Drive-Thru Dreams: A Journey Through the Heart of America's Fast-Food Kingdom

by Adam Chandler

“This is a book to savor, especially if you’re a fast-food fan.”—Bookpage"This fun, argumentative, and frequently surprising pop history of American fast food will thrill and educate food lovers of all speeds."—Publishers WeeklyMost any honest person can own up to harboring at least one fast-food guilty pleasure. In Drive-Thru Dreams, Adam Chandler explores the inseparable link between fast food and American life for the past century. The dark underbelly of the industry’s largest players has long been scrutinized and gutted, characterized as impersonal, greedy, corporate, and worse. But, in unexpected ways, fast food is also deeply personal and emblematic of a larger than life image of America.With wit and nuance, Chandler reveals the complexities of this industry through heartfelt anecdotes and fascinating trivia as well as interviews with fans, executives, and workers. He traces the industry from its roots in Wichita, where White Castle became the first fast food chain in 1921 and successfully branded the hamburger as the official all-American meal, to a teenager's 2017 plea for a year’s supply of Wendy’s chicken nuggets, which united the internet to generate the most viral tweet of all time.Drive-Thru Dreams by Adam Chandler tells an intimate and contemporary story of America—its humble beginning, its innovations and failures, its international charisma, and its regional identities—through its beloved roadside fare.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Food, Business, Sociology, Audiobook, Travel

278 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 25, 2019

Reviews

[Antigone · Rating 2 out of 5]

When I first saw this I was reminded of David Foster Wallace and those mid-novel magazine assignments - most of which have been compiled in his essay collections. That man did extraordinary things with a trip to a lobster festival and the unendurable hell he found on a luxury cruise ship. Though he is lost to us now, I still discover myself hunting for the every-one-of-us-deep-down-inside journey through what we imagine to be mundane, yet is actually not. We still have hungry young magazine writers, after all; edgy literary renegades looking to flex the muscle, to grease the wheel, to fire the pistons of the brain. That's what I tell myself, anyway. I don't know. Maybe you need the bandanna. Maybe the bandanna is key.

Adam Chandler is one such magazine writer, and it occurred to him to counter the negative press currently assailing the fast food industry with a meditation on same. Much research was done. Many interviews were collected. That is clear. It is also clear that Mr. Chandler didn't have all that great a fix on where he planned to take this. Which is fine if it is, as the subtitle states: A Journey Through the Heart of America's Fast-Food Kingdom. Only no discernible journey appears in these pages. Mr. Chandler, himself, doesn't fully hit the tarmac until the epilogue. The epilogue.

The most focused (and consequently best) material arrives mid-way through, in chapters containing an interview with Michael Pollan and the impact of social media promotion on the industry-at-large. It's not enough, though.

C'mon, boys. C'mon. More thought, less cleverness. We can do better than this.

[Jill H. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a hard book to comment upon since it can be amusing in parts and ho-hum in others. The author dissects the social history of the fast food/drive-thru chains that have become a part of the American landscape. But he also provides some interesting and humorous anecdotes about fast food culture and the marketing ideas that were pure genius or fell flat. Remember Burger Chef?

If you have nothing exciting in your tbr pile, you might want to read this but don't go out of your way to find it. It is rather mediocre.

BTW, my guilty pleasure is the White Castle slider

[Bookworm · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another book that looks at the history of fast food in the US and how it's intertwined with US history. He starts back with White Castle and looks with various fast food franchises to the plea for free nuggets on Twitter. Tidbits of information, funny anecdotes, marketing gimmicks, and more.

It wasn't quite what I thought it would be and found it rather boring, honestly. There was some interesting information (since I didn't know much about White Castle) but I thought the writing was pretty tedious and tough to get through. So I'm really surprised at all the positive comments that found Chandler's writing was witty or great.

Borrowed from the library and that was definitely for the best.

[Rory · Rating 2 out of 5]

If Adam Chandler had gotten out of his own way and let his obvious research take hold of Drive-Thru Dreams, it would have made for a far more interesting examination of an important part of American social and industrial history. As it happens, you have to slog through Chandler being oh-so-pleased with himself for his turns of phrase before reaching a few interesting historical nuggets here. But either there are better chroniclers of these fast-food companies to be found, or we can hope that they'll emerge.

[Carin · Rating 4 out of 5]

So is everyone eating only drive-through and take-out right now? Good. Is the world outside making you crave comfort food? Me too. Isn't the Spicy Chicken Sandwich from Wendy's the best fast food item out there? You're wrong, yes it is.

