Fast Food Spreads South, and the Marche Counts Its Counters

Some of the world's biggest fast food chains are expanding in Italy faster now than at any time since they first arrived, and they are increasingly moving south, according to a mapping report by The Local Italy. The outlet published the finding in maps this week, without naming specific chains or giving a regional breakdown beyond the southern drift.

The story is a familiar one in foreign coverage of Italy: the country that gave the world the trattoria is also a growth market for standardized food. The Local's framing is demographic and geographic rather than cultural — the chains are following where the customers and the retail space are.