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authors �Garcia-Ramon et al. 1995: 268) have
pointed out their varying impacts on the labour
force. They found that women in particular play an
important role in the new hospitality functions of
farms, as much of the work falls on those who
traditionally have domestic duties.
References
Garcia-Ramon, M.D., Cavoves, G. and Valdovinos,
N. �1995) `Farm tourism, gender and the
environment in Spain', Annals of Tourism Research
22: 267±82.
fast food
VALENE SMITH, USA
VERONICA LONG, USA
Fast food restaurants offer limited menus of such
items as hamburgers, french fries, hot dogs, chicken
sandwiches, tacos, burritos, gyros, pizzas, pancakes,
various finger foods and other choices for the
convenience of customers wanting a quick meal.
Orders are placed at a counter often under a
brightly-lit menu featuring colour photographs of
what is featured on the menu, receive their food
within a few minutes of ordering, and have the
option of consuming it at or away from the
restaurant. Some common characteristics of fast
food outlets are a clean environment, simple yet
pleasant decor, consistent product quality, automated
systems and quick service. A large number
of fast food properties are part of such large
franchise systems as McDonald's, Pizza Hut,
Kentucky Fried Chicken �KFC), International
Pancake House, Subway, Taco Bell, Quick and
Georgie Pie.
This restaurant subsector consists of more than
180,000 locations in the United States, generating
sales of more than $100 billion in 1997. They
posted an annual average sales growth of 5.4 per
cent annually between 1990 and 1997. Wraps and
pitas, espresso and specialty coffee, and bagels are
the items cited most by operators as gaining
popularity. Value meals, which include a combination
of food and beverage items at a discount, are
also on the rise. Introducing at least one new item
every year was a goal expressed by operators. The
average check per person at fast food restaurants
was $3.33 in 1997, up 3.4 per cent over 1996.
During 1990±6, check averages grew an average of
2.1 per cent per year. The restaurant industry sales
as a whole are projected to increase 4.6 per cent in
1999 to reach $354 billion, according to a 1998
report published in Restaurants USA. The 1998 sales,
according to National Restaurant Association,
increased by about 5.1 per cent, to $105.7 billion.
The average American eats out at least four
times a week in a restaurant, of which two times
are in fast food properties. According to the
Association's 1998 customer survey, 76 per cent
of the customers felt that the value they received
for the paid price met or exceeded their expectations.
Today, tourists, along with residents, in a
growing number, frequent fast food restaurants
everywhere. In 1998 McDonalds alone had 24,500
stores in 115 countries ± with twenty-seven of them
located at major airports ± where hamburgers and
fries are iconised, internationalised and sought
after worldwide.
Further reading
National Restaurant Association �1998) Limited
Service Restaurant Trends, Washington DC: NRA.
Walker, J.R. �1996) `The restaurant business', in
J.R. Walker, Introduction to Hospitality, Engelwood
Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 170±3.
feasibility study
feasibility study 223
PETER D'SOUZA, USA
PHIL McGUIRK, USA
A feasibility study is an in-depth analysis of the
financial prospects for a project or property
development. It is not intended, nor should it
be construed, to be a document that is prepared to
prove the profitability of a new venture. Although
the document is called an economic feasibility
study, the report contains much more than
financial data, generally limited to statements of
cash flows. These are projected commonly for a
period of five years because it takes a new property
about that much time to achieve a stabilised