Those of us born between 1946 and 1964, the postwar Baby Boom era, couldn’t help but shudder a bit when we realized

Back in January, the U.S. Census Bureau reminded us that, of America’s estimated 78.2 million Baby Boomers, 7,918 would be reaching that six-decade milestone each day during 2006, which amounts to 330 every hour.

that this is the year in which the first crop of us would turn 60.

As social commentators love to remind us, the Baby Boom generation was the first to grow up with television, rock ‘n’ roll, foreign-made automobiles and, most important for our purposes, fast food. Many of us, myself included, have fond and very vivid memories of growing up eating those little bite-sized hamburgers topped with mustard, ketchup, and pickle at our local McDonald’s restaurant. Back then, McDonald’s wasn’t just a place to grab a meal; it was also our local hangout, the nexus of social activity in a quiet town, and a place where kids always felt welcome. This is the kind of profound relationship modern branding gurus would kill to forge with their customers. Any brand that can draw upon history, real emotions, actual experiences, and positive associations with youth is flush with equity no amount of promotion or advertising can buy.

Naturally, issues of cost, procurement, and logistics would require significant attention on the front end for comfort-food offerings to be viable in a quick service environment, but the payoff could be substantial.

But as we’ve grown older, and as many fast-food chains have matured into marketing powerhouses targeting kids and young adults, the deep-rooted connection we Boomers used to share with our favorite fast-food outlets has weakened to some degree. Consciously or not, we recognize somehow that we have aged out of their target consumer segment. And their marketing, with few exceptions, tends not to address us much at all. So by the time we began having our own children and bringing them to the local hamburger, pizza, or sandwich chain, we couldn’t help but feel a little awkward, a little out of time and place.