View Full Version : Another claim to fame of OKC!!



Easy180
04-12-2007, 11:42 AM
:omg:

The fast-food capital of America

An annual report tracks which U.S. cities have the greatest percentage of 'heavy users' of fast food. Oklahoma City has the dubious distinction of consistently topping the list, says Fortune's Matthew Boyle.

By Matthew Boyle, Fortune writer
April 12 2007: 12:21 PM EDT

NEW YORK (Fortune) -- In April of 1899, ambitious homesteaders sprinted to grab the best tracts of land in what became the state of Oklahoma, with some 10,000 of them settling in what is now downtown Oklahoma City almost overnight.

Good luck getting the city's denizens to re-create that famous run today.

Over the past several years, Oklahoma City has consistently been home to more so-called "heavy users" of fast food than any other American city, according to data compiled by Sandelman & Associates, a San Clemente, Calif.-based market research firm that tracks consumer trends for the $537 billion restaurant industry.

While Greenville, North Carolina earned the dubious honor as the No. 1 market for heavy users in 2006, with 59 percent of its fast-food patrons grabbing burgers and fries 12 or more times a month - versus a national average of 42 percent - only Oklahoma City made the top ten list in the years 1999, 2003 and 2006. (Heavy users, usually young men, are defined as those who visit a fast-food restaurant at least 12 times a month.)

"We're always excited to be in the top ten of things, but not this," says Christine Berney, a spokeswoman for the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber.

Last year, well over half (55 percent) of Oklahoma City fast-food patrons dined in establishments like McDonald's (Charts) or Wendy's (Charts) a dozen times or more per month, placing it tied for No. 3 with Memphis and Charleston/Huntington, West Virginia. A similar percentage of Oklahoma City residents earned "heavy user" status in 2003, while in 1999 that figure was 47 percent, still well above the national average of 38 percent at the time.

When ranked by the number of trips, fast-food users in McAllen, Texas, led the nation last year with 25 monthly visits per person, on average - yes, that's almost once every day - but Oklahoma City was right behind with 21. Three other Texas cities - El Paso, San Antonio and Dallas - also made the top ten. None of the leading fast-food gobbling cities is north of the Mason-Dixon line, Sandelman reported.

What's behind Oklahoma City's propensity to purchase Big Macs? For starters, Oklahoma City ranked No. 15 in the latest survey of "America's Fattest Cities" by Men's Fitness magazine, which based its results on things like gym memberships and the amount of time spent sitting in traffic. That's up from No. 17 last year, but this is not a list you want to move up on.

The city also houses the headquarters of fast food chain Sonic (Charts), which has 268 locations across the state. (By comparison, Sonic has only 34 restaurants in all of California.) A quick search of McDonald's locations in the Oklahoma City area turned up 50 Golden Arches in and around the city, so its residents are certainly not wanting for fast-food options.

Nor is McDonald's wanting for profitable customers: Its stock has quadrupled since 2003 and is currently trading right near its 52-week high of $46.74. Sonic has also been on a tear recently, receiving an upgrade from J.P. Morgan analyst Steven Rees late last month.

Finally, the median household income in Oklahoma City is $34,947, low for a city of its size, with a population of just over half a million, according to Census data. By comparison, Portland, Oregon, with a similar population, has a median household income of $40,146.

Perhaps not coincidentally, Portland's residents are among the least frequent patrons of fast-food establishments in the nation, along with Anchorage, Boston and Portland, Maine. Quick-service diners in those cities average fewer than 13 visits a month, well under the national average of 17 visits, Sandelman found.

To its credit, Oklahoma City is trying to whip itself into better shape - about 18 months ago Mayor Mick Cornett launched the "Mayor's Fitness Challenge" along with his counterpart in Tulsa, and Cornett's office has also distributed 100 pedometers to city employees to encourage them to walk more.

And Oklahoma City is of course not alone in its insatiable appetite for fatty burgers, salty fries and sugary soft drinks. Nationwide, on average, fast-food patrons have upped their monthly visits from 14 in 1999 to 17 last year.

