Fast food is the term given to many foods that can be prepared and served quickly. While any meal with low preparation time can be considered to be fast food, such as TV dinners, typically the term refers to food sold in a restaurant or store which is rapidly prepared and served to the customer in a packaged form for take out/take away.Outlets may be stands or kiosks, which may provide no shelter or seating, or fast food restaurants (also known as quick service restaurants). Franchise operations which are part of restaurant chains have standardized foodstuffs shipped to each restaurant from central locations.The capital requirements to start a fast-food restaurant are relatively small, particularly in areas with non-existent or poorly enforced health codes. Small, individually-owned fast-food restaurants have become common throughout the world. Fast food restaurants with higher sit-in ratios, where customers can sit and have their orders brought to them, are known as fast casual restaurants.

'In an effort to curb the obesity epidemic in this country, health officials are considering banning fast-food restaurants. They are calling it "health zoning."'

Am I the only person in the world that likes Tacos Mexico? Intrepid California Foodblogger, Chicken Fried reports on Tacos Mexico a chain of fast food restaurants in California and Nevada.

Fast-food chain McDonald's is testing a bigger high-end Angus burger that costs a little bit more for the extra weight, according to a published report Wednesday.The Chicago Tribune said the new Third Pounder is currently available only in about 600 restaurant locations in Southern California

The fast food phenomenon evolved from drive-in restaurants built in southern California in the early 1940s. Restaurateurs wanted to take advantage of the rising popularity of cars, so they designed restaurants that let people order and eat without leaving their vehicles.

The California city of Calistoga has something that Councilman Joel Rivera of the Bronx wants to bring to New York: a zoning ordinance against fast-food restaurants.Calistoga leaders banned fast-food to preserve the uniqueness and small-town charm of the city’s commercial areas. Rivera wants to restrict them to fight chronic obesity.