So everyone I know claims to spurn fast food and only eat organic. You're all lying and you know it and I know it but that's okay. I'll see you in line at Popeye's and we'll pretend we never saw each other. Meanwhile, you should read this really fun book! It's the complete opposite of Fast Food Nation. Mr. Chandler appreciates fast food. He doesn't say it's healthy or that we should eat it daily, but he doesn't deny its appeal.

He goes back in time to the beginnings when White Castle was the first successful national chain. He progresses through McDonalds and Ray Kroc, up through KFC's Twitter feed (KFC follows exactly 11 people on Twitter--6 random guys named Herb and the 5 Spice Girls. Hysterical.)

If you have opinions on which chain has the best french fries and whether or not meat-substitutes will ever be able to work in the fast food world, you'll appreciate this book. With 20 minutes left, I had to turn into Wendy's. Especially because it was one of the fancy new ones with wood paneling and a fireplace! Mmmm, Frosty. Are you with me?

[Fabulous Book Fiend · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was so interesting. I did the audio and it was well-narrated. I learned a lot about some of the chains I have visited and added a ton of chains to the list to go and check out now I know more about them...

[Sahara · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn't talk about the ins and outs of In-N-Out so if anyone wants a research paper on that one just let me know.

[Max · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read a few books on fast-food history, for some reason I keep picking them out. A weird sort of fascination, I barely eat fast-food myself.

This is not the best book I've read on the topic, but I love the refreshing look on the cultural aspect of fast-food and the restaurants that serve it. There's not so much about the health perspective, but plenty is written on that.

The writing is sometimes a bit pompous, but in all it was an interesting read with some things I didn't know before.

[Yarslov · Rating 4 out of 5]

My very first thought when laying eyes on the cover was:

"Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" with Guy Fieri.
This book was going to be a road trip across America and only stopping at Fast Food.

Essentially it was at the beginning, I got a lot of information how White Castle, KFC, and McDonald's started; their history. But it didn't stop there. Adam Chandler brought fast food to the table how it changed America. It changed the way we eat and shaped our culture.

Please note that do not read when hungry

I am 27, I was born in '92. Fast Food to me was when we went on road trips to visit my grandparents- one set lived in PA while the other in SC (we live in GA) OR when life was too crazy and Mom didn't have the energy to cook an entire meal. I have happy memories in the play place in McDonald's, running around care free while my hash browns where waiting with my Dad. I recall sheer excitement when going to Arby's and getting to ring the bell. You know kid stuff. We didn't have it often, but when we did, man, it was good.

And now, in 2019 (well, it started earlier) there has been a battle cry for food: better food, non GMOs, food with meaning....no more fast food. That we are learning that what we BUY is our vote for what we want!

After reading, when driving through town I noticed that there is about 10 fast food places all within 2 miles of each other. Some right across the street! And this isn't even near the interstate! I mean, I always knew they where there (I ate there plenty of times) but it never occurred to me that they are dominant of all other food places.

What is funny now, is that right now, September 1, 2019, there is a "war" between Popeye's and Chick Fil A over chicken sandwiches. Social Media is eating it up, so to say. All on my feed is about these chicken sandwiches! There is so many others important things going on in the world (the Amazon is on FIRE) and us Americans are thinking about which chicken sandwich is better.

Anyway to wrap it all up, this book is all about Fast Food: how it began and how changed and is changing our world.

[hannah · Rating 1 out of 5]

i do not care

[Reza Amiri Praramadhan · Rating 5 out of 5]

If everybody said that United States has no culture, they must have never tried KFC's original recipe fried chicken or McDonald's Big Mac. This book brings us through the history of various Fast Food brands in America and their impacts on both America and the World. From the humble beginning of White Castle's sliders hailing from Wichita, Kansas, American fast foods gripped the world as exemplified by McDonald's opened its first outlet in Moscow's Red Square, Soviet Union, marking the penetration of American capitalism into the heart of Global Communism.

The historical and cultural impacts aside, I found my mouth constantly watering at the descriptions of various fast foods in this book. I lament the fact that many of the brands mentioned in this book still shied from opening its first outlet in Indonesia, the country I lived in. I am particularly interested in how the various brands, despite its similarities in menu (fried chicken, burger, etc.) managed to find niche that became their specialties and endear themselves in their fans' hearts (and stomach). The ingenuity of the founders of these brands is also needs to be commended, and the takeover of these brands by various faceless corporations are to be lamented.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Want a "bite-sized" look at the history of the fast food industry? This is your book! Want more bad food puns? Keep reading this review! The book started with White Castle (who knew!) and explored the rise (and fall) of many of the best known chains. As it is a recent book, the author looked into the personalities of the chains social media and the challenges the industry faced as people slowly started shifting to healthier alternatives. It was interesting to see how cyclical that was as I had completely forgotten about attempts like the McLean. I was surprised there was not more on the food safety aspect, with Chipotle's struggles and concerns about McDonald's chicken. My main issue was with the nuggets of history. While they were a good appetizer, I wanted the combo meal. One example was when he talked about the rise of Harland Sanders. He has a brief footnote about him being involved in a shooting with a rival who later died. That deserves some digging! How was he able to create such a lovable character like the Colonel with that in his background. Otherwise, an enjoyable book that could have been Super-Sized (ok I'm done!)

