As part of the ongoing love affair between Ticos and junk food, the significant expansion of quick-service restaurants (QSR) vastly overcame similar efforts by casual-dining and full-service restaurants franchises in Costa Rica during 2013. It’s no longer major brands such as McDonald’s and KFC seeking profits in Costa Rica, even smaller players such as Nathan’s Famous are quickly displacing “sodas” (traditional neighborhood cafeterias).

Junk food purveyors frequently made headlines in Costa Rica during all of 2013. Even as the year comes to an end, business weekly El Financiero reported on the QSR outlets opening at Plaza Universal, which is the new food court section of the monolithic Libreria Universal department store located in Avenida Central, the main pedestrian boulevard that cuts across downtown San Jose. Nathan’s Famous, a franchise that specializes in hot dogs is one of the new QSR brands at Plaza Universal, along with Pizzeria Domenico, Ta Bueno, Pincho’s Grill, Crispy Churros, and Spoleto.

New Yorkers are more likely to be familiar with Nathan’s Famous. This chain started in Coney Island and is famous not just for its hot dogs but also for its creation of the competitive eating circuit. Another United States franchise that opened in Costa Rica in 2013 was Johnny Rockets at the Lincoln Plaza mall in Moravia. By late October, McDonald’s was on track to meet its goal of 55 locations in Costa Rica, with its three latest restaurants in Coronado, Santo Domingo de Heredia and even the agricultural mecca of San Carlos, a place were residents were really surprised to see the Golden Arches appear.

McDonald’s did not open a location in Atenas in 2013 –that was a hoax similar to the Disney Theme Park in Liberia. Just like Wal-Mart and chain convenience stores are displacing pulperias in Costa Rica, the QSR segment is taking market share from the sodas. Restaurant analysts are forecasting that Guanacaste will see major QSR growth next year.