| Things are really changing the fast food industry | | | | of a major price war. One only has to pick up |
| in 2010 aren't they? We have McDonald's now | | | | Restaurant News Magazine, or take their online |
| serving high-end coffee drinks, competing with | | | | newsletter to see that the industry is scrambling, |
| Starbucks on price. We have Burger King now | | | | and doing whatever it can to fight for market |
| selling ribs in a box at the high price of $8.99 as if | | | | share. And the price wars are getting rather |
| they were to compete with Boston markets. And | | | | nasty once again, after all, how many coupons did |
| Carl's Junior restaurants, well they weren't | | | | you get in the mailbox this week? And have you |
| satisfied with last year's Paris Hilton ads, and | | | | checked the inserts in the local newspaper lately? |
| merely going after the US consumer market, | | | | One can only wonder what comes next, but if |
| they've headed off to Vietnam, where they plan | | | | you take a look at Carnegie Mellon's robotics |
| to open many dozens of stores there. | | | | programs, or the robotic labs at MIT, you will note |
| McDonald's says that their biggest market | | | | that most likely in the very near future you will |
| potential is in China, and they are busy training the | | | | be served by a robot in the drive thru. The only |
| Chinese on how to use drive-thrus, as more and | | | | question is will it get your order right - couldn't be |
| more middle-class Chinese are buying their first | | | | much worse, and there'll be less pilot error. Why |
| car. Mergers and acquisitions are alive and well also | | | | not do this for me, why not go to a couple fast |
| in the fast food industry or Quick Service | | | | food restaurants this week, and check them out, |
| Restaurant QSR sector. Did you know that | | | | and look and see what's new, I bet you'll be |
| Wendy's hamburgers and Arby's are currently in | | | | shocked. |
| merger talks, at least that's what the Wall Street | | | | You might say these are only incremental |
| Journal said in a recent article; "Wendy's/Arby's | | | | changes, and that maybe true, but the fast food |
| Group in Deal Talks," by Kevin Kingsbury and Paul | | | | industry is definitely evolving, and it isn't giving up |
| Ziobro. | | | | if this country goes back into a double dip |
| So on one hand we have many businesses in the | | | | recession because the restaurant industry, well, |
| fast food sector readjusting their business | | | | those folks are as tough as they come. Indeed, I |
| models, attacking new markets foreign and | | | | hope you will please consider all this. |
| abroad, making deals and mergers, all the middle | | | | |