The French are just as greedy for American fast food as us – and this is why

The British and French may love to highlight their differences, but plenty unites us, perhaps nothing more than a taste for American fast food.

The land of Escoffier is just as greedy for Big Macs as Britain. When a new branch of McDonald’s in the Breton town of La Guerche-de-Bretagne made headlines in Le Figaro this month, it should not have been a surprise. By 2021, France had more branches of “McDo” than any European country (Britain wasn’t far behind in third).

McDonald’s, Burger King and KFC made up the first wave of American chains that cemented our love for greasy American food, and they still dominate our high streets. In Britain there may be 332 Waitrose outlets, 350 Wild Bean Cafes and even 459 Nando’s across the country, but there are a whopping 1,005 KFCs. Greggs, with 2,238 branches, is a rare flag-waver for “fast” British grub.

Not content with old-school imports, an influx of new chains has come in waves to satisfy our penchant for griddled patties and deep-fried wings. The 2008 recession caused an 8 per cent rise in fast food outlets in the UK, and by 2013 American giants Shake Shack and Five Guys had conquered Britain. Recent years have seen another wave, spurred on by the pandemic, which saw premium sites become available and a renewed need for affordable food. American burger chain Wendy’s relaunched in 2021, more than a decade after leaving the UK, while in 2019 chicken experts Wingstop arrived, calling Britain a “high-chicken consumption market”.