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Span of Evolution
From the 1600s to 2020 the restaurant and food service industry has changed tremendously, below you'll see just how much it has changed. -
First Recorded Restaurant in the United States
The White Horse Tavern is considered one of the first restaurants in the United States. In 1673 it was turned into a tavern by William Mayes Sr. The United States Treasury and certain businessmen made the White Horse Tavern their frequent meeting place. The restaurant is also recognized as a National Historic Landmark. -
First Recorded Restaurant in the World
There is no known name of the first ever restaurant. However, the restaurant did have French history and there was French writing, written on the outside of the restaurant building. This restaurant (and most around this time) only offered guest tables and a single dish was served. After this restaurant opened, the industry became more known and more business owners followed in its footsteps. -
The Great Depression
During the most well known recession, the Great Depression, most families “made do” with what they had or most went without food. Food chains became popular. Soup kitchens had become most families' source of a meal, in most cases there were health implications and undernourishment during this time as well. -
First Drive Thru Restaurant
The first ever known drive thru restaurant was Red’s Giant Hamburg. Sheldon “Red” Chaney first opened the restaurant and it later closed in 1984. It was then reopened by David Campbell in 2019 and it is still open today. I think this drive thru restaurant paved the way for other fast food and chain restaurants that we know today to open and be successful. -
Meals on Wheels
Meals on Wheels was designed to help senior citizens be independent and support them through delivering food. Several restaurants have participated in helping Meals on Wheels to support the elderly in their communities. This is a great way to learn more about the community you are living in and it benefits both Meals on Wheels and the participating restaurants. -
Farm to Table Dining
Farm to table dining is taking food that naturally and locally grows and making those ingredients into a delicious meal. This style of dining became popular between the sixties and seventies. Both restaurants that use farm to table dining and farmers that grow the ingredients benefit, the farmers get to grow food for their community and the restaurants get to serve their customers with nutritious and good food. -
Point of Sale Systems (POS)
Point of Sales Systems were first introduced in 1984 where consumers were given the chance to have a printed receipt and the opportunity for credit card payments. The whole idea behind a POS System was to create a more convenient and reliable system of payments and making sales. Different technology and development has been made since the eighties and there are about four different types of POS Systems all over the world, such as legacy, tablet-based, mobile, and cloud based systems. -
Food Delivery Service Begins
The first known food delivery service was called World Wide Waiter. It attracted over sixty restaurants and became popular during the nineties. Also, people loved the idea of only having to go on the internet, click what they wanted to order, and wait for it to arrive right on their doorstep. This delivery service changed the restaurant industry by giving the participating restaurants more business and by getting orders out quicker and more convenient. -
ServSafe - Food Safety Certification
ServSafe is a certification program that helps those in the restaurant industry have more knowledge about the importance of food safety. There are many types of ServSafe certification that people can earn. However, the main one people test for is the Food Handler Certificate. I think the implementation of ServSafe has changed the restaurant industry by making it more safe and ensuring those in the field have basic knowledge of food safety. -
Meal Kits Invented
Meal kits were first introduced in Sweden in 2007. The idea of meal kits was to make dinner plans easier and more convenient to families. Later on in 2015, multiple meal kit services were introduced like Blue Apron and Hello Fresh. I think this affects the restaurant industry because a convenient meal kit delivery service will take more of the consumer’s money than a restaurant will, which in short terms could take away major business from surrounding restaurants. -
Covid-19 Pandemic
Covid affected most people, places and restaurants. As most of us know, the pandemic was an outbreak of a virus and caused multiple people to lose their jobs, families, and their businesses. The safety precautions and procedures on a day to day basis in a restaurant have changed drastically since Covid happened. Also, during Covid most restaurants couldn’t serve customers indoors or at all, which in turn made them lose business and eventually some had to shut down their restaurant for good. -
Food Trucks
Food trucks are being considered the best performing restaurants in the United States right now. The businesses that are expanding and growing from having food trucks have made exponential growth. Unlike, stand alone restaurants, food trucks are mobile and they are more cost effective. The change these trucks are making in the food service industry is making food accessible to more people (mobility) and staying active in their business because of costs.