The Fast Food Industry in The United States

The Evolution of the Fast-Food Industry

The fast-food industry has become one of the most evolving business as more players come into the market. Today, with an increased connection of fast food with obesity and desire for healthy eating by the customers, players in the fast-food industry has been forced to change their operations, menu etc. to meet the changing market demands. However, it remains a volatile market with giants such as McDonald's making their name in the industry since invention. In the United States, the fast food industry has ever been on the growth producing a number of household names both globally and domestically. With a brand value of more than 88 billion us dollars, McDonald has been by far been the most valuable company in the fast food industry globally. Other key players in the market include the Starbucks, Subway and Yum, Taco Bell, KFC and Pizza Hut among others. Drawing from a report by Gerhardt et al (2014, p.108), he highlighted that, McDonald was identified to have the best beef Burgers when compared to others. It was rated to have the best fries

The Success of McDonald in the Fast-Food Industry

Established in 1954, McDonald is one of the most prominent fast-food chain restaurants with more than 3000 outlets/franchises spread globally in more than 200 countries. McDonald operates a franchise type of businesses, which serve food and drinks at affordable prices, and must adhere to the policies and standards that are acceptable by the brand. The everyday restaurant products include; Big Mac, McFlurry, Chicken McNuggets and Quarter Pounder, among many other products. Drawing from its mission and vision statements, McDonald has managed to develop goods and services well desired by its customers, through its many outlets globally, the company has shown resilience and success through aggressive marketing and innovation, with its success being an indicator of business effectiveness with reference to attaining its objectives, aims and goals.

McDonald's Focus on Healthy Eating

With increasing competition in the fast food industry, the primary focus of this marketing report is to ensure McDonald exerts its control into the market concerning healthy eating. One of the current market trends regarding the fast food industry is the demand for healthier food and drinks, as people shift from 'junks' which are significantly related to health problems such as obesity. Lifestyle segmentation has become a recent focus of the organization, to utilize the adoption of healthy eating ('McDonald's goes on a healthy diet, reduces sodium in its mayonnaise and fries', 2016, FRPT- Retail Snapshot). With McDonald serving a variety of customers regarding age setting, there has been a wave of healthy eating that is impacting the fast food industry, and this trend has seen more and more people demand healthier food offered on their daily menus. The pattern has, in turn, changed peoples lifestyle, desires, perceptions, interests, beliefs, attitudes, behaviours and values. In an effort o fulfil the described customers changes, the proposed marketing approach is more focused to meet customers lifestyle segmentation desire.

Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats

According to Tybout et al (2011, p.77), McDonald as a franchise has enjoyed some strengths. Concerning the company's environmental analysis, different factors have influenced the shift in fast food market towards healthy eating. This include; increased health risks related to eating of fast food products. Gilligan & Wilson, (2009) highlighted that McDonald has a host of strengths including; being strong global brand and diversified income, stable financial base. Regarding weakness, the company suffers from an increasing case of negative publicity and high employee turnover. Opportunities entail an increased demand for healthy fast food products, expansion plans and an upgraded menu. Lastly, threats involve more health-conscious clients and unending competition.

References

Gerhardt, S, Hazen, S, & Lewis, S 2014, 'Small Business Marketing Strategy Based On Mcdonald's', ASBBS eJournal, vol. 10, no. 1, pp. 104-112.

Gilligan, C, & Wilson, RS 2009, Strategic Marketing Planning, 2nd Ed, Routledge, Amsterdam.

'McDonald's goes on a healthy diet, reduces sodium in its mayonnaise and fries', 2016, FRPT- Retail Snapshot, pp. 2-3.

Tybout, AM, Calder, BJ, & Sternthal, B 2011, 'Using Information Processing Theory to Design Marketing Strategies', Journal of Marketing Research (JMR), vol. 18, no. 1, pp. 73-79.