Fast-Food Chains Go for a Hip Image

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The Identity of Fast-Food Chains

Why do we consider smaller fast-food chains like Byron, Five Guys or Shake Shack cooler than McDonald’s or KFC? Their identity, table service, menu, food prices and the fact that they serve craft beers all play a role. People love the illusion, not the facts, according to an interesting Creative Review analysis. And people love design with a high degree of hip and alternative appeal, and then it doesn’t matter whether it is authentic or not. Small brands are more often associated with craftsmanship and authenticity than the major fast-food brands. Yet the big guys must be doing something right, because they have been around for decades, reinvent themselves time and again, and generally remain completely true to themselves. Read the full analysis here.

Banning Food Is Counterproductive

New research from Arizona State University involving 380 people shows that if you tell someone who is dieting how unhealthy a particular food is, they will only crave it more. But it is not just the food police who have this effect on people; the same applies to advertisements conveying this message. Why do people react this way? It is a counterreaction, because they feel that their freedom to choose what they eat is being threatened.

Moshik Roth Cooks During the Olympic Games in Rio

Visitors to the Olympic Games in Brazil can dine at a star-chef level at the Holland Heineken House. Moshik Roth, the chef of the Amsterdam restaurant &samhoud places, awarded two Michelin stars, will cook in the Olympic Club of the Holland Heineken House from August 4 through 21. The changing multi-course menu will be inspired by the Olympic Games and will feature Brazilian flavors.

Sources: CreativeReview, NYmag
Image: Byron