The United States and Us: 1979, the "Hamburger Wars"

In 1979, McDonald's opened its first restaurant in France, quickly expanding to every department. From Jean-Pierre Coffe to José Bové, many prominent figures opposed this expansion. However, it has now replaced the classic ham and butter sandwich.

In 1975, when William Sheller released his hit Rock'n'Dollar , everything was ready for the hamburger war to begin, between commercial competition and the defense of French gastronomy. "Give me, Madam, please, some ketchup for my hamburger..." , the French singer croons. But the hamburger war really broke out in 1979. That year, the American company McDonald's opened a restaurant directly in France and withdrew its brand from a first franchise, launched in 1972. Reason? Hygiene standards were not respected. Hygiene is essential for this company, especially since that same year, McDonald's launched its children's menu, the Happy Meal, in all its restaurants.

With its first restaurants coming directly from the United States, the hamburger war was declared in France. The former McDonald's partner launched his own brand, O'Kitch. Then Burger King attempted a foray into the French market. Soon, FreeTime, Quick, and KFC established themselves in the country that invented gastronomy. When consumers were asked about their motivations in 1979, they responded that price and ease of access were essential, with a hint of fascination for the United States.

Very early on, the debate began over the nutritional value of this hamburger. McDonald's was founded in 1955 in the suburbs of Chicago. Everything in its meat sandwich with a bun-shaped bread was standardized. Fat and sugar dominated. Since the 1980s, programs have been alerting consumers to health issues. Top chefs have been wary of this industrialized food.

In fact, it's the very character of France that seems to be called into question. The hamburger is the symbol of America. It's always compared to Coca-Cola, and its adventure follows that of the conquest of the world by American liberal ideas. Just after the fall of the Wall, in 1990, McDonald's opened a restaurant on Red Square. The company thus became a symbol of industrial food, sold in attractive packaging.

Jean-Pierre Coffe, the late chef with the legendary outbursts, put it bluntly. This defender of artisan charcutiers was interviewed on a show about fast food in 1991. " Fast food? It's fast-bad food, " he proclaimed. For Coffe, children must be educated, taught the principles of healthy eating. Otherwise, " it's crap! " he concluded.

But despite this resistance and criticism, hamburgers have already become a staple. The number of McDonald's restaurants is multiplying. More than 70 open each year, and nearly every department had one by 1999. For some, McDonald's' presence reflects creeping colonization, a form of American imperialism.

Politics got involved when restaurants became the target of the protesting left. " They're making people eat shit! " said José Bové, a peasant leader, when they attacked the construction site of a McDonald's in the suburbs of Millau that same year, 1999.

Nevertheless, hamburgers continue to gain ground. French versions are even being created, with Steve Burggraf and his Big Fernand. Brasseries and bistros are offering them on their menus. Top chefs are now looking to revisit this dish and put their own stamp on it: Thierry Marx, then in 2022, Alain Ducasse with a plant-based burger.

Since 2018, the hamburger has overtaken the jambon-beurre, until then the king of sandwiches. In reality, the hamburger wars have died down, because the hamburger has become Frenchified. Even McDonald's has adapted: more comfortable seats, products ordered from French farmers, while retaining American recipes. In short, we've learned to pronounce all these words the French way to find peace.