While the restaurant industry vehemently discounts any link between fast food consumption and rising obesity rates, it's worth noting that researchers at the nonprofit Rand Corporation recently found that the proportion of Americans with a body-mass index of 30 or more increased by 24 percent between 2000 and 2005. (Body mass index is calculated by dividing weight in kilograms by the square of a person's height in meters. An adult who has a BMI of 30 or higher is considered obese.)

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Oklahoma was one of 17 states that had an obesity prevalence rate of 25 percent or higher in 2005. Back in 1990, no state had a rate at or above 20 percent.

It looks like the city might need a few more pedometers.

Study: TV ads = higher obesity risk for kids

M&M's maker to stop marketing to kids

jbrown84
04-12-2007, 12:02 PM
Oh, great.


Not surprisingly, they twisted facts to make us look worse. OF COURSE we have more Sonics than California! They have only just barely started expansion that far west. And then they list the amount of McDonalds, but don't compare it. And the median income is lower because our cost of living is lower, but of course they don't mention that.

Misty
04-12-2007, 12:04 PM
Oklahoma's health problem is unbelievable! The Health Sciences Center is hosting this event tomorrow if anyone wants to attend:

University of Oklahoma

President David L. Boren

The Health Sciences Center Faculty Senate

The Health Sciences Center Student Association

Invite you to



A Health Care Policy Debate

On the Massachusetts Health Plan



Panelists

Judy Feder, One of the Nation’s Leaders in Health Policy



John McDonough, Executive Director, Health Care for All,

Massachusetts’ Leading Consumer Health Advocacy Organization



Tim Murphy, Secretary of the Massachusetts Executive Office of

Health and Human Services in Gov. Mitt Romney’s Administration



Michael Tanner, Director of Health and Welfare Studies at the Cato Institute,

A Nonprofit Public Policy Research Foundation



2:00 p.m.

Friday, April 13, 2007

College of Public Health Auditorium

Video Broadcast to: Tulsa Schusterman Center 3108



Parking is available in the lot west of the College of Public Health.

Please enter off N.E. 13th Street.



Please respond by calling the

Office of Special Events at (405) 325-3784.

Karried
04-12-2007, 12:07 PM
UGH - Makes us look like a bunch of obese poverty stricken french fry inhalers.:hungry:

Let's all Boycott fastfoods for the month of April/May ... anyone up for a challenge?

floater
04-12-2007, 02:22 PM
I'm in. I did go twice Tuesday, so this will be a true month, hehe.

jbrown84
04-12-2007, 02:24 PM
Only if we exclude Panera & Quiznos and the like...

Tim
04-12-2007, 02:32 PM
UGH - Makes us look like a bunch of obese poverty stricken french fry inhalers.:hungry:

Let's all Boycott fastfoods for the month of April/May ... anyone up for a challenge?

I'm there. I'm kinda cheating cuz I don't eat it anyway. No moral high ground here, just a reaction to reading Fast Food Nation.

Easy180
04-12-2007, 02:36 PM
Or the fact that over 30 days McDonald's fries looked exactly the same!...That movie soured me on McD's, but I'm sure all other fast food is made up of wholesome all natural ingredients

BDP
04-12-2007, 03:43 PM
Not surprisingly, they twisted facts to make us look worse.

Actually the facts make us look bad, regardless of their conclusions or associations. 268 locations is pretty absurd no matter how many California has. For California to achieve the same number of locations per capita, they will have to expand to over 2700 locations.


And the median income is lower because our cost of living is lower

I don't think that's why our income is lower. We just don't have a lot of good paying jobs. The low cost of living mitigates our low wages, but it doesn't cause it. If anything our low income actually causes downward pressure on living expenses, but in reality it has more to do with our ample inventory of real estate compared to the demand to live here.

The article makes some weird associations, but it's raw data is enough to paint the city and its culture in a bad light. The reality is that Oklahoma City offers very poor choices in what to eat. Whether that is because Oklahoma City will only support fast food, I can't really say. All I know is that it is almost hard to avoid eating at some of those places in Oklahoma City. There are very few choices where you can get a quick bite to eat that isn't a major fast food restaurant and those choices are spread out all over the city.

