A study published by the company Hello Fresh reveals the number of fast food outlets compared to all restaurants present in 25 of the largest cities. Nîmes ranks on the national podium.
Everywhere in France, fast food is booming. According to a survey carried out by the company Hello Freshit is unsurprisingly in the megacities, Paris in the lead, that we find the most fast food offers. With 948 fast food restaurants, Montpellier ranks 10th.
But when this figure is related to the total number of establishments, the result is quite different. Paris plummets to second to last place with only 8.6% of fast food in its total catering offer. A town in Occitania, on the other hand, is on the national podium: it is Nîmes with 14.2%, well above the 11.5% which is the average in the 25 largest cities in France. Only Amiens (15.9%) and Cergy-Pontoise (18%) have more.
As Hello Fresh points out, fast food doesn’t always equal unhealthy food. The best-selling fast food in France remains the classic ham and butter. Burgers, pizzas, fish and chips, croque-monsieur, wraps and other salads can be considered fast foods.
Fast food that reinvents itself
“In the end, explains Hello Fresh, it is in particular the time devoted to service, preparation and tasting that define fast foodalthough the latter has one last element: lower prices compared to traditional catering.”
This mode of consumption is also booming in France. But also changing. “Reinterpreted, modernized, more aesthetic and above all healthier, it has come a long way since its implementation,” says Hello Fresh. Also, many small brands are emerging and the major fast-food chains are now very far from representing the majority of fast-food offerings.