As prices have increased in general and wages have fallen, consumers have changed their spending habits, particularly when it comes to food. This allowed fast food restaurants to turn a profit, proving that there is an upside to our weak economy. Today's industry faces high housing prices and highway lanes full of fast food, there is now one restaurant for every 2,700 Americans, compared to one for every 7,000 at the end of the 1970s (Clark). Chains have branched out into sports arenas, airports, hospitals, colleges, highway stops, shopping mall food courts, kiosks, airline in-flight catering and even zoos. Although critics would say that fast food is causing an unhealthy society, it is important that society also recognizes the positive aspects of the fast food industry. Due to advances in food technology, the production of tasty, easy-to-cook foods such as French fries and changes in work, combined with the importance of women in the workforce, have combined to producing industries that can meet the demands of our busy lives cheaply and efficiently. Unlike in the past, women no longer have to spend two hours preparing dinner every night; many achieved exceptional levels of corporate and political power. The majority of the American population lives a very busy schedule; it's more convenient to stop at the drive-thru than to spend time in grocery stores searching for ingredients. According to Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal by Eric Schlosser, “About 12 percent of all American workers have worked at McDonald's” (137). This only takes into account McDonald's. If we applied this to all fast food industries, there would be more jobs created, especially for teenagers. Fast food employees must learn to work together in sometimes stressful situations ... middle of paper ...... in the marketing industry. According to the same article mentioned above, “Coca-Cola and PepsiCo are the two largest soft drink companies in the world, the thirteenth and twentieth largest advertisers in the world; together, they spent $2.4 billion on advertising in 2001” (Charles). This proves that such businesses start from the point of sale first, spending billions of dollars and generating revenue around the economy. In conclusion, the company directly concludes the disadvantages of fast food; However, we should also consider the positive aspects of the fast food industry. Consumers should also not blame these companies for obesity, as it is their responsibility to maintain their health. Overall, from a business perspective, consumers benefit from a cheap meal and businesses make their profits. So it's a win-win situation.