Comfort. 

We all seek it, and many try to find it in food. But comfort food often gives only a few minutes of satisfaction before we end up with extra weight, bloating, and a lingering sense of guilt that pulls us back for more.

It’s a vicious circle that’s hard to break. If you’re disciplined and satisfy cravings in moderation, it’s not so bad, but despite decades of health trends, fast food doesn’t seem likely to disappear any time soon.

In fact, the global fast-food market remains enormous. In 2021, it was valued at roughly $593 billion and it’s projected to grow to about $814 billion by 2028, with a steady 4.6% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) through that period, reflecting ongoing demand worldwide, according to Grand View Research. 

U.S. fast-food industry key statistics:

• About 32% of U.S. adults reported eating fast food on any given day, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
• Fast Food Restaurants in the U.S. generated approximately $412.7 billion in revenue in 2025, according to IBISWorld.
• The U.S. fast-food sector remains a major employer, with around five million workers, reportedIBISWorld.
• About two‑thirds (65%) of Americans eat fast food at least once a week, according to Drive Research. 

Many fast-food restaurant customers visit for quick convenience rather than high-quality food. And while fast-food chains have introduced healthier menu options in response to shifting consumer behavior, many, including McDonald’s items, have failed. 

The question is: Do people want healthy food from fast-food chains? 

Shake Shack launches healthier menu: Good Fit 

The latest fast-food giant to try a healthy food venture is Shake Shack (SHAK), which is launching a new menu in response to growing demand.

Shake Shack, an American multinational fast-casual restaurant chain that began as a hot dog cart inside Madison Square Park in 2001, has launched the “Good Fit” menu. 

The new health-oriented menu has officially launched across Shake Shacks and online. 

“It’s a curated lineup of menu items and easy modifications from Shake Shack’s core menu, thoughtfully designed to meet you where you are. Whether you’re dialing up protein, cutting back, or simply eating with more intention, these options fit seamlessly into a wide range of dietary goals, preferences, and lifestyles,” according to Shake Shack’s official notification. 

Shake Shack added that the new Good Fit menu consists of high-protein (up to 52g), gluten-free, vegetarian, and GLP-1-friendly options. The menu modifies popular items to satisfy customers’ cravings while offering nutritional value that meets their current goals.

Shake Shack’s Good Fit menu includes: 

• Single ShackBurger Lettuce Wrap: Quarter pound 100% Angus beef, American cheese, tomato, ShackSauce in a lettuce wrap — 23g protein, 3g carbs
• Chicken Shack Lettuce Wrap: Hand‑breaded white‑meat chicken, pickles, buttermilk herb mayo in lettuce — 27g protein, 11g carbs
• Gluten‑Free Double ShackBurger: Two quarter-pound patties on a gluten‑free bun — 47g protein
• Double Veggie Shack Lettuce Wrap: Veggie patties with sweet potato, quinoa, and farro — 25g protein (vegetarian)
• Double SmokeShack in Lettuce Wrap: Two Angus beef patties, bacon, and cherry peppers — 52g protein, 5g carbs
• Double Avocado Bacon Burger in Lettuce Wrap: Beef patties, avocado, bacon — 51g protein, 4g carbs
  Source: Shake Shack 

Americans make dietary New Year’s resolutions, but challenges remain 

With the New Year around the corner, Shake Shack’s timing is strategic, as people around the world make plans to change their lives, including dietary improvements to support overall health.

Among Americans planning food/nutrition goals, 72% aimed to improve health through diet and 48% focused on weight loss, according to a 2024 survey from the Purdue University Center for Food Demand Analysis and Sustainability. 

Planned changes included increasing consumption of fruits, vegetables, plant-based proteins, or fish, and reducing candy, desserts, and salty snacks. Many also aimed to drink more water and fewer sugary beverages. 

In fact, the share of U.S. consumers reporting any food‑ or nutrition‑related resolutions grew significantly over the past two years, showing that consumers are increasingly thinking about diet, even if resolutions are often hard to sustain.

