America's Love Affair With Pizza

The emergence of the era of fast food has been extremely apparent since the end of World War II and is arguably one of the most unhealthy periods of time for America’s people, both physically for its people and economically for those involved in the production for fast food companies. Throughout the novel many examples and real life situations are presented in order to properly give its readers a true sense of what fast food chains have caused for both producers and consumers.

In Eric Schlosser’s 2001 piece, Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal, he examines the rise of the fast food industry in the 1950’s as it was associated with the rampant consumerism of the era and shows how this led to the fast food industry becoming one of the most unethical, manipulative, and greedy industries that ever existed. Schlosser shows how fast food corporations, through mass appealing advertising, were able to manipulate consumers, especially young generations, into buying their products. Children were made the targets of advertising campaigns because these corporations knew that they were the most gullible audience. The 1950’s were filled with consumer trends in which buyers went after products that they believed to be popular and wanted to have the same things as everyone else. Corporations knew that they would have a very easy job in luring consumers because many other products and services had become trend setters in the 1950’s, so consumers would line up to buy fast food if it was presented as being “modern” and “trendy” in a sense. This paper will detail how consumerism and advertising played a large role in constructing American cultural identity during the post-war era.

The New York Times bestseller Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal is one of the most riveting books to come out about fast food restaurants to date (Schlosser, 2004). Fast food consumption has become a way of life for many in the United States as well as many other countries in the world. The author Eric Schlosser an investigative reporter whose impeccable researching and bold interviewing captures the true essence of the immense impact that fast food restaurants are having in America (2004). Beginning with McDonald’s, the first fast food restaurant, which opened on April 15, 1955 in Des Plaines, Illinois to current trends of making fast food a global realization McDonald’s has paved the way for many fast food

2005 will mark the 100-year anniversary of the first pizzeria in America. Americans eat approximately 100 acres of pizza each day, which is about 350 slices per second. According to an American Dairy Association random sampling survey, pizza is America’s fourth most craved food behind cheese, chocolate, and ice cream. American’s obviously love pizza; we have even designated the month of October as National Pizza Month. But whether you bake your pizza in your kitchen oven, in a wood-burning stove, eat it in a restaurant, or choose delivery, there is no denying this phenomenon has become as American as apple pie.

In 1990 Nestlé Refrigerated Food Company, NRFC, subsidiary of Nestlé S.A, had to decide about the launch of a refrigerated pizza, under the name of Contadina pizza, continuing the build of the refrigerated food category it started few years ago with the launch of the Contadina pasta and sauces, and where the satisfying results exceeded expectations, NRFC would be then the first mover in this new category product, pre empting its serious and major competitor: Kraft general food who was on his way to make a similar launch(their launch is expected within six months).

Buyers: While the original strategy was to offer only high-quality pizza, customer preferences began to shift gradually which required expanded menu options for items to complement pizza such as desserts and other creative menu items. Declining sales in the quick-service and sit-down restaurant dining increased the propensity for people to cook more meals at home as well.

From a study completed by Chicago-based Research International USA completed a study called “Fast Food Nation 2008. The panel consisted of 1,000 respondents of ages 16-65 who provided their inputs with an online survey which was conducted between March 13 through 2008. Which was based on results on fast food restaurants like McDonald’s, Burger King, and Wendy’s are gaining popularity even through the economic hardship and recession. Marketing strategy has become more of influence on kids and young American’s. As population grows and the demand increases of fast food restaurants are expanding their stores to capturing more consumers. Fast food chains are also willing to change their menus to continue to gain and retain repeating customers.

Many Fast food companies target children because they are young and are good at persuading their parents to get what they want. “It’s not just getting kids to whine” (Schlosser 43). Fast food companies target kids based on what they are looking for which is money. “The decade of the child consumer” (Schlosser 43). Americans need to pay close attention to how their children spend their money. As more kids visit fast food restaurants, companies will come out with more items for kids to purchase as time goes along. More companies in America will keep targeting kids because they see an advantage in it that the reader does not see. “We see this as a great opportunity” (Scholosser 48). In the meantime, an employee at a fast food restaurant will sell fast food items to kids because they want their money in order to increase the business. As more fast food companies make sales, this will create a dynamic bond between parents and their children because the reader ponders how the fast food industry is affecting their children. As more kids leave after school to go and have something to eat with friends at a Taco Bell, or Pizza Hut, kids will buy food based on what they may be craving during lunchtime. “Research has shown children are more likely to choose foods with familiar logos” (Heyes). At some point in time, there will be millions of parents who will talk to their kids about their active interest in visiting fast food restaurants after school all of the time. The reader may

