Food is a basic necessity. The industry which deals with preparing food items/products refers to the food service industry. The food service industry is and will always remain in high demand because of its genre. These industries include restaurants, fast foods, school and hospital cafeterias, catering operations, food carts and food trucks etc. Restaurants and fast foods mainly contribute to the food service industry.
“Fast food” generally refers to the type of restaurants that sell quick, inexpensive take-out food. During a relatively brief period of time, the fast food industry has helped to transform not only diet, but also landscape, economy, workforce, and popular culture. The extraordinary growth of the fast food industry has been obsessed by fundamental changes in society. The whole experience of buying fast food has become so habitual, that it is now taken for granted, like brushing your teeth or stopping for a red light.
Restaurants and fast foods are meant for same services except that restaurants offer a large menu including a variety of cuisines as compared to fast foods, which usually offers a small menu with quick service. Another difference between a restaurant and fast food is, restaurants offer meals that are cooked and prepared and is eaten at the premises while fast food usually is pre-cooked meals or serves meals that are cooked easily. Diners may eat it inside the store or they can order their food “to-go”. In fast foods you usually pay before eating unlike full service restaurants.
Like every other country, the food industry has flourished very well in Philippines. Filipinos love to eat and that’s the reason why you will see a lot of restaurants and fast foods restaurants scattered in the cities. These restaurants and fast foods can be local or international food chains. Filipino food and chefs are considered one of the best in the world. It is hardly surprising that Filipino food is often labeled as somewhat strange (like the “balut” for example) but in its own way, its food is a unique mixture of eastern and western cuisines and reflects the history of Philippines. The Filipino food includes dishes and cooking procedures from China, Spain, Mexico, United States, and more recently from further abroad. However, what makes them Filipino is the history and society that introduced and adapted them; the people who turned them to their tastes and accepted them into their homes and restaurants, and specially the harmonizing culture that combined them into modern Filipino fare. Some of the popular fast food chains of Philippines are Jollibee, McDonald, KFC, Chowking, etc. and popular restaurants being Abe, Chelsea, Friday’s, Chili’s and a lot more.
Attracting a huge crowd to restaurants or fast foods require more than just good food. Though important, good food is only a part of the total dining experience. Equally important is believed to be the way people feel while in the restaurant. This physical and emotional response is a result of the atmosphere, the total environment to which customers are exposed. The proper atmosphere can make the food, service and whole dining experience seem better. For that reason a restaurant or a fast food must take care of the following to please its customers. This includes checking the cleanliness of the place and freshness of the food, guarded premises, parking area where people can park, ambiance and landscaping, building design, lighting, and even music.
