Forming An Opportunity Belief

I have had a strong feeling that the need for numerous, healthy fast-food options exists across the world. Fast food is cheap and delicious, but at what cost? Industrial agriculture, which is defined by the Union of Concerned Scientists as "the system of chemically intensive food production developed in the decades after World War II, featuring enormous single-crop farms and animal production facilities," is responsible for many of the environmental issues we are currently tackling today. The most troubling of which is the depletion of the world's aquifers for the irrigation of corn that grows in arid regions. This corn is then fed to livestock, as it fattens the animals more quickly than a traditional diet. The quicker they reach weight, the faster they can be slaughtered, and the cheaper your double cheeseburger is. This system of factory-farming cannot continue in its current form, as the groundwater that is pumped from the aquifers will soon be gone. Once industrial agriculture falls, so do fast food restaurants, as they buy the cheapest-quality produce and meat.  I recently read an article about organic food giant Amy's first store near San Fransisco, California, that hopes to be the first major chain to take advantage of this need. Since Amy's opened its doors just under a year ago, lines have extended out of the door for most of the time the restaurant is open. As far as a proof-of-concept, I believe Amy's has knocked it out of the park. The need is there, just as there was a need for Wendy's and Hardee's after McDonald's triumph.

I believe the ideal customer is anyone that wants a healthy and delicious meal that may be pressed for time. Given the lifestyle of today's college students, as well as universities being centers of progressive thought, I could not imagine someone more suited for this concept than us. I interviewed three students in my French class on the subject.

Question 1. How often would you say you are pressed for time to eat?

1- Everyday.
2- Multiple times a day.
3 - Several times a week.

Question 2. What are your options when this occurs?

1 - I usually just go to the nearest drive-thru. I eat fast food almost everyday.
2 - Fast food or delivery. Jimmy John's is 50% of my diet!
3 - I try and keep healthy options around my apartment, but health food is expensive and not always easy to cook. I go to Designer Greens and Daily Greens a lot when this happens.

Question 3. Do you believe quick and healthy food options are in abundance?

1 - I have no idea!
2 - Absolutely not, unless it's eating fruit.
3 - Daily Greens is my favorite! They have so many amazing option and it is affordable as well. There are a few options, but there really need to be a lot more!

Question 4. When you are pressed for time and need to eat, how often would you consider a healthy option if it were available?

1 - Most of the time. I will never fully give up fast food. I love it too much, but healthier options would probably be better for my health.
2 - I would love to eat healthy all the time, but it's expensive.
3 - I eat healthy 95% of the time. I just feel gross when I eat like crap, but sometimes I cannot resist ice cream.

Questions 5. How often would you eat at the health-food-version of McDonald's?

1 - It would definitely be included in my rotation. I would probably take girls there so they think I'm healthy.
2 - I cannot imagine a place like that! But I would definitely eat there a lot.
3 - I want to open a chain of those!

The most surprising thing that I learned during these interviews is that a similar idea exists right here in Gainesville. While Daily Greens is not quite fast food, it is certainly a step in the right direction, with a bevy of food and juice options. I believe that this need is truly uncultivated and is something that could have enormous potential. The interviews only reinforced this belief. I think that customer feedback is massively important, especially when in the early stages of an industry.