November 3, 2011 | 10:23 AM | By

Study: Fast Food Customers Primarily Middle Class

Much of the debate surrounding improving health in low income communities has focused on eliminating food deserts by increasing the number of supermarkets in poor neighborhoods. But just living near a grocery store doesn’t necessarily translate into healthier eating habits.

GOOD tackles another myth, that fast food restaurants’ primary clientele are poor people. A University of California at Davis study found most fast food customers are lower middle class. People frequent such establishments more often as they move out of the low lncome bracket, and their patronage doesn’t decline until annual incomes hit around $60,000.


“The relationship between poverty, obesity, and fast-food restaurant use is more complicated than people realize,” [researcher J. Paul] Leigh says. “Fast-food restaurants aren’t the only factor contributing to low-income obesity.” That’s partly because the poorest Americans have too little cash to catch the eye of the McDonald’s marketing department. “McDonald’s and Burger King don’t cater to low-income families simply because they are not going to make that much money,” Leigh said. “They’re targeting middle-income families. The results of the study make complete sense from a business standpoint.”

The middle-class families who frequent the drive-through the most may have some money, but they tend to operate under a perpetual time crunch—less free time, more children, and little disposable income result in more quick trips to the Golden Arches. And they’re paying for the meals out of their own pockets—Leigh attributes the lack of low-income patrons at fast-food restaurants partially to the fact that food stamps are not accepted at most fast-food locations.

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