Fast Food

Fast food commonly consists of freshly prepared and wrapped food items sold across counters or through automobile drive-up windows. Often referred to as “quick-service food” in the restaurant industry, fast food usually is served in a short amount of time, ranging from seconds to several minutes. Although many fast food restaurants offer customer seating, table service is rare. Varying widely in food type, fast food encompasses most meats, ethnic cooking styles, and cooking methods. Hamburgers dominate the industry, but other types of fast food include hot dogs, pizza, roast beef, pasta, chicken, and fish, in addition to a wide variety of ethnic specialties. Although the meal offerings and types of service vary, fast food commonly is inexpensive fare packaged for carry out and delivered quickly.