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allisonwonderlandreads's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
3.0
Franchise takes on capitalism in the form of McDonald's and other fast food chains' long-term incursion into Black neighborhoods. The author spins a complex picture, showing the many conflicting forces that conspired to make the franchise model so successful, especially in areas otherwise labeled as "high risk" for businesses. Specifically examining the history of McDonald's, the book shows how the company led the way into urban areas by encouraging Black franchisees to operate locations in predominately Black neighborhoods and then touting this business practice as a civil rights victory. And while this was a source of success for specific people and for McDonald's as a whole, the author emphasizes that not all was rosy. Black franchisees have never been treated the same as white counterparts, with fewer opportunities and more barriers thrown up in their path. The company has shown even less concern for its minimum wage employees even though jobs are celebrated as one of the primary benefits of McDonald's entering an economically depressed area.
When it gets to the community level, fast food's relationship with Black people gets yet more complicated. In general and in particular through the local efforts of Black franchisees, McDonald's has come to fill multiple roles beyond providing food. From philanthropic efforts to community building, McDonald's has found ways to become inextricably linked with the areas where it operates. Furthermore, though the relationship has often been tempestuous, McDonald's has been eager to position itself on the "right side" of the civil rights movement and emphasize a version of history that's most palatable and profitable for it. One of the most compelling chapters to me delves into the role of advertising targeting Black customers, an initiative starting in the 1970s and 1980s intended to reach this specific group by leveraging language and images meant to particularly appeal to and welcome a Black audience. By working with Black advertisers, McDonald's framed a fantasy of the restaurant that they hoped customers would buy into since national campaigns from an assumed white perspective were proving not impactful with potential Black customers. This also became a factor in testing new menu items to not only appeal to the Black customer base but also to make the menu more appealing to that base through advertising if it didn't immediately seem appetizing.
The attack on capitalism in this book is A+, and it draws in government interests to demonstrate how pro-business initiatives in both conservative and liberal governments have encouraged fast food into urban areas, expecting it to somehow fix or at least ameliorate social and economic issues rooted in racism. All the while, food choices in those same neighborhoods have become increasingly narrow as chains are subsidized and food deserts worsen.
My preference would have been for a shorter piece or at least one that's less dry in tone, especially given the engaging topic. The bookends of the introduction and conclusion as well as the aforementioned chapter on advertising held the clearest arguments in my opinion. But they felt isolated from the other sections of the book, which cover many topics and ideas under the umbrella of McDonald's vs race. I think if the whole felt more cohesive or if the writing style had been more geared toward a popular audience, I would have been more immersed. Readers looking for a more academic experience or with a particular interest in business practices will have their expectations met. All the same, I did learn about the fast food industry and appreciated the way the author approached so many interlocking topics.
When it gets to the community level, fast food's relationship with Black people gets yet more complicated. In general and in particular through the local efforts of Black franchisees, McDonald's has come to fill multiple roles beyond providing food. From philanthropic efforts to community building, McDonald's has found ways to become inextricably linked with the areas where it operates. Furthermore, though the relationship has often been tempestuous, McDonald's has been eager to position itself on the "right side" of the civil rights movement and emphasize a version of history that's most palatable and profitable for it. One of the most compelling chapters to me delves into the role of advertising targeting Black customers, an initiative starting in the 1970s and 1980s intended to reach this specific group by leveraging language and images meant to particularly appeal to and welcome a Black audience. By working with Black advertisers, McDonald's framed a fantasy of the restaurant that they hoped customers would buy into since national campaigns from an assumed white perspective were proving not impactful with potential Black customers. This also became a factor in testing new menu items to not only appeal to the Black customer base but also to make the menu more appealing to that base through advertising if it didn't immediately seem appetizing.
The attack on capitalism in this book is A+, and it draws in government interests to demonstrate how pro-business initiatives in both conservative and liberal governments have encouraged fast food into urban areas, expecting it to somehow fix or at least ameliorate social and economic issues rooted in racism. All the while, food choices in those same neighborhoods have become increasingly narrow as chains are subsidized and food deserts worsen.
My preference would have been for a shorter piece or at least one that's less dry in tone, especially given the engaging topic. The bookends of the introduction and conclusion as well as the aforementioned chapter on advertising held the clearest arguments in my opinion. But they felt isolated from the other sections of the book, which cover many topics and ideas under the umbrella of McDonald's vs race. I think if the whole felt more cohesive or if the writing style had been more geared toward a popular audience, I would have been more immersed. Readers looking for a more academic experience or with a particular interest in business practices will have their expectations met. All the same, I did learn about the fast food industry and appreciated the way the author approached so many interlocking topics.
superblyfeatured's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
3.75
sllau's review
informative
medium-paced
4.0
Written in an academic prose and not interested in reading that right now. I came back to it and listened to it as an audiobook. I learned so much about the history of McDonald’s and its relation to the black community. My favorite part was near the end when it talked about the LA Riots in 92 and how McDonald’s and black owned businesses were able to survive. This was a new addition to what I originally learned of Sa-I-Gu from an AAS perspective. Also loved how Tae saw this on my bookshelf and said he loved this prof in undergrad