Introduction
Today, eating out is part of the modern lifestyle or can be said a necessity of the modern age. Fast food is mainly targeted to youngster who is providing fast food restaurants the most revenue. The high fast foods taste good to these youngsters, which in turn makes them believe that fast food is quick, easy, and satisfying. Fast food restaurants are now making “value” meals. Fast food has become a fashion, as customers are not only eating, they are enjoying the environment not only adults, but children are also fond of going to fast food restaurants to celebrate their memorable occasions like birthdays, and even get-together parties.
Pakistan, which is growing at a very fast pace explains the challenges faced by management to compete in the era of globalization while upholding the specialty of their origin. Although the literature shows very limited work on this industry in Pakistan by the study of the pattern of customers’ perception in this industry and the owner’s considerations the literature review shows the cross-culture differences in the consumption of fast food and how the people belonging to different countries adopting this food as an important aspect of their daily life. Fast food is the most attractive thing for the youngster and Children.
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This research also the light on the buying behavior of customers. Perceptions of the brands and buying behaviors usually change from person to person. So it is important to find out the consumer behavior changes. The consumers’ intention to buy products depends upon various factors including the desire, perception, experience, and the features of goods and services among other tangible and intangible traits concerned with the individuals.
This paper examines the issue of consumer behavior with specific reference to the fast food industry not as an identifiable research problem but as a growing phenomenon that has spread, to many countries at a much lower level of development. There is a reasonably vast body of literary work on the matter of consumer behavior, especially about the purchase of household and other products advertised intensively on television and other media. However, the literature on the purchasing behavior of consumers of fast foods is now emerging as a field of interest largely because of the global penetration of the major fast food chains, and the health issues that are arising especially among young people. Data were collected from peer-reviewed journals and a content analysis was conducted to identify the major and emerging themes about purchasing behavior and the fast food industry. The purchasing behavior of consumers is becoming the subject of considerable research as the economies of established and emerging countries adopt the consumption Model of economic development as pioneered.
Faisalabad people's changing life style and preferences welcome fast food warmly. It became one of the growing industries in Faisalabad as in the rest of Pakistan. Now the target of fast-food restaurants is not only youth but also adults and children.
The modern increasing trend in fast food is to target young children (Pettigrew & Roberts, 2006). Fast food is a product of modern lifestyles and busy schedules of people (Davies & Smith, 2004).
The purpose of this paper is to present the major issues related to consumer behavior and the fast food industry and to examine the implications for small countries of the current level of consumption.
Literature review:
(Schlosser, et al,.2001)The fast food industry, originally conceived in Southern California during the 1940s, not only the eating habits of Americans but also those in many other countries around the world, including Asian countries. In Pakistan, a fast food center was opened in 1997 that was KFC. Fast food centers are found on the corners of streets, off the side of interstates, airports, malls, schools, gas stations, local shopping centers, and even in hospitals. There have been some factors behind the growing industry of fast food in Pakistan.
(Nelson, 1992). “A model of factors affecting consumer decision making regarding food products: a case study of USA and Japan” scrutinized that there are many factors like values, eating habits, family structure, tastes, and fondness affecting consumer food choice decision making between the countries and even within countries
(Anand, 2011). Food buying behaviors checked up as part of a “cultural ideology,” that can be prejudiced by Material and social requirements, dependent more on history, routine, disinterest, and a visual sensibility to form consumption patterns Not only adults but children have been fonder of going to the fast food restaurants for having fun on occasions like birthdays, results and even get together parties. Fast foods taste good to those youngsters, which makes them believe that fast food is quick, easy, and satisfying fast food centers have been making “value” meals for children that are increased in portion sizes and becoming a fashion, as customers are not only eating but enjoying the environment.
Goyal and Singh (2007) concluded in their study that now people want more and more information about the food contents regarding the nutritional and hygiene values rather than just having fun with fast food. So the competition is regarding the quality and service provided.
(Nelson, 1992) Eleven characteristics were provoked from the past studies and they are price, responsiveness of employees, diversity of menu, service swiftness, calorie content, cleanliness/Environment of the outlet, convenience; business hours/elimination of meal gap; delivery service; inventiveness for children; seating facilities, all these elements are directly dealing with the correspondence of students, employees or other authorities in the working place. Specifically, young adults like fast food more than other age groups. They like to have a meal at lunch time because it’s a quick service process, fast food items take less time to prepare and they can joy their break time in relaxation and conversation with others, which have a positive impact on the mind of customers of fast food.
Every person is directly or indirectly engaged in the consumption of fast food, so advertisement has a great influence on its customers. The fast food makers are effectively providing the same type of food or material in different ways with different sorts of varieties.
