Fast food geography: Discover Cuba through El Rapido
You want to learn a little about Cuba and have fast food? El Rapido will help, so let’s get started.
Cuba has a state run economy
You probably knew Cuba had a centrally planned economy, but it’s more tangible when looking at the fast food options.
Cuba is the one of last bastions of true publicly run economies, and that includes fast food. According to Frommers, 90% of restaurants are run by the state, and that includes El Rapido.
Cuba has two currencies
When you buy food at El Rapido, you can pay in two currencies.
That’s because Cuba has two: the Cuban peso (CUP) and Cuban convertible peso (CUP) (though there are plans to change the system). The system is a result of Cuba’s unstable monetary policies, which in turn resulted from the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Fast food isn’t big in Cuba
El Rapido gets terrible reviews. There are a few possible reasons and we’ll leave it up to you to decide whether to blame poorly run restaurants, better local options, or a general distaste for microwaved burgers.
