Through intensive research and taste testing, the best fast food breakfast meal in the local area is Wawa. According to Britannica, fast food is categorized as “mass-produced food product designed for quick and efficient preparation and distribution that is sold by certain [locations].” The food distributors, Chick-fil-A, Wawa, Burger King, and McDonald’s all fall into this fast food category.
Fast food restaurants are a common choice for many adults seeking a quick and easy source of energy. Despite that, it is strongly encouraged for consumers to attempt to branch out to try to make some of their breakfast meals at home if possible. While time-efficient for customers, they don’t provide the same typical nutrition value as a meal made at home with fresh, quality ingredients. A balance between convenience and nutritional value is essential, but for those who depend on a fast meal, it is important to find the best source in the area.
While many fast food restaurants are national franchises, there are still some businesses that prove to be regionally based. For example, according to Matt Crowley, an author for Sporked, an online food ranking website, Wawa is “a chain of convenience stores and gas stations located on the East Coast, primarily within the Mid-Atlantic region.” The Wawa company first began with its origins in Pennsylvania, in Delaware County. Other fast food restaurants, such as Burger King, have moved to a more national scale, beginning in 1954 and expanding in recent years to about 14,000 stores in almost 100 countries. As a business moves to an international scale, oftentimes the consumers will notice a difference in the quality or consistency of the products over the span of the operations. Quick-Service Restaurant Magazine noted how “some larger national chains buck the home-turf trend.” With many companies competing to make popular similar products, such as hamburgers, hot dogs, and French fries, it becomes natural for many people to have a bias towards a company originating in an area closer to where they live.
In Bucks County alone, there are more than fifty individual Wawa franchises; meanwhile, the competing national-scale fast food chains, including Chick-fil-A, McDonald’s, and Burger King, offer fewer locations in the same region. The Burger King official site notes there are only twenty Burger King restaurants within the Bucks County area, showing more than a thirty-store decrease for consumers to visit. Consumers appreciate the convenience of having more centrally located fast food restaurants for stopping on the way to work or school for breakfast.
Wawa also offers a large variety of options to its customers. There are stations for those who would like drinks with make-your-own coffee machines. While ordering, there are many options for those who may have dietary restrictions, as the ordering kiosks allow ample customization of your order before payment. In some cases, the variety of options provides an inclusivity aspect that makes those who may have dietary restrictions feel less self-conscious when going out for food. Also, with this element of customization, Wawa allows customers to feel more in control of the food they purchase. For those who are running late and need a quick meal without the time to order on the kiosk, there are grab-and-go wraps, sandwiches called Sizzlis, and options from the built-in bakery.
Students at a local Bucks County high school, Pennridge High School, showed full support for Wawa. A voluntary survey of 32 students was conducted, prompting participants to answer which breakfast fast-food chain they would be most likely to recommend to a friend from out of town. Over 55% of the students chose Wawa as their choice, 21.9% chose Chick-fil-A, and extremely few chose McDonald’s and Burger King. There was simply no competition, with students showing clear support for Wawa, most likely due to its convenience and variety.
Lauren Widing, a high school student with a part-time job at the local Cafe at the Mill, explained the differences she noticed between the cafe services compared to the fast food restaurant services, saying, “I think cafe breakfast differs a lot from fast food breakfast, especially because of the way you have have to sit to order your food and wait for it instead of just picking it up and going within five minutes.” The timely manner in which the fast food service produces food for its customers, as noted by Widing, doesn’t come without a cost. Piper Yabut, another high school student with a part-time job at the local Burger King, noted how the breakfasts at the Burger King often do not taste good, stating, “It kinda sucks except for the hash browns and the French toast sticks,” and suggested that most foods there were “nasty.” Yabut urged customers to look towards making meals at home, as they are “better quality and fresher than fast food.”
Fast food restaurants for breakfast meals, while in many cases do not provide the most nutritious meal, provide customers a quick fix when they need fuel for the day. Still, while many Bucks County residents flock to Wawa, it is greatly important to create a healthy balance of going out to a favorite fast food restaurant and also cooking meals at home.
Sources:
https://www.britannica.com/topic/fast-food
https://www.britannica.com/money/Burger-King-Corporation
https://www.wawa.com/locations/store-locator
https://www.burgerking.com.my/Menu/Category/11
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1rSN80W7X5nykH-q067z4kaJAudM1lme-u5fkFOgaBDA/edit#responses
https://www.mashed.com/1011380/what-to-know-about-the-wawa-breakfast-menu/