The fast food makers are generally focusing on students by advertising their product in such a way, that fast food makers distribute their discount coupons, especially in schools, colleges, and universities. They allow consumers to buy their products in groups or bulk quantities to take discounts, buy one and get one free, combos, In that case, if two or three people would like to eat fast they will prefer to buy in groups. However, they also agreed for some other colleagues to join them by which they can also attain the discount offers. In this process, fast food makers get benefits in the shape of increasing customers.
Fast food makers are facilitating their customers by providing free home delivery service by which customers get their meals at their doorstep. It significantly doesn’t matter where he is, food will be delivered to him by the fast food makers. Fast food makers earn benefits from consumers because of their inconvenience, especially at night. They provide special mid-night deals and discounts in specific time durations to attain their discount on various deals. Those persons who can not go outside after 11 clock, simply call restaurants and order their favorite meals. In Faisalabad, fast food makers earn high benefits from their female customers by providing free home delivery services, because there is a major issue in inconvenience for females also there is an issue of privacy, So they call and order their meals and it will be delivered at home, as previous research showed that there had been a constant rise in the demand for convenience foods.
(McNeal, Stem, Jr. and Nelson, 1980; Miller, and Ginter, 1979; Louviere, 1984) helped to govern the multi-feature criteria on which consumers differentiate fast-food Restaurants. The fast food restaurants offer a play area for children, In this case, parents can consume food easily while their children are playing.
(Ragavan, 2003) “Food in a globalized world” has concluded that food is a means of life but it has become a meaningful investment for business. Due to the high interest of public in the fast food consumption, businessman keeps working on the advertisement to maintain and also gets new consumers. In particular, fast food chains like McDonald’s, KFC, etc are globalizing their brands and directly hitting the elite class because they are brand-conscious and only consume branded products.
In recent years crackdown by the Punjab Food Authority( PFA), many fast food restaurants were sealed and fined for providing unhygienic food to their customers which significantly disturbed the interest of consumers in the consumption of fast food. On the other hand, after the completion of the action by PFA Fast food restaurants upgraded their kitchens hygienically which retrieves the interest of their consumers.
In the processing of action by the Punjab Food Authority, McDonald’s allows the general public to open the kitchen facility due to this step everyone can visit and check the quality of products that are prepared in McDonald’s kitchen. With the help of the Open kitchen facility McDonald’s highly satisfied their customers and also benefited in the making of new customers as well.
We select the best of the best vegetables that are continuously monitored for freshness, high nutrients, and safety, to maintain top quality standards. We use regional/local suppliers to ensure that the freshness and high quality are delivered to you in all our products. McDonald’s proved this statement by offering an “open door” kitchen tour.
References:
- Anand, R. (2011), “A study of determinants impacting consumers food choice concerning the fast food consumption in India” Society and Business Review, Vol. 6 No. 2, pp 176-187.
- Anita Goyal and N.P. Singh (2007), Consumer perception about fast Food in India: an exploratory study British Food Journal Vol. 109 No. 2, 200 pp.182-195Emerald Group Publishing Limited 0007
- Davies, G. J. Smith, J.L. (2004), “Fast food: dietary perspectives”, Nutrition & Food Science, Volume 34. Number 2. pp. 80-82
- Keynote (2003), Fast Food and Home Delivery Outlets, Market Intelligence Report, Keynote, London, April
- McNeal, J.U., Stem, D.E. Jr. and Nelson, C.S. (1980), “Consumers’ nutritional ratings of fast-food meals”, Journal of Consumer Affairs, Vol. 14 No. 1, pp. 165-79.
- Nelson, D.L. (1992), “A model of factors affecting consumer decision making regarding food products: a case study of the United States and Japan”, Ph.D. thesis, Washington State University, Washington, DC.
- Nelson, D.L. (1992), “A model of factors affecting consumer decision making regarding food products: a case study of the United States and Japan”, Ph.D. thesis, Washington State University, Washington, DC.
- Pettigrew, S. & Roberts, M. (2006),” Mothers ‘attitudes towards toys as fast food premiums”, YOUNG CONSUMERS Quarter 3.
- Raghavan, P. (2003), “Food in a globalized world – a cultural perspective”, Journal of International University Centre, I.I.A.S. Shimla, Vol. 10 No. 1, pp. 143-56.
- Schlosser, E. (2001), Fast Food Nation, Houghton Mifflin, New York, NY.
- Traill, B. (1994), New Food Consumption Patterns and Product Quality in Europe and Adaptation of Agricultural Production, Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, Rome.
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