McDonald’s other fast-food chains have already tried going healthy 

A number of other fast food chains have attempted healthier menu options, with mixed results.

Fast-food health menu failures: 

• McDonald’s  and McPlant: “I don’t think the U.S. consumer is coming to McDonald’s looking for the McPlant or other plant-based proteins,” Joe Erlinger, president of McDonald’s USA, said at the Wall Street Journal’s Global Food Forum in 2024. 
• McDonald’s and Salad Items: McDonald’s discontinued salads and other supposedly healthy options in many regions because demand was too low and they didn’t sell consistently, according to Business Insider. “If people really want salads from McDonald’s, we will gladly relaunch salads,” Erlinger said at the Global Food Forum, per Bloomberg. “But what our experience has proven is that’s not what the consumer’s looking for.”
• Burger King’s Satisfries (Lower-Calorie Fry Option): In 2013, Burger King launched Satisfries, which claimed to have 40% less fat and 30% fewer calories than regular fries, but they didn’t succeed in attracting consistent demand and were removed from the menu in about a year, reports Food Republic. 
• Wendy’s Frescata sandwiches: In 2006, Wendy’s launched Frescata sandwiches, trying to compete with Subway. The offering, promoted as a healthier alternative to burgers, featured lean meats and artisan-style bread, but they took significant time to prepare and didn’t fit Wendy’s fast-paced model, according to Mashed.

These examples suggest that fast-food patrons prioritize taste and convenience over health claims, which is why past healthy menu experiments have struggled, despite growing consumer health awareness.

Why healthier fast food matters 

Fast-food consumption is directly related to diet quality and caloric intake, which are two key factors in public health outcomes. In fact, about one-third of U.S. adults eat fast food on a given day, according to data from the CDC’s National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). 

Even small children are no exception. Kids in the U.S. ages 1-5 years consume 56.1% of their calories from ultra-processed food, according to a new 2025 report from the CDC. Ultra‑processed foods (UPFs), which include many fast-food items, are generally energy‑dense and low in beneficial nutrients, according to Harvard Health Publishing.

According to a review of 45 studies involving 10 million participants, published in the British Medical Journal last year, eating more ultra-processed food is related to:

• 32 health conditions, including heart disease, mental health disorders, Type 2 diabetes, and more
• A higher risk of dying from any cause

Many studies have also shown that eating fewer ultra-processed foods can help you lose extra weight, and we all know by now that obesity in itself is related to other health conditions.

Even with this evidence, healthier options succeed only if taste, convenience, and perceived value align with consumer expectations. Flavor remains a key driver of fast-food purchases. 

“Any operator who focuses on healthy products and healthy items on their menu absolutely needs to lead with flavor. If … their only competitive positioning in the marketplace is that their items are healthier and the flavors aren’t there, then they’re dead in the water,” Maeve Webster, director at food industry market research firm Datassential, told QSR. 

Why consumers reject healthy options at fast-food chains

The McPlant experiment confirmed that fast-food patrons typically expect familiar indulgent items from their favorite chains, and shifting that mindset is difficult.

While initial regional tests of products like the McPlant showed promise, broader rollout saw sales drop, suggesting that health positioning alone isn’t enough without meeting core consumer expectations, writes Michael Corthell for The Vegan’s Voice. 

The average consumer does not yet associate fast food with healthier options, explaining a key misalignment in past failed menu experiments.

“The McPlant failed in the U.S. due to low demand, long wait times, and fast food’s unhealthy reputation. Customers saw it as neither indulgent nor truly healthy,” wrote Corthell, analyzing the McPlant’s commercial struggle in U.S. markets.

Shake Shack is already known for offering vegetarian and gluten‑free items across its more than 600 locations. Whether its high‑protein, strategically marketed Good Fit offerings will resonate with both health‑minded consumers and traditional fast‑food patrons remains to be seen.

Related: CDC shares a food warning for all Americans