MCLEAN, VA - Burger, fries and a beer isn??t exactly a new concept for causal dining, but for some QSRs the idea is novel.

"In a bid to boost business, two Sonic restaurants in South Florida soon will sell beer and wine. The move follows Burger King 'Whopper Bars?? recently opened in Miami, Las Vegas and Kansas City that sell beer. Starbucks recently began to serve local beer and wine in a handful of Seattle stores," writes USA Today.

Ron Paul, president at Technomic, told the newspaper that the move towards alcohol is a way for QSRs to compete with casual dining and boost slow evening business. "For consumers, it??s basically about having it your way ?" even if it??s having a beer with your burger."

Critics, meanwhile, believe that having a beer in a fast-food restaurant would contribute to drunk patrons.

"Fast food plus fast alcohol equals fast drunks," Michele Simon, research and policy director at the Marin Institute, told the newspaper. Christopher Muller, dean at Boston University's School of Hospitality Administration, added that beer or wine sold at QSRs might send younger patrons wrong message: "You don??t want someone downing a quick beer, then getting into their cars and driving off. It??s a delicate balance of risk and reward."