McDonald's undersold its competition, while Kentucky Fried Chicken helped its founder pay his way through college.
McDonald's invented the Speedee Service System, while Kentucky Fried Chicken has a Christmas ad campaign in Japan.
McDonald's has a Christmas ad campaign in Japan, while Kentucky Fried Chicken invented the Speedee Service System.
McDonald's helped its founders pay their way through college, while Kentucky Fried Chicken undersold its competition.
Do You Want Fries With That?
News: Business
It's late afternoon and your stomach rumbles, reminding you that it's chow time. With a myriad of fast-food places in America, you can likely swing by a drive-through and pick up any number of eats to satisfy your hunger.
How did the country's food landscape become dominated by these quick-service restaurants? Let's drive through history to find out!
Can I Get That To Go?
Fast food refers to any fare prepped and served quickly and efficiently for on-the-go consumption. Historically speaking, fast food has been around since ancient times. But it wasn't until the 20th century that it became the multibillion-dollar global powerhouse it is today. That's thanks in part to advancements in automation, the popularity of the automobile, and a post-World War II economic boom that fostered increased prosperity and suburban growth.
This was especially true in Southern California, where round-the-clock workers and a slew of young drivers wanted hot, filling, and inexpensive handheld goodies to eat on the go. Restauranteurs delivered, including brothers Richard and Maurice "Mac" McDonald, who operated a hamburger stand in San Bernardino.
In 1948, the brothers devised a method for producing large quantities of burgers and shakes. Called the Speedee Service System, it included a self-service counter with precooked hamburgers kept warm under a heat lamp. The brothers sold their burgers for 15 cents each. That was half the price of other restaurants, so people naturally ate them up.
When appliance salesperson Ray Kroc visited the original McDonald's in 1954, he had a supersized vision of golden arches spanning the globe. He bought the burger business from the brothers in 1961. Then he instituted strict standards for McDonald's franchises to ensure that any customer at any location would get the same food delivered in the same way. Customers valued the consistency. By 2022, the McDonald's corporation boasted over 38,000 restaurants worldwide and annual revenue of more than $23 billion!
A Win for the Colonel
In the 1930s, Harland "Colonel" Sanders operated a gas station in Corbin, Kentucky. There, he also served motorists platters of comfort food—including fried chicken. People were pumped about his poultry, so in 1952, the Colonel hit the road to open a Kentucky Fried Chicken franchise in Salt Lake City, Utah. Soon after, KFC went global.
The chicken chain has become particularly prominent in Japanese culture during the Christmas season. That's partly due to a marketing campaign during the mid-1970s. Christmas was not widely celebrated in Japan, so there were few traditions associated with it. Seeing an investment opportunity, KFC created ads touting buckets of fried chicken to observe the holiday. The strategy paid off: Now the company earns bucketloads of bucks each December.
Fresh Eats
What do you get when you cross a college student with a nuclear physicist? A sandwich empire! In 1965, 17-year-old Fred DeLuca asked scientist and family friend Peter Buck for advice on paying for college. Buck suggested DeLuca open a sandwich shop—and even chipped in $1,000 to help! Within a few weeks, DeLuca was slinging sammies at Pete's Super Submarines in Bridgeport, Connecticut.
As the shop grew, DeLuca made radio ads for it, but listeners heard "Pizza Marines" instead of "Pete's Submarines." To minimize confusion, DeLuca and Buck eventually shortened the name to Subway in 1968. DeLuca managed to pay for college, graduating with a degree in 1971, but his sandwich shop success didn't stop there. Today, the chain has nearly 37,000 restaurants around the world.
Now that you know some of the history of fast food, it's time to ask yourself: Do you want fries with that?
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The accurate comparison between McDonald's and Kentucky Fried Chicken based on the article is:
McDonald's invented the Speedee Service System, while Kentucky Fried Chicken has a Christmas ad campaign in Japan.
This aligns with the information provided in the article about McDonald's development of the Speedee Service System and Kentucky Fried Chicken's marketing strategy in Japan during Christmas.
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