The global fast-food market currently accounts for approximately 600 billion dollars of consumer spending each year. Those revenues may be disrupted, however, as 'slow food' gains ground as a viable culinary substitute. 'Slow food' refers to a movement that seeks to promote alternatives to the frantic pace of life in the modern world, especially its reliance on quick, mass-produced, and unhealthy food. Instead, the movement emphasizes the benefits of eating traditional, regional cuisine cooked with locally-grown produce. Not only do slow-food proponents advocate taking more time over meals, emphasizing that they can be mindful, sociable experiences, but they encourage sustainable farming practices and conservation activity. The movement is firmly rooted in a sense of responsibility towards the local community as well as the natural environment.

The slow-food movement began in Italy in 1986 when a group of like-minded people came together to contest the opening of a McDonald's fast-food outlet near the monumental Spanish Steps in Rome. They argued that the franchise had not obtained the necessary construction permits and would destroy the area's historical ambience. Their protest recognized the company as a symbol of the globalization of the world's food, and thousands of people joined demonstrations against the shift. Although the group failed to stop McDonald's from opening, its principles attracted many supporters locally and overseas. In 1989, the first meeting of the international slow-food movement in Paris saw representatives from fifteen different countries in attendance. Together, they drafted a manifesto that demanded the universal right to eat good-quality food produced in an environmentally-friendly way which is fair to both consumers and suppliers.