Again, the article takes some liberties with its associations, but I have to say that I have not lived anywhere or been to any other large city where fast food is so dominant. Well, Los Angeles is close, but it has a lot of other choices mixed in.

jbrown84
04-12-2007, 04:01 PM
Whether that is because Oklahoma City will only support fast food, I can't really say. All I know is that it is almost hard to avoid eating at some of those places in Oklahoma City. There are very few choices where you can get a quick bite to eat that isn't a major fast food restaurant and those choices are spread out all over the city.

Yet, just the other day someone on here was complaining that a new sandwich shop was entering the market...

Pete
04-12-2007, 05:02 PM
One of the big reasons for so many fast food places in OKC is urban sprawl.

Land is cheap so these places spring up all over the place... And they all have drive-thrus because of the same dynamics. Even Johnny's!

People are in their cars all the time with drive-thrus / drive-ins everywhere you turn.

Misty
04-13-2007, 07:31 AM
My boyfriend and I are on board with the ban! It will be interesting to see how we feel after eliminating all the "crap" we eat from our diets. Hmmm, should we get more on board and see if the paper will run a story to get more people on board as well?

kmf563
04-13-2007, 10:31 AM
Statistics is such a tricky little booger. I want to know how they retrieved this information. Did they look at how active we are compared to other states? Most people I know only eat fast food when they are running their kids from activity to activity and are crunched for time. Did they look at what items were purchased..you know all the fast food chains are pushing their healthy items. Did they look at the comparison between single adults in each city? They tend to eat out more often. What I learned from statistics class is that sampling and numbers can be manipulated to show anything you want them to show. Before you start the boycott think about this - every dollar that goes into a fast food chain in oklahoma goes back into the community via taxes. Sort of a double edged sword. And if we consume the most fast food...why is it so hard for us to attain new chains? We only have what, 2 steak & shakes in the metro and they are both new. And we have zero dairy queens. How about a chipoltes - I'd like one of those. Zero jack in the box. most of the burger kings have closed down. Maybe on the upside some of these names will realize we have a market for them. I'd like more choices than mcdonalds, taco bell, and sonic!!

jbrown84
04-13-2007, 10:51 AM
I also would like to know if they include things like Quizno's, Subway, Jersey Mike's, Panera, Which Wich?, and others that tend to be much healthier than McDonalds or Long John Silvers.

SouthsideSooner
04-13-2007, 11:08 AM
This isn't something that just developed recently.

I managed fast food in the late 80's and early 90's and we were told then that Okc had more fast food restuarants per capita than any other city in the world.

dismayed
04-13-2007, 08:13 PM
I think a lot of the associations in the article were unfair and somewhat offensive. I also thought the reasoning and logic in parts was flawed, and I noticed that they got the name of the fitness magazine they quoted wrong, it was actually Men's Health, I have the issue in question.

All those flaws aside, OKC is a pretty fat city. I think the reasons mostly boil down to two things. The first one is cultural. We live in a part of the country that loves southern food, and all-American food. I think we deep fry practically everything here (chicken, catfish, Twinkies, Oreos, etc.). We love burgers, shakes, and hot dogs. Also this part of the country is big on beef. It's what is produced here... fish just isn't very fresh in this part of the country no matter where it comes from.

The second has to do with the young age of our city and its urban sprawl. People are so used to driving in cars and not having to walk much that I think this somehow translates into most folks not wanting to hop on a treadmill for a few hours a week. Land is so cheap and abundant that corporations can start up chains almost on any street corner. The city is so young that we never really got to see an era where lots and lots of cafes and local restaurants were king, and survived after corporations and franchises took over because of their deep community roots.

Also, frankly in Boston or New York if you're paying $2000 a month for a flop you probably don't have any spare cash to be going out and grabbing a burger once a day. Not to mention you may have to walk an hour to and from a restaurant to get a burger.

Clearly their logic is flawed since the same trends are seen in Dallas and Houston, two of the largest and richer cities in the US.

jbrown84
04-13-2007, 10:42 PM
Also, frankly in Boston or New York if you're paying $2000 a month for a flop you probably don't have any spare cash to be going out and grabbing a burger once a day. Not to mention you may have to walk an hour to and from a restaurant to get a burger.

My dad asked one of his residents who was from Boston about this and he said the same thing--it's just not the culture to eat out at all (fast food or sit down) because it's just so expensive there.