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Im going to be an outlier here. I really enjoyed this one. I know most of the information in it from different sources such as The food that made us shows on the History channel and the like and with the knowledge you would think I would be mediocre at best on this book but I really liked it not for what it is, which is a fine informative book on the cultural phenomenons that arise in and around fast food as well as a few history of franchise chapters, but for what it isn't. Usually books of this type look down upon the product they are covering and are filled with snide comments that make the author feel better about him or herself for covering such a menial and to them distasteful subject. This book is the exact opposite it is a love letter to a ubiquitous part of the American Landscape with no judgement. And for that alone its worth reading.

I liked it. Worth a read. Picked it up on a whim when it was in displayed on an end cap at the local library and I'm glad I did. A fun rabbit hole from my normal reading.

[MargaretDH · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fun little tour of fast food in America - both the restaurants themselves, but also an examination of the way that American culture and the American Dream made the USA the perfect place for McDonalds, Dairy Queen, Whataburger and In-N-Out Burger to flourish.

This was interesting - not the kind of thing I wanted to read cover to cover, but perfect to dip into on lunch break. I didn't know, for example, that Harland Sanders of KFC personally mentored Dave Thomas of Wendys, or that McDonalds feeds 1% of Earth's population everyday, while also using 5% of all eggs laid in the United States on an annual basis. I also liked Chandler's forays into examining the ways in which American ideals of equality, efficiency and entrepreneurialism collided to spawn the Golden Arches. Plus, he makes some good Dad jokes.

[Jeff Swystun · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my type of book. It resonated but not because I am a fast food aficionado. It is because I love this style of social history that are well researched, written and constructed. Author Chandler has poked into the corners of fast food kitchens to come up with great facts, stories, and trivia. He presents all in wonderful prose that is bright and conversational.

Chandler does not just present a history, he provides keen insights. He maps the origination and expansion of fast food to race, socioeconomics, the American Dream, migration, innovation, television and the impact of America’s highway system and car culture. There is a marvelous structure to the book. It is non-linear and does not do the obvious like dedicating a chapter to KFC. If flows very well.

And he does something I love…going off on related tangents. There are tons throughout including cupholders in cars, eggs benedict, minivans and SUVs, Joseph Schumpeter’s creative destruction theory, and the burger foam container.

He lays out the blueprint of successful fast food brands. It is a menu of predictability, technical precision, comfort, speed and relative affordability. One may ask, what about good food? That isn’t always the first consideration. Chandler writes about the first burgers which were actually sliders. Burgers were tiny in their early days and at first were meatballs until a fellow smashed them flat on the griddle.

One through-line of the book is how, in the pursuit of speed and uniformity, burgers and other items lost their homemade flavour in favour of assembly line volume. When Colonel Sanders sold his chain, he would go back to franchises and berate them for the rapidly deteriorating menu. Still, knowing you are going to get the same thing every time is the primary promise a fast food operation makes.

A White Castle Vice President summed it up, “A ritual creates a freedom from anxiety that isn’t rote. It’s standardization, but within that standardization there’s still an experience that’s a little bit unique.”

One insight that I was noting as I read was soon a focus of Chandler’s. That is, how the founders of the most successful chains share the same background. As the author writes, “they came from hardscrabble roots, knew hunger as children, committed to some form of wartime national service, worked countless blue-collar jobs, and generally didn’t triumph until well into middle age.” This checklist applies to the gentlemen who started Wendy’s, Taco Bell, Carl’s Jr., Dunkin’ Donuts, Chick-fil-A, and Popeyes.

Sanders of KFC had the hardest life one could imagine. I have often said a far better movie than The Founder featuring Ray Kroc’s story would be The Colonel. It is absolutely amazing. If you want to learn more about his amazing life, here is a piece I wrote, (https://tinyurl.com/bp9npev6). Being a fan of the Colonel, Chandler provided something I did not know and that is Dave Thomas of Wendy’s apprenticed with Sanders.

