Why Fast Food Chains Rarely Serve Alcohol

Pairing booze with food can be a gourmet art, which is part of why it's rare to find European restaurants that don't include alcohol as part of their menu. In fact, European restaurants of all types tend to have alcohol more easily available than the U.S. — with even McDonald's serving beer overseas. However, America's stringent restrictions when it comes to serving and selling alcohol keeps most U.S. based fast food restaurants from being able to follow suit. 

In most places across the country, businesses must receive approval from their respective county and/or state to obtain a liquor license in order to sell alcohol. To make matters worse, these licenses often come with steep price tags, going for upwards of $250,000 in some areas. Not only are the liquor licenses pricey, but some local laws even prohibit businesses from selling alcohol near churches, schools, or certain neighborhoods. These hurdles are why some businesses avoid the idea altogether — and are largely behind while you'll rarely see booze at a fast food restaurant.

Image can also be an important factor for fast food restaurants. Brands like McDonald's and Chick-fil-A — that have child-friendly reputations with options like kids' meals and play places — might not want to change their offered environment. Their current model mainly focuses on welcoming families to sit down inside or swing by the drive-thru for a quick bite to eat. Similarly, the in-and-out nature of fast food restaurants doesn't exactly encourage responsible drinking behaviors, and adults might not want to order a beer while surrounded by children. Another consideration is that a significant portion of the staff working at these restaurants aren't even at the legal drinking age themselves, making serving alcohol confusing for a brand's image in addition to complicated when it comes to the law compliance for serving alcohol.

It's also worth mentioning that fast food doesn't have the same incentive to offer beer and/or alcohol that they might have had in years prior, with drinking being on the decline and the sober-curious movement experiencing a rise in popularity. However, this is a different story with fast casual restaurants that serve alcohol. Brands like Chipotle and Shake Shack — which don't have as much child-centric branding — generally also encourage their diners to sit and enjoy their food, and serving alcohol has become a part of many fast causal offerings.