What is scarry is that Taco seems to have improved its bottom line by making its product worse, with public so conditioned that 'market regulation' (i.e. that, with similar prices, buyers are expected to go to the guy with better wares) does not work any more.

Some local Croatian experience: When first McDonald's opened in Zagreb some ten years ago, there were queues so huge that police had to intervene... for a week. Now there are seven or eight of them, and I am sure the management is not satisfied with occupancy. They do all the usual marketing stuff: 'happy meals' with toys, kid's birthday parties, seasonal special offers etc; they even introduced a pork burger with hot mustard and lots of fresh tomatos and onions, so that it actually tastes reasonably good, and french fries are real potato. Salaries are low, but they cannot skimp on pension fund, medical benefits etc. Still, the favourite fast food remain deli-type sandwitches and something remotely similar to burger with Turkish origin (charcoal grilled ground meat patties - mixed beef and pork, originally is was mutton - very well seasoned (salt, pepper, onions, garlic), in something similar to pita bread - much more substantial than burger bun, only topping being a pile of fresh onions), typically sold in tiny establishments operated by the owner.

Although packed ground meat (both fresh and frozen) is available in supermarkets and groceries, no self-respecting cook will use it: every butcher will grind any cuts of meet one chooses. However, people in hurry do buy broiled chicken and pork or wienner schnitzels (veal, pork or turkey), ready-made salads etc. in supermarkets (and quality tends to be very good). Industrial food preparation does not have to mean abysmal quality if consumers are not brain-washed into accepting anything as long as packaging is right.