Is Sushi Considered Fast Food?

When you think of fast food, your mind probably flits to images of drive-thrus, cheeseburgers, and onion rings. But our usual definition might need to expand to include sushi. Though thin cuts of raw tuna and avocado, and crab stuffed rolls might not spring to mind, there's good reason to consider sushi fast food. When we think of sushi, we often think of fancy sushi bars where precious pieces of yellowfin are served on tiny plates, meant for tiny appetites. Now, however, sushi is widely accessible in many restaurants, and even grocery stores, potentially making it a new type of fast food. 

Go to a Trader Joe's, Kroger, Whole Foods, or even a bougie gas station, and alongside the pre-made sandwiches you'll probably see a few pre-made California rolls and tempura-fried shrimp. The addition of the Hawaiian poke bowl and the polarizing sushi burrito to many sushi restaurant menus has further blurred the line between sushi and fast food. And sushi doesn't need to be pre-packaged to be considered fast; if you've ever had the pleasure of watching a sushi chef in action, you'll see just how quickly these highly trained professionals can roll out sushi. With all of these things considered, it's surprising we don't think of sushi as fast food more often.  

We've already seen that fast food can look like a lot more than McDonald's burgers and Taco Bell Mexican pizzas. Fast-fresh chains like Chipotle, Zao, Cava, and Roti have revamped the fast food game with fairly affordable and convenient offerings, that don't have the same negative stigma attached to them. So why not give sushi a similar shot as a fast food contender? Some places already are. In London, next to pre-made sandwich and coffee shops like Pret a Manger, you'll also find Itsu, an Asian-inspired lunch shop that offers sushi platters, salads, and noodle bowls. 

Appetites for sushi don't seem to be going anywhere, so it's possible we'll see more shops like this, and potentially even made-to-order fast food sushi shops in the future. In addition to already being pretty easy to make and distribute in large quantities, sushi is also very convenient to eat. In its many forms, from nigiri to sashimi to your standard sushi roll, it requires nothing more than a pair of chopsticks to enjoy, making it at least as easy to eat as a to-go salad or protein bowl. As sushi becomes more accessible, affordable, and convenient across the country, it's likely it will become more ubiquitous as a fast food offering.