Non American multinational fast-food and similar chains

Thande

Donor
What sort of POD would we need for chains of fast-food and related (e.g. sandwich bars, pizzerias) from the UK, Europe, etc to become as multinational and ubiquitous (and hated) as well known American brands such as McDonald's and Pizza Hut?

Though unrealistic, I always had a funny mental image of a world in which Britain remains Top Nation well into the 20th century and there are anti-globalisation campaigners smashing up Forté Little Chefs in New York :D
 

Susano

Banned
I always thought there should be a German fast food chain selling that Europeanised Döner Kebab (after all, it was invesnted in Berlin ;) )... I mean, Döner imbisses would have to qualify as fast food anyways, so that seems like a real market niche to me. If there is a chain for it, then due to the economics of scale the prices should be somewhat lower, thus attracting costumers etc.
 
Bright day
Well, you need somebody who bus out all those wurst stalls in Central Europe and voila. One thing is certain it is not because of lack of fast-food in non-american countries, but the establishments there never congregated together and stayed mostly independantly owned. Thus it would be better to take a look at why the american fast-food became first a franchise there.
 

Thande

Donor
I always thought there should be a German fast food chain selling that Europeanised Döner Kebab (after all, it was invesnted in Berlin ;) )... I mean, Döner imbisses would have to qualify as fast food anyways, so that seems like a real market niche to me. If there is a chain for it, then due to the economics of scale the prices should be somewhat lower, thus attracting costumers etc.

Bright day
Well, you need somebody who bus out all those wurst stalls in Central Europe and voila. One thing is certain it is not because of lack of fast-food in non-american countries, but the establishments there never congregated together and stayed mostly independantly owned. Thus it would be better to take a look at why the american fast-food became first a franchise there.

Those are fair points. In the UK, for example, there are plenty of doner kebab houses and Indian and Chinese restaurants (and have been since the 60s), but they're pretty much all independently owned and not part of chains.

Maybe we need to change the circumstances of immigration, perhaps slow it down so you've got a few early individuals who end up owning large chains after introducing new cuisines to the British (or whoever's) palate...

OTOH, the American chains typically did not arise from newly imported foreign food, but simplification, mass-production and variation of existing food. I suppose you could make the point that this attitude to mass-production is inherently better suited for the US than elsewhere...
 
OTOH, the American chains typically did not arise from newly imported foreign food, but simplification, mass-production and variation of existing food. I suppose you could make the point that this attitude to mass-production is inherently better suited for the US than elsewhere...

AFAIK large part of fast-food in Czechia, Slovakia and Poland, is not foreign and newly important. Sausages, schnitzels, sausage meat and goulash can still be bought in many places- it just is not franchised. (and they are mass produced...)
 

MrP

Banned
What food is quintessentially English and can be prduced as fast food?

Excuse the seemingly silly question. I'm a bit tired, and my brain's refusing to unlock the gates of memory.
 

Thande

Donor
Ah, that's a good point! :)

Though you may have trouble persuading the Americans that Cornwall's part of England. ;)

According to Bill Bryson, there's actually a lost colony of Cornishmen somewhere on the coast of one of the Great Lakes (I've forgotten the details) who have kept the recipe alive, but due to American proportions sneaking in over the years, the pasties are now the size of a rugby ball :D
 

MrP

Banned
According to Bill Bryson, there's actually a lost colony of Cornishmen somewhere on the coast of one of the Great Lakes (I've forgotten the details) who have kept the recipe alive, but due to American proportions sneaking in over the years, the pasties are now the size of a rugby ball :D

I shudder to think what Scotch Eggs look like over there. Perhaps that explains Jurassic Park. Hammond needed really big eggs for his Yank-size Scotch Eggs! :D
 

Alcuin

Banned
What sort of POD would we need for chains of fast-food and related (e.g. sandwich bars, pizzerias) from the UK

Though unrealistic, I always had a funny mental image of a world in which Britain remains Top Nation well into the 20th century and there are anti-globalisation campaigners smashing up Forté Little Chefs in New York :D

To quote from Frank Zappa in "Billy the Mountain".... Howard Johnsons Howard Johnsons Howard Johnsons.

PS... when is Taco Bell going to start globalising? I'm looking forward to that. (I love Tacos)
 

Alcuin

Banned
What food is quintessentially English and can be prduced as fast food?

Steak and Kidney Pie.

Harry Ramsden's Chips.

Chicken Tikka Masala (okay, technically it's Scottish)

Tampuray Black Pudding (Tampuray is how they spell "Tempura" in Middlesborough but they only call it that because it sounds posher than deep fried.)
 
NANDO's ?

Well, there is NANDO's as such a popular South African-based fastfood chain that's now spread round the world, incl the UK & Australia. Well, we Aussies also have a few cool fastfood chains like Red Rooster- how could they be more ubiquitous then ?
 
CP Victory- German Restaurant
An Imperial Russia TL I'm working on has the Russians dominating throughout the 19th/20th/21st centuries, and several chains of Borsch, plus foods incorporated into Russia (Japanese, Chinese foods), make Russian food a real powerhouse on the market...
 
Well, there is NANDO's as such a popular South African-based fastfood chain that's now spread round the world, incl the UK & Australia. Well, we Aussies also have a few cool fastfood chains like Red Rooster- how could they be more ubiquitous then ?

What sort of food does Red Rooster serve? There's a Red Rooster sports bar in Georgia, USA I've been to.
 
According to Bill Bryson, there's actually a lost colony of Cornishmen somewhere on the coast of one of the Great Lakes (I've forgotten the details) who have kept the recipe alive, but due to American proportions sneaking in over the years, the pasties are now the size of a rugby ball :D

Wisconsin and Michigan(especially in the UP), particularly in the old lead belt. I've had them throughout the state (not to mention on family vacations to northern illinois) although my favorite pasty place has to be Teddywedgers in Madison which is literally a city institution. Few things are better on a cold winter day:D.
 
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PS... when is Taco Bell going to start globalising? I'm looking forward to that. (I love Tacos)

Wow, and they can't even be equated with good, traditional, authentic Mexican tacos.

Funny thing enough, there is a good indication that this whole 'thread' is happening in real time, in that multinational fast-food chains are making in roads into the American market.

There are loads of reasons why this is happening, but a few off the top of my head:

1. More disposable income.
2. Specialty tv shows or channels, particularly Foodtv.
3. Immigration from other countries and cheap travel. People settle here and, assisted by more disposable income, travel back and forth to the 'old country' and they bring food back with them. Demand for authentic cuisine develops and someone receives the capital to open a restaurant. In some instances they secure franchise rights from a restaurant chain in the 'old country'. Something very similar to this happened with Pollo Compadre, which is making inroads into the American market.
4. Impressed visitors. In a few instances I've heard of visitors to a country being impressed with a particular type of food and they 'bring it to America'.
 
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