In Eric Schlosser’s 2001 piece, Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal, he examines the rise of the fast food industry in the 1950’s as it was associated with the rampant consumerism of the era and shows how this led to the fast food industry becoming one of the most unethical, manipulative, and greedy industries that ever existed. Schlosser shows how fast food corporations, through mass appealing advertising, were able to manipulate consumers, especially young generations, into buying their products. Children were made the targets of advertising campaigns because these corporations knew that they were the most gullible audience. The 1950’s were filled with consumer trends in which buyers went after products that they believed to be popular and wanted to have the same things as everyone else. Corporations knew that they would have a very easy job in luring consumers because many other products and services had become trend setters in the 1950’s, so consumers would line up to buy fast food if it was presented as being “modern” and “trendy” in a sense. This paper will detail how consumerism and advertising played a large role in constructing American cultural identity during the post-war era.

Pizza Hut got their start in 1958 when two brother borrowed $600 from their mother open a pizza place in Wichita, Kansas. Since, then Pizza Hut has grown from just one pizza place to having them in over 100 countries today. I believe what make this pizza company so successful is their hospitality and their quality of food.

As you could guess pizza is heavily consumed by Americans. Looking at an article for theweek.com dated May 4th 2016, “350 slices of pizza are sold every second”. To put that in perspective there is 255 births every minute. If that doesn’t scream I make lots of money wait for this one. “93% of americans eat pizza monthly”. According

The presence of giant pizza companies from its origin, Italy, and from its Western counterpart, the US, in almost every corner of the metro is enough to reveal the Filipinos’ love for pizza. Next to fast-food chains selling burgers, the most patronized parlors are those engaged in pizzas and it makes a potential high-income business. Pizza industry in the country is dominated by Pizza Hut, Shakey’s and Greenwich. Having a strong brand equity in the pizza industry allows a company to gain a significant advantage in the market. Customers in the pizza industry place a high value on the product quality and price of a company. Maintaining a good reputation is very important in this industry for companies because customers will build a relationship with the company and will keep on coming back or ordering from that company if they feel like they are getting a good deal.

When it comes to pizza, everyone has an opin ion . Some of us think th at our current pizza is just fine the way it is. Others h ave a favorite pizza joint th at makes it like no on e else. And m any pizza lovers in America agreed up until recentl y that Dom ino 's home-delivered pizza was amo ng the worst. The home-delivery market for pizza cha ins in th e United States is approximat ely $15 billion per year. Domino's, which owns th e largest home-delivery market share of any U.s . pizza chain, is find ing ways to innovate by overhauling its in-store transaction processing systems and by providing other us eful services to customers, su ch as its Pizza Tracker. And

The argument that pizza is an “indulgence” food is rendered questionable by the sheer number of consumers who eat pizza each year. With 77% of consumers eating pizza at least once a month the dish may be better described as a “convenience” food, particularly considering the ease associated with ordering a pizza as opposed to cooking every night. The concept of an refrigerated pizza that consumers can just stick in the microwave increases this sense of simplicity, and the steady growth of the refrigerated pizza industry speaks to the motivation being one of convenience rather than enjoying a special treat. As long as it tastes good (something TruEarth has experience in accomplishing), and as long as “low carb” can be stamped across the packaging, there is a high likelihood that a new, healthy, quality-ingredient, whole-grain refrigerated pizza option will do well, even without the luxury of entering a growing market, as was the case with TruEarth’s fresh pastas. Lastly, TruEarth is enhancing the refrigerated-pizza offering by developing a “refrigerated pizza kit” that maintains the sentimental value of a true cooking experience.

The availability of fast food has become an easy access to the youth of America, due to an increase in fast food marketing and restaurants being built on nearly every street corner. In David Barboza’s article, If You Pitch It, They Will Eat, he explains that