Dairy Queen makes for an interesting topic. A symbol of Americana, it is posited that a small US city must have a DQ to be legit. That notion is very similar within my country of Canada. Every small town must have a Tim Horton’s to be truly Canadian. As a Canuck, I am not familiar with Whataburger but boy, do I want to try one. They are credited with first serving the size of burger we are familiar with today.

What is missing is a bit of focus on chains dedicated to fish like Arthur Treacher’s, Captain D’s Seafood Kitchen, and Long John Silvers. I find them fascinating as a subcategory. Chandler definitely is biased towards burgers and chicken. Fries, pizza, subs, and hot dogs get little mention. Mexican gets some due while Chinese is left off the menu.

Chandler does tell the story of the Filet-O-Fish and Ray Kroc’s initial objection to it as part of the menu. This section was great as it included Kroc’s infamous Hula Burger. It was a meatless burger introduced in the 60's as a substitute for American Catholics that would not eat meat on Fridays (as was the Filet-O-Fish). The Hula Burger was a thick slice of grilled pineapple with cheese on a bun.

In this section, I loved learning about the ginormous Arby’s Meat Mountain (two chicken tenders, slices of roast turkey, pit-smoked ham, corned beef, 13-hour smoked brisket, USDA-choice Angus steak, roast beef, pepper bacon, cheddar and swiss cheese). And Fatburger’s hilariously named Hypocrite, “which is a veggie burger topped with bacon.”

In the chapter named, Glasnost, the author misses an important piece of history. Though McDonalds is absolutely American in origin, it took the head of McDonalds Canada to make the deal to open up in Russia. That was slightly more palatable to Soviet decision-makers.

Chandler does well covering how some chains have localized their menus. I speak and write about this and its impact on branding. McDonalds’ logos in France are green and in Japan, red. They are appealing locally while sanding off some of the American associations. He gets into the irony of healthy fast foods like salads. Though not a fast food concept, I learned that Applebee’s Oriental Chicken salad clocks in at 1,420 calories.

This is a Whopper of a book. Jammed with great stuff like a KFC bucket. Salty good like the Baconator. I could go on but instead will provide my favourite burgers. Weirdly, I enjoy a Quarter Pounder even when it is so inferior to a Whopper. But what beats both is A&W’s Teen Burger. And what tops that is in my province of Quebec. La Belle Province’s cheeseburger will blow you away as will the mountain of delicious fries you get.

So, a great book. Tons of fun and one that has prompted me to try a McDonalds hack. I want to make the McLand, Air and Sea Burger. An innovator created this combination of a Double Cheese Burger, McChicken, and Filet-O-Fish. Can’t wait.

[Ursula Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this would be a great book about fast food history. While there are stories about the early days of fast food and the evolution and changes, there is too much side economic and political discussion that bogs the book down. I had read another book that was a perfect mix of stories and details about the era. Watch the History Channel shows of the Food that Built America for fun. The author read the book and it sounded like a monotone diatribe. Should have had a professional narrator to read it.

[Patrick Pilz · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Germany, a book with a net content of about 160 pages is called a magazine.

But dispite this fact, this is a hilarious story of the fast food in america. It intertwines well with the history of food and the cultural changes in America caused or because of fast food, whether it is the interstate highway system, hot-coffee lawsuits, social media and business success stories.

In very concise fashion with lots of entertaining trivia and funny stories, this book arches from the rise of white castle 100 years ago, via the icons KFC, Wendy's, Burger King and MickyD to the current fast casual chains Chipotle and Panera Bread.

[Penny Cipolone · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not great literature but a fun read. Deals with some sections of the fast food industry that are not often mentioned such as adjustments for outside the US, hiring of senior citizens, function as a gathering place in neighborhoods, etc. It was nice to read something that didn't just dwell on the negative aspects of fast food. We have all read how unhealthy it is, but Chandler let's us admit that once in a while it is just damn good.

[Chase · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Drive-Thru Dreams" was an interesting book to read. This history of fast food is definitely a rich story. This book has a great hook comparing the rise of fast food against America's changing culture. The narrative was very repetitive. I read this book looking for a trivia perspective, but it fell flat in that area leaving a story that never felt complete.

[Eli Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Taking a historical look at fast food restaurants, their evolution, and their relationship with popular culture, the book reads like a long form article with Chandler’s conversational tone, fun fact footnotes, and witty quips. Easy and enjoyable, though not the most substantial or intellectually filling book you’ll come across.

[Anastasia · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting account of the history of American Fast-Food.

