A History of Fast Food Chains in the US
A History of Fast Food Chains in the US
The term “fast food” was first coined back in the mid-20th century as a part of a magazine title. Eventually, more and more people started to invest in the concept of serving fast food, that is, food which are easily cooked and are easily served. Because more food can be served in any given time, entrepreneurs figured that it would dramatically increase their sales.
In the US, White Castle is recognized as the first fast food restaurant, starting out in 1916 in the state of Kansas. During its opening, the restaurant sold hamburgers for just 5 cents each, along with sodas and fries. With food available right away and for a reasonable fee, White Castle gained a lot of customers and popularity in just a short period of time. Later on, other fast food chains opened up, including McDonald’s.
Today, McDonald’s is considered as the biggest fast food chain in the world. The first one opened back in 1948 on San Diego, California and sold burgers and milkshakes. A couple of years later, more branches opened up.
Another big name in the fast food restaurant industry would be Wendy’s. Compared to McDonald’s, Wendy’s is relatively newer in the scene, being founded in 1972. However, it was Wendy’s that pioneered the “drive-thru” system that is extremely popular today.
After McDonald’s started gaining popularity, more entrepreneurs wanted to copy the idea of selling food which is available right away and so, several other names in the fast food industry started appearing and sold all kinds of food items from burgers to fried chicken to sundaes to tacos and doughnuts. Some of the most famous names in the US fast food industry include Burger King, Coney Island, Taco Bell, Krispy Kreme, Arby’s, Carl’s Jr., Dairy Queen, Dominos and Jack-in-the-Box.
Presently, the United States is considered to have the largest fast food industry with American fast food restaurants branching out in more than 100 countries.
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