Steven Nicholas still remembers the day he opened Launceston's first McDonald's store.
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It was July 1991, and lines of customers had arrived at 6am ready for breakfast at the new Kings Meadows restaurant.
"I recall we had a large group of university students all dressed up in black tie - it was a big occasion," he said.
"It was like the coming of a city - McDonald's had finally landed."
The Kings Meadows store was just the third McDonald's in Tasmania. There are now 16.
That store kickstarted a boom of fast food chain arrivals across the city, but it wasn't the first big name to set foot in Launceston.
HOW IT ALL STARTED
It only took 19 years after the first Kentucky Fried Chicken store opened in Salt Lake City for the franchise's 11 secret herbs and spices to waft 14,000 kilometres south to Launceston.
The Mowbray KFC store was opened in June 1971, and was quickly followed by another in Kings Meadows.
But it wasn't until the 1990s that Colonel Sanders first had to contend with his modern-day competitors in Launceston.
Domino's opened three stores - Launceston, Kings Meadows and Mowbray - in 1994 and 1995.
Hungry Jack's had its two stores - South Launceston and Mowbray - open by the early 2000s after initially scouting out the Wellington Street Shell service station.
Subway and Pizza Hut both set up at least three outlets, although the latter's Brisbane Street store was eventually taken over by Pizza Capers.
Mr Nicholas built additional McDonald's stores in Invermay (1993) and Launceston (1996).
Both have undergone major upgrades in recent years, while Kings Meadows is midway through a major renovation.
Mr Nicholas said his three Launceston stores had changed "significantly" over 30 years.
"When we first opened I think we had half a dozen menu items," he said.
"It was the early 2000s when we first introduced six new items to the McDonald's menu in one day which was probably the trigger of the future.
"That demonstrated that customers were after something new, something different."
He said the introduction of McCafe had been one of the best evolutions of the business.
"We had to prove ourselves and prove our credibility in coffee," he said.
"We started with semi-automatic machines and then we moved into manual group handles and today we have trained baristas.
"The business has no doubt become more complex so it's more challenging to run, but at the same time we're trying to meet consumer demand and convenience in what they expect."
THE FUTURE OF FAST FOOD
The onslaught of fast food outlets has slowed dramatically since 2000, by which time most of the major players had established stores in Launceston, Kings Meadows and Mowbray.
Blake Shepherd, of Shepherd and Heap, says it's no surprise that food chains targeted those three areas.
"The fast food industry is a convenience game - you've got to be where the customers are," Mr Shepherd said.
"You look at where McDonald's has been most prolific here in Launceston - they're on the major arterials.
"If you're going to Hobart you've got to drive past them, if you're driving to Launceston out of Hobart you've got to drive past them.
"Then there's these concentrations of population in Kings Meadows, Invermay, on the way to Mowbray - it captures those centres and it's a convenience thing.
"When times are tough these sorts of fast food operations are strong."
Fast food growth hasn't died out altogether.
In the early 2010s KFC added a new store in Legana - the North's fastest-growing suburb - and The Examiner last year revealed plans for a new McDonald's in Prospect.
Mr Shepherd said he wouldn't be surprised to see more chains pop up in those two suburbs.
"KFC were an early taker [in Legana] and others have been looking around in Legana - I just don't think they've quite found the right location. The fundamentals need to be right.
"But for a McDonald's or all these other brands we hear about, that's a probably a logical step."
LAUNCESTON OPENING DATES
KFC
- Mowbray: June 3, 1971
- Kings Meadows: October 26, 1971
- Launceston: April 6, 2006
MCDONALD'S
- Kings Meadows: July, 1991
- Invermay: December, 1993
- South Launceston: August, 1996
DOMINO'S
- Launceston: October 4, 1994
- Kings Meadows: October 25, 1994
- Mowbray: September 5, 1995