Adult ESL Lessons: Fast Food (Intermediate)

This is Lesson 11, “Fast Food,” from our collection of intermediate-level adult ESL lessons. The lesson features a reading passage about fast food, followed by comprehension questions and discussion questions. This content-packed lesson is written with relatively simple English to help students transition to a more advanced level of English understanding and fluency. This lesson is available for free download, and you can download many other adult ESL lessons like this one in our book ESL Pathways: Bridges.

ADULT ESL LESSONS: Fast Food (Text-Only Version)

• Do you like American–style fast food?  Why or Why not?
• How often to you go to McDonald’s?  KFC? Subway?
• Do you ever order pizza?  From where?
• McDonald’s, KFC, and Domino’s are franchise restaurants.  Would you like to own one?  Why or why not?
• Do you think eating fast food is healthy? Why or why not?
• What is your favorite restaurant?

Read about American fast food.

Americans eat a lot of fast food.  There are fast food restaurants in every city throughout the United States. Americans like fast food for a variety of reasons.  Convenience is the main reason why people eat fast food.  Everyone has a busy schedule and most people don’t have time to cook.  Fast food restaurants provide quick service at low prices.  Dinner can be eaten in the car as you drive from work to English class.  

Fast food also comes in a variety of choices.  Taco Bell serves Mexican fast food.  Happy Wok serves Chinese fast food and at Little Italy, you can buy Italian fast food.  When you need to eat in a hurry, there are many different kinds of fast food to choose from.  Shopping malls are usually the best place to see an example of this variety.  Large shopping malls have a food court.  This is an area inside the mall where you can pick any kind of food that you want.  You can eat hamburgers, hotdogs, pizza, fried rice or ice cream.  The choices are endless.

The most familiar name in fast food is McDonald’s.  You can travel most anywhere in the world and there are two names that everyone knows.  One is Michael Jordan and the other is McDonald’s.  McDonald’s began as a ‘burger joint’.  They only sold hamburgers and French fries.  The first restaurant opened in 1948.  By 1982, the McDonald’s Corporation earned about $7 billion.  Why was it so successful?

People like McDonald’s food.  The French fries are tasty and they are even better when you dip them in ketchup.  The burgers are thin and easy to gobble down.  On a hot day, you can sip on a milk shake or have a hot fudge sundae.  McDonald’s also adjusts their menu from country to country.  In Taiwan they serve corn soup and in Italy you can buy a slice of pizza.  

Overall, fast food is becoming more and more popular.  People are busy and they need to eat. Fast food restaurants cater to this need.  It makes lives easier by cooking your breakfast, lunch or dinner for you.  People like fast food but is it really good for us?

Comprehension Questions:

1. What is the main reason why people like fast food?
2. What do fast food restaurants provide?
3. What kinds of fast food can you buy?
4. What kind of food does Taco Bell serve?
5. What is a food court?
6. What kind of food can you eat at a food court?
7. What is the most familiar name in fast food?
8. When did the first McDonald’s restaurant open?
9. Was the first McDonald’s a ‘burger joint’?
10. What did they serve?
11. How much money did the McDonald’s Corporation earn in 1982?
12. Why do people like McDonald’s food?
13. How does McDonald’s try to please everyone around the world?
14. How does fast food make lives easier?
15. Is fast food really good for us?

Discussion Questions:

1. Have you ever been to McDonald’s?  If so, what did you order?  Did you like it?
2. Do you think working at a fast food restaurant is a good job?  Why?
3. Do you know anyone who works at McDonald’s?  Do they like their job?
4. Why do people go to fast food restaurants?
5. What are some advantages of fast food restaurants?  Disadvantages?

6. Do you think people are getting fatter by eating too much fast food?
7. Are you a busy person?  If so, how can fast food make your life easier?
8. Is it a good idea for parents to feed their children American style fast food?  Why?
9. What kind of food should parents give their children to eat?  Why?
10. How often do you eat food from street vendors?  What do you eat?
11. Is food from street vendors usually healthy or unhealthy?   Why do people eat it?
12. What other kinds of fast food is popular in your country?