051208 Fast Food Changing For the Better?

Daily Forty-Niner - (Cal State-Long Beach) - A man walks into a McDonald's expecting a disgruntled, french fry-ridden mess. He instead sees spotless rows of shiny white tables. He thinks he should be hearing noisy children chomping on little pieces of fake chicken. Instead, he hears something more pleasing, more classical, more Mozart. Or is it Beethoven?

The above scenario is just one example of how fast food is slowly changing.

The industry is swapping silence for Mozart and fries for salad. Even the employee uniforms are moving on up to nicer shirts like Ralph Lauren, something McDonald's has lately been considering.

Once the greasy, low class places that were just for filling stomachs, today many fast food restaurant chains are trying to change their image for the better. And that's a good thing.

After such films as "Super Size Me" and exposes like "Fast Food Nation," many store managers and companies heard the public's demand for change.

We don't want cheap food in a bad atmosphere. We want excellent food in a nice atmosphere.

Consider the situation with McDonald's. Most will agree in the great American fast food hierarchy, McDonald's is the lowest of the low. It stereotypically has the cheapest quality food when compared to other chains like Arby's or In-N-Out.

But now some fast food chains are introducing new products like premium chicken sandwiches, glossed with pleasant items such as fresh lettuce and tomato. Unlike hamburger meat, the chicken does not drip with globs of grease.

McDonald's brilliant public relations department is trying to put them a step higher, boasting top quality products to rival traditional restaurants. No more cheap-looking yellow and red for McDonald's. Now they use a more pleasant white and green. Even Jack In The Box is trying to introduce quality products like their pannido sandwiches.

But don't be fooled, fair eaters. Most fast food is still bad for you if you eat it in excess.

But you have to hand it to the companies. In trying to promote healthier alternatives, they realize the public would rather not die of congestive heart disease from a Big Mac.

You also have to hand it to the individual store managers of fast food America. Many take pride in their restaurants.

They promote a sense of locality and cleanliness for their establishment.

The on-campus Carl's Jr. proudly displays their top-notch service awards. The Taco Bell on Palo Verde Avenue near campus takes pictures of happy customers and puts them on the wall. That location even had a customer appreciation day, including little freebies and a guestbook to sign.

We rarely expect that kind of attitude from our fast food joints. But when it does come, we should pay our respects.

The men and women of our fast food nation work hard but for little money. They and their companies want to change their image. America should accept that change and pay them the additional respect they deserve.

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E-mail: sflanagan@sprintmail.com