[L]

I have no idea why I chose this book to listen to, but it was fine: a social and cultural history of fast food,

[Sarah Burton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a witty, fun and informative read. I’d love to see a movie about the life and career of Colonel Sanders, had no idea he was such a character.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fun read! It was a lot more interesting than what I expected. And now I want all the fast food!

[kallie · Rating 4 out of 5]

YESSSSSSSSS. yes!!!!!! i love the food that built america (iconic history channel program), and this is that with less hilariously bad reenactments and more fun facts. thank you adam chandler, i salute you 🫡

[Dustin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating facts and history. Chandler places fast food at the heart of the American experience.

[Julie Rowse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Made me miss grad school. If I'd continued down the American/Popular Culture Studies PhD path, this is the kind of book I'd have wanted to write. Chandler clearly did quite a bit of research, and I was constantly drawing from my own Popular Culture education to make connections to cultural theory. Completely accessible read filled with tons of fun facts.

[Steve Peifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is more of a rant than a review. It’s a fine book, and the author is a good writer. There are some laugh out lines in it; he is a talented guy.

But I’m afraid that this book says more about the state of publishing than the subject matter. My guess is that this author submitted a lot of different book proposals before a publisher bit on one.

It’s sad that a writer this talented is writing about something so inconsequential.

[Yenta Knows · Rating 2 out of 5]

I took longer than I might have with this book because I paused to read another one.

This is one of the books I read for the book selection committee of the Bender JCC book fair.

I recommended that it not be included as a book fair selection. Here is the review I wrote:

I do not recommend this book for inclusion.

First, the topic itself has zero Judaic content. Given that the book was presented by the Jewish Book Council, I surmise that the author is Jewish, but he makes no reference at all to his Judaism. Book fair attendees will wonder why the book is being included.

If attendees skim through the book, they might well be annoyed by the author's grandiose writing style. By his describing Southern California, for example, as a "climate-controlled realization of modern manifest destiny."

Huh? What does that mean? Is there a cogent thought here or just some cliches pasted together? Adam, you got a lot of explaining to do.

But he doesn't explain. In fact, the entire book is a collection of empty cliches and unsupported claims. The title implies that fast food is in some way emblematic of the American character. OK, interesting thesis. Now tell me (1) what traits are quintessentially American and (2) how fast food supports those traits.

The author doesn't do either. He has gathered biographical details about fast-food chain founders (Harlan Sanders, Ray Kroc, others). He presents some statistics that are illuminating, even when marred by incoherent sentence structure (Example: "By 1949, roughly three-quarters of the cars on earth drove on US roads."). But he doesn't weave these disparate facts into a persuasive argument supporting his thesis.

I hope to read better books.

[Matt Lowy · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful literary journey Mr. Chandler takes us on with ‘Drive-Thru Dreams’. There is a reason that Grimace, the Hamburglar and my favorite politician Mayor McCheese are a part of my daily consciousness and this book helped me piece that rationale together a bit. The book starts with profiles of the giants in the industry and how they got their start. Stories of Ray Kroc, Col Harland Sanders, Dave Thomas among others provide details I wasn’t even aware of (Col Sanders selling KFC for $2M and less than ten years from the transaction being sold again for $267M). The history then pivots to the business side of the house with a deep dive into the country’s post the Civil Rights Act of 1968 and how small business friendly legislation was in place that led to a boom in minority franchise owners of fast food establishments across the country. Sticking to the business side, the journey then goes to how the surplus of drive-thru establishments changed the automobile industry in terms of cup holders and compartments. We are then taken across many ponds in the international impact and how you can feel like “home” wherever you are in the world at an American fast food outlet. This hit home with me as the Burger King trailer in Iraq gave many of us something to look forward to and made the long deployments not so shabby if only for an hour or too.

We then enter the 21st century as the negative stigma towards fast food is well researched and assessed with a full narrative on the war between the growing fast casual establishments and the fast food foundation. Biggest takeaway being that there are room for both and how bad can fast food be for the social conscious and the soul in that both our country’s golden boy Brad Pitt (El Pollo Loco) and our greatest President Barack Obama (Baskin Robbins) both began their professional journeys with FF employment stops. The book explores the demographic dynamics of the 21st century fast food work force and how these staples of America provide great settings for those 65+ which also reduces loneliness and can provide that extra boost in the overtime period of their lives. The best way to summarize this great read is with two of the author’s findings.

1.) As much as speed of service and convenience drive us to Fast Food, the socialization and fun that can come with stops in are just as important
2.) The people make the place. The outside and inside may look the same across the world but the people behind the counter and in the dining area are where its true character come in.
Add this to your 2020 Reading List. You will walk away enlightened, inspired and perhaps a bit hungry! 😊