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For better for for worse, fast food restaurants like McDonald's, Burger King, Arbys and Taco Bell are here to stay. Personally, I'm happy that they are. They do fulfill fill a dining niche in our hectic, fast paced lives, and when their services aren't abused, they really aren't the evil mega-corps that some would make them out to be.

Here's why I like fast-food restaurants, and why I think a lot of other people do too - and here's why I think they're not even even close to being on the way out:

- There WHEN you need them
Whether you're running late on the way to work, or rushing between soccer practice and piano lessons - or if you just need a night out of the kitchen, the fast food restaurant is there - often 24 hours a day. And if you are traveling and don't have the time or patience to pack breakfast, lunch and dinner, there's always a fast food restaurant or two at the next exit.

- There WHERE you need them
Fast food restaurants are generally conveniently located - off the expressway, around the corner from school, work or the store and sometimes just down the street from your home. And generally, where there is one, there are one or to others.

- Decent food, decent price
It isn't health food and they don't claim it is, but it is food. And although they aren't as cheap as they used to be, they are still less expensive than a sit down restaurant. Most of the fast food chains have high quality standards, so you know that no matter which McDonald's or Burger King you go to, pretty much the world over, you will get the meal you expect.

- Something for everyone
Even if you're a vegetarian, there is generally something to everyone's taste - even if you have to drop one person off at Taco Bell, picking them up after everyone else has been to Subway. (It's nice that they run in "packs".)

- Willing to evolve
20, even 10 years ago, pretty much everything on the fast food menu was high in fat, sugar and salt, laden with calories and chemicals. But with more emphasis on heath and fitness, most of the major fast food restaurants have been willing to modify and evolve their menus to reduce the bad stuff while keeping the flavor.

In addition to improving the healthiness of the food, the fast food restaurants have been willing to change their packaging to be more environmentally friendly and modify their operating practices to support the local communities. McDonald's restaurants in the UK have a designated trash collector to pick up trash around their city-center restaurants - bearing the golden arches or not.

- Great employers
It may only indirectly effect the quality of your food and the quality of the service, but several of the fast food corporations are great places to start careers. They like to promote from within and provide training, mentoring programs and help with the cost of further education. I have friends that work for MacDonald's and have done for over 25 years - and they're still loving it!

So they may not be perfect, they may serve food that is not exactly haute cuisine and they definitely aren't for those obsessed with eating healthy, but they do fill a niche, and they do it well. Ronald and the King are here to stay.....

Learn more about this author, Pat Gray.
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