Many of you cross the door of fast foods and you all have a good reason. “We go there when we have nothing in the fridge,” says a mother. “I need to eat something just quickly,” says a young man. “Like that, we shouldn’t cook something at home,” says another. “It’s a pleasure, it is priceless or reason,” adds a customer. Eat quickly for cheap, a winning recipe. Last year, the Belgians spent nearly a billion euros in this type of brands, or nearly 90 euros per person. “It really has an easy side, quick for a very easy meal at any time of the day, including even snacks,” explains Vincent Pannets, communications expert. The second aspect is the affordable aspect in terms of price, since there are really cheap menus, even in less than 10 euros in some cases. Third element, there is the digitalization side ”.
Large fast food chains have understood this. In recent years, they have largely established themselves in Belgium. Today there are a total of 1020 restaurants, including 258 in Flanders, 188 in Wallonia and 78 in Brussels. And the expansion does not stop there. McDonald’s, Burger King or even Belchicken, together these brands intend to open 250 new restaurants in the next five years. “The number of fast food restaurants in Belgium is still lower than the market could really accommodate,” says Gert Laurijssen, spokesperson for Foodservice Alliance. “This means that catering channels, especially international, see our market as an opportunity for growth,” he said.
The place is strategic. Rapid restaurants are increasingly installed on the outskirts of major cities to get closer to consumers. “In an environment saturated with attractive, inexpensive and not very healthy products, people tend to favor fast food,” adds Gert Laurijssen.
An increase followed with concern by health experts. Today, almost half of the Belgians being overweight, including 18 % suffering from obesity.