JerzeeGrlinOKC
04-14-2007, 10:17 AM
I do agree that the statistics that got them to come to their conclusions that we are the fast food capital of the country are very suspicious and should be taken with a grain of salt for all the reasons you guys mentioned earlier. I personally don't see any difference with fast food consumption here than I do with any other place I've lived.

However, besides the health issues (which are very troubling...) I think its a shame that we embrace fast food in this city as much as we do (as much as any city for that matter). There are so many local nice places to eat around here that are not fast food and not that expensive. I for one am willing to pay a few dollars more for food that is infinitely better tasting and better for me, without unpronounceable chemicals and sugar and fat added. I think its these dollar menus that get us reeled in. I am with you guys on a boycott, its not hard to do. If you're going to eat out, pick a local place! Get out of your cars! Spend some more pennies, its worth it! Or just eat at home, spend some quality time with your friends and family over a home cooked meal.

Let's be positive guys, we can turn this dubious title around if we spread the word.

Oh and one more thing, I think we have to walk the walk on this talk board. I hope people curb their posts about "did you guys hear about the McDonald's going in on the corner of X and X?". It's honestly so frustrating to read those when I am looking on the boards to find out about unique and local places to grab a bite to eat.

okclee
04-14-2007, 10:43 AM
I have written about this before on Okc Talk. Okc is always at or near the top on other lists as well when it comes to health. Men's Health recently gave Okc an "F" for a healty city.

Meanwhile Austin Tx ranks as one of the healthiest cities with diet and exercise, and they are a southern city. Forget about stats, just look around the next time you go somewhere, we the people of Okc need to get in shape.

Oklahoma City is a fat city! Let's face it, as a whole Okc is fat and lazy. We hate to exercise and we love to eat fat.

I know that this is an epedimic of the entire U.S., but that is not a reason that Okc has to be at the top in every statistical category, when it comes to diet and exercise. Stop eating FAT and start to exercise. Don't complain about parking because you will have to walk, don't get excited to see the new all-you-can-eat near your house or the new fat-burger that is locating in Okc.

Maybe MAPS 3 needs to be health related?

Afterall our greatest resource as a city is our citizens.

MAPS 3 we will all get personal fitness instructors and dieticians to whip us into shape as a city.

okclee
04-14-2007, 10:46 AM
Here's another link about Okc being unhealthy.

Oklahoma City - One of the Most Unfit Cities in the Nation (http://okc.about.com/od/communityandorganizations/a/okcunfitcity.htm)

okclee
04-14-2007, 12:08 PM
Check this out......too.

The Best & Worst Cities For Men 2007 - Men's Health (http://www.menshealth.com/cda/article.do?site=MensHealth&channel=health&category=metrogrades&conitem=cf0e3adb5ef8f010VgnVCM10000013281eac____)

writerranger
04-14-2007, 02:13 PM
Or, we could just get everyone to read Fast Food Nation (http://www.amazon.com/Fast-Food-Nation-Eric-Schlosser/dp/0060838582/)(or at least watch the fictional movie (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0460792/)) and they wouldn't want to eat fast food!

Edit: I just read this..... Burger King admits - and must disclose - that their Double Whopper w/ Cheese has 1020 calories and 65 grams of fat!

------------------

okclee
04-14-2007, 02:33 PM
^^^ You may be on to something Writerranger........we could mandate in our public schools that each class should watch the movie. It wouldn't hurt and then like always you make your own choice.

The real question is, why is Oklahoma such a fat and unhealthy state?

BDP
04-16-2007, 03:15 PM
I also would like to know if they include things like Quizno's, Subway, Jersey Mike's, Panera, Which Wich?, and others that tend to be much healthier than McDonalds or Long John Silvers.

That's the biggest problem with the article. It does not define the parameters of the study from which they draw all of their conclusions. Granted, every city is held to the same standard and there really isn't any excuse for Oklahoma City's ability to top study after study when it comes to fast food consumption, but what I would like to do is get a strict reading of what constitutes fast food and come up with a month's worth of restaurants in Oklahoma City at which one could eat lunch that does not meet the fast food criteria according to these studies.

I'll try e-mailing the author of this article and see if I can get some parameters upon which to base this list.