Summary Of Eric Schlosser's Fast Food Nation

Throughout part I of Fast Food Nation, Eric Schlosser writes about the ins and outs of the fast food industry. From the founding fathers to the dirty little secrets that fast food corporations would never want us to know, he reveals it all. As corporations look for every opportunity to cut costs and increase profits, we start to reexamine what type of behavior governs businesses in America. As the days of traditional ‘sit down restaurants’ dominating the market quickly disappeared, large corporations are making use of new machinery and money saving business strategies. The drawback to these business tactics is that the burden lies on another individual. It is possible today to achieve a goal, whether it be an individuals or companies, but requires

The founding fathers of fast food giants, including Ray Kroc and Walt Disney, were among the first to develop and focus on marketing to children. In a response about advertising Schlosser shows just how knowledgeable they were, “Hoping that nostalgic childhood memories of a brand will lead to a lifetime of purchases, companies now plan ‘cradle-to-grave’ advertising strategies. They have come to believe what Ray Kroc and Walt Disney realized long ago -- a person's ‘brand loyalty’ may begin as early as the age of two”(43). Schlosser explains how Ray Kroc and Walt Disney purposefully targeted children to build loyal customers. Their intent was to attract children so that they would drive their parents to take them to fast food restaurants. For example, the “play place” of today's McDonald's is clearly targeted towards children. This is important because it shows us that in order for these gentlemen to get ahead, they were willing to exploit children, in order to obtain more business. Although vulnerable children are paying the price, this tactic proved to be a very effective method of achieving success, or driving up business, for Kroc and Disney. Ray Kroc assures us that his goal is to get ahead at the expense of others. In chapter 2, Kroc tells a reporter, “This is rat eat rat, dog eat dog. I'll kill’em, and I'm going to kill’em before they kill me. You're talking about the American way of survival of the fittest”(Schlosser 37). Ray Kroc, the main man behind the success of McDonald's, clearly shows that he is here to make money and that there is nothing in his way that will stop him. This is important because it demonstrates the principle and attitude that individuals have towards others. If you want to get what you want in America, you have to push over someone else and take it from them. Even though Kroc was achieving success, customers were the ones paying for