Fast Food Nation Summary

Chapter one of Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser, a novel on the dark side of the “All-American Meal”, is about the rising of a fast food chain and how it revolutionized the food industry. The story opens with discussion of Carl N. Karcher, one of fast food’s pioneers. He quit school after eighth grade and moved out to California, where he began his own family. Carl bought a hotdog cart; and his wife Margaret sold hot dogs across the street from where Carl worked at a bakery. Carl eventually opened a Drive-In Barbeque restaurant. The McDonald brothers were also running their own restaurant, “McDonald’s Famous Hamburgers.” It was the McDonald brothers who began the Speedee Service System, “After visiting San Bernardino and seeing the long lines at McDonald’s, Carl Karcher went home to Anaheim and decided to open his own self-service restaurant.” ( 21). During this period many other fast-food places were started, such as: Dunkin’ Donuts, Taco Bell, and Wendy’s. According to Eric Schlosser, when asked about the changes in time Carl, who had grown up on a farm without running water or electricity, responded that he did not miss the old days. “I believe in progress” (28).

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After reading chapter one of Fast Food Nation it is easy to believe the place that we are in now.

Which in my opinion, is not a good place. The founders of these fast food chains, the ones we still eat at today, we so in a hurry to make money and expand they didn’t stop to think while cutting corners. They grew so quickly that it is easy to see why we have five Subway’s in a town as small as

Alexandria.

Chapter 4, “success”

Chapter four of Fast Food Nation, a novel on the dark side of the “All-American Meal”, is about the aftermath of the rough time. When the chapter opens, the author is visiting a pizza place in Pueblo, CO. The Little Caesars that Schlosser visits is owned by Dave Feamster, former NHL player. To open the franchisee, he had to pay the $15,000.00 franchise fee. Franchising has been around since the 19th c, and was especially useful when fast-food chains emerged because banks were often unwilling to invest in this new industry. While the IFA (International Franchise Association) claims that franchised businesses are a safer investment than independent business, economics professor Timothy Bates has conducted research that proves the opposite. Bates found that the failure rate for independent businesses is actually 6.2 percent lower in the first four to five years. This chapter closes with a discussion of franchisees, returning to Dave Feamster. Feamster now owns five Little Caesars restaurants, grossing about $2.5 million a year. Though, the author cautions, his success is by no means secure as Little Caesars continues to dwindle in popularity.