The Draw of Fast Food Chains in Hempstead Village
Nassau News Staff Writer
Fast-food restaurants have Hempstead residents flocking to them. The village of Hempstead, consisting of 56,554 residents, keeps eight fast food-chain restaurants in business. Why? Is it because it's simply easier to pick up fast food for a meal than it is to take the time out to make a nutritional, balanced meal? Nassau News talked to some hungry residents.
Nutrition may be a huge factor in people’s lives, but residents of Hempstead ultimately pick the fastest, easiest way to buy a meal, whether it is salads or fried chicken. Even though fast food chains are thinking of healthy alternatives, their main customers are still adding fries to their order. Consumers at these fast food chains would pick convenience over health.
It is almost impossible to believe that each of these chains stay open due to the fact that they are so similar. There is a Popeye’s Chicken, Kennedy Chicken and Wings n’ Things all right across the street from each other on Hempstead Turnpike.
“We have such a variety of food from healthy to unhealthy and customers mostly buy the fried food and the gyros,” said Shah Shah, manager of Kennedy Chicken. Kennedy Chicken sticks out compared to the other fast food chains on this strip due to its variety of foods, but customers that go to Kennedy Chicken go to the other fast food chains as well. Some residents go up to five nights a week.
From going from one fast food chain to the next, the consensus from the managers is that the most popular customers that are keeping these chains alive are parents. These parents are either getting food for themselves or for their children. Since 38.7% of residents in the Village of Hempstead. have children living with them, it is clear to see the draw to these fast-food chains and why they are so busy.
The epidemic of fast food will never change.
The Village of Hempstead proves that by having eight extremely similar chain restaurants practically right next door to the other. No matter how healthy our world today has become, it is apparent that it is hard to not give into the temptation and convenience of fast food.
- This multimedia article was reported as a final individual project for JRNL 80, Online Journalism, Section A, Fall 2007, Professor: Mo Krochmal, Hofstra University (e-mail: maurice.krochmal at hofstra.edu).
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