UK From takeaway pizza outlets to purveyors of deep-fried chickens, the recession has proven to be a boon for fast-food operators as more people have turned to cheap and easy food.
At a time when restaurant chains, hit by higher operating costs and lower spending among diners, are scaling back growth plans, fast food companies, emboldened by new custom and lower rent, have expanded their presence on high streets. According to the Local Data Company, which monitors 705 town centres across the UK, the number of fast-food chains in the top 10 UK cities rose 8.2 per cent in the year to October, after a 6.6 per cent increase the previous year.
