The Evolution of Fast Food in a Customer-Driven Era

Abstract

Customers are important for every company and their changes in taste, behavior, and way to decide strongly influence companies' strategy. The food sector follows the new trends and tries to adapt its way to do business, leveraging on innovation and sustainability. In the food sector, an innovation can be linked to tradition. There is a limited change in the offer and fast food restaurants' innovating is key to survive. Thus, authors analyzed how both International Hamburger Foodservices (IHF) such as McDonalds and Burger King, and Local Hamburger Foodservice (LHF), such as M**Bun and Burgheria, are changing their strategies to meet customers' needs. Authors focused on the Piedmont area, in particular the Turin area, which has a long culinary tradition, hostings of important food events, and an increasing trend of new fast food restaurants.