Today McDonalds is synonymous with the word fast food. Their golden arches are the most recognized symbol in the world and they are one of the largest distributors of toys. This fast food chain currently has over 14,157 franchises in the United States alone. Their main offering is food (burgers, fries, ice cream and biscuits for breakfast), and we as consumers seem to increasingly demand this type of service. Their current claim to fame is the dollar menu which is available for breakfast, lunch and dinner. You could easily feed a family of four for under $20.00 if each person purchased food and drinks from the dollar menu. Flagler County's population is currently near 100,000 with an unemployment rate of 8.3%. The supply and demand for fast food restaurants in this county appears to be disproportionate. With McDonald's owning four franchises in this county alone, all within a 15 mile radius of the Bunnell town center and two of the McDonald's locations within 2 miles of each other. In my opinion the need for government regulation needs to be realized. Local governments are making the wrong economic decisions for this country. A good example of scarcity and opportunity cost is that the county is full of unhealthy and cheap food establishments. While most consumers shop at these locations, other people waste time and hard-earned money traveling out of the county, sometimes more than an hour to shop or eat at places that serve healthier meals and food. According to theguardian.com it states that there are 22,174 people for a McDonald's, and if you quadruple this statistic due to four restaurants in my county, it basically states that almost every person l...... middle of paper... ... als. The beginning of this year's quarter shows that McDonald's reported a net profit of 1.27 billion. Which translates to each restaurant averaging around 100,000 net per day. Yes, there are some that earn more than others, some restaurants are open 24 hours while others are not. Is there really a reason in the world why Flagler County should have four McDonalds restaurants in one county? While the economy is suffering and obesity is at an all-time high, local government should impose some sort of opportunity cost on incoming businesses. Introducing another supermarket on top of Publix and Winn Dixie could be great for the economy and jobs. It would give the consumer more purchasing power by offering more sales, offer healthier food options and perhaps provide 50-100 jobs, and reduce opportunity costs by minimizing travel time to locations outside the area.