fat, low calorie foods; fresh foods; bottled water; and salads made with fruits and vegetables. Some stand-outs in fast food nutrition include low-fat salads and sandwiches from Subway and grilled chicken from KFC. Other small regional chains like Burgerville feature sustainable local ingredients, fresh vegetables and organic grass-fed beef.