The quick service restaurant market segment appeared to be less vulnerable to a recession
than other businesses. For example, during the quarter ended May 2010, both QSR and FFHR
sales decreased 0.5%, compared to a 3% decline at both casual dining chains and family dining
chains. The U.S. restaurant category as a whole declined 1% during the same time period.
America’s increasing concern with health and fitness was putting pressure on restaurants
to offer healthier menu items. Given its emphasis on fried food and saturated fat, the
quick service restaurant market segment was an obvious target for likely legislation. For
example, Burger King’s recently introduced Pizza Burger was a 2,530-calorie item that
included four hamburger patties, pepperoni, mozzarella, and Tuscan sauce on a sesame seed
bun. Although the Pizza Burger may be the largest hamburger produced by a fast-food chain,
the foot-long cheeseburgers of Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr. were similar entries. A health reform
bill passed by the U.S. Congress in 2010 required restaurant chains with 20 or more outlets
to list the calorie content of menu items. A study by the National Bureau of Economic
Research found that a similar posting law in New York City caused the average calorie count
per transaction to fall 6%, and revenue increased 3% at Starbucks stores where a Dunkin
Donuts outlet was nearby. One county in California attempted to ban McDonald’s from
including toys in its high-calorie “Happy Meal” because legislators believed that toys
attracted children to unhealthy food.