In America, you can go down the street and find a fast food joint pretty much anywhere you look. While it’s not always possible to tell which one, it is pretty common for it to be a McDonald’s, Sonic or Taco Bell. Just the other day I was sitting in my car (waiting to get my sonic mozzarella sticks and strawberry lemonade) mulling over the reason for the frequency of so many different fast food places, and even the reason why so many people choose to go to them rather than staying home and cooking a nice healthy meal and enjoying time sitting down with family. I’ve come up with just a few ideas why I think fast food restaurants are so popular here in the United States, and all around the world.

1. It's Convenient

My first reason for going to a fast food restaurant would be because of the convenience. After a long day at work without any food, I am starving! I don't want to wait thirty minutes until I got home just to find that no one had taken the time to prepare a meal and that I would have to scrounge up something myself. By stopping for a quick bite to eat I could fulfill my hunger cravings and also be home in plenty of time to finish up all of my chores and prepare for the next day, I don’t have time to waste on finding food around the house and making a decent meal. I work late nights so by the time I finish that I am so ready for bed.

2. It's Inexpensive

The first thing anyone thinks of when they hear the words fast food is “cheap”. They say to themselves, “I can get what I want in a short amount of time and I won’t have to pay a lot of money for it either”. That’s exactly what I say to myself at least. I’d make a bet to anyone though that after spending so much money on fast food every day, we would all be better off just buying some healthy food at the store and preparing it ourselves. You never know how much it adds up until you realize that your entire paycheck from last pay period is gone, and all you have to show for it is a few extra pounds right on your hips.

3. It's Accessible

Fast food restaurants are everywhere! As I said at the beginning of the article, you can go down the street and find at least two. My brother can ride his bike to a restaurant, get a drink, and be home before anyone even realizes that he was gone. The industry behind the restaurants has done a great job of making sure that they have a location in nearly every city in the United States. It is very rare to go on a road trip and not be able to find some sort of fast food restaurant to eat at. People absolutely love that because of the previously mentioned reasons, convenience and price.

Everyone needs to eat, and the fast food industry has it down to a science. Prepare less than healthy food at a low cost and people will flock to you. Who cares that you are going to gain a few pounds? The pros far outweigh the cons for some people. I, on the other hand, will be making a conscious effort to eat less fast food and take more time to prepare healthy foods for myself and my family.