Research Paper - Fast Food Culture

However, in this day and age it is very common to see families dining outside of the house. In 1970 the amount of money spent on fast food restaurants represented 25 percent of total food spending's, by 1999 it rose to 47.5 percent of total food spending's, and finally by 2010, 53 percent of money meant for food had been spent way from home. (French et al.). In the past, the amount of money spent on dining outside of the house was a small percentage, however it is clear that throughout the years the percent of money spent on dining out has increased. Not only has the total amount of food spending increased, but the frequency of eating out has increased as well. The idea that the frequency of eating outside the house had increased, was observed through a research study. The objective of this study was to analyze the meal patterns of individuals over the past two decades. (Nicklas et al. 753). The results of the study showed that percentage of individuals who consumed a home dinner decreased from 89.2% to 75.9%; eating a dinner prepared outside of the house increased from 5.4% to 19.0%; and consuming a meal at a restaurant increased from 03% to 5.4%. (Nicklas et al. 753-761). American culture in the past took pride in their traditional family values, but seeing how the growth of the fast food industry has effectively impacted American culture and family values presently is appalling. It is for this very reason that Schlosser believed that "fast food has infiltrated every nook and cranny of American society." (Schlosser. 3).
             As the fast food industry began to take root into American society and consumer culture, the marketing and advertisement of fast food began to boom. (Ritzer, 3). George Ritzer was an American sociologist that studied the patterns of consumption and was also the author of The Mcdonaldization of Society. Ritzer describes the term Mcdonaldization as "the process by which principles of the fast-food restaurant are coming to dominate more and more sectors of American society as well as the rest of the world.