You want wine with that burger?

Fast food restaurants are trying to raise their bottom line by adding new products to the menu. Some of the new items include gourmet coffees, new desserts and panini sandwiches. Oh and one more thing: wine.
 
As noted in Laura Shapiro's book "Julia Child", the famous chef once suggested to McDonald's that they offer red wine with their burgers. As far as I can tell McDonald's hasn't yet taken Ms. Child's advice but other fast food restaurants have.
 
Taylor's Automatic Refresher in Napa, California, has been offering 1/2 bottles and wine by the glass on their menu for years. But then they're in the middle of wine country and NOT having wine on the menu would be unusual. The wines on the list? All local of course.
 
Starbucks was one of the first of the recent wave, announcing in July their plans to offer wine at a couple of stores in the Seattle area. Now others are hopping on the wine bus. Burgerville, a chain based in Washington and Oregon, is one. Burgerville recently added wine to its menu of fresh, local, fast food. The menu even includes wine pairing suggestions for specific burgers.
 
Alcohol on the menus of fast food joints in Europe has been commonplace for many years. American establishments have not been quick to embrace the idea. However, with more and more fast food restaurants going gourmet, the concept of offering wine seems to be taking off. I for one can't wait to step up to the counter to order a burger and be asked "You want wine with that?".