Fast Food History

Although, the term 'fast food' gained more prominence when it was recognized in the popular Merriam-Webster dictionary, in 1951, it had been in existence even before and had been known by names like Quick Service Restaurant or QSR. The idea of fast food restaurants owes its origin to the Ancient Roman culture where the concept of ready cooked meal was in existence during games and cultural activities. One of the fast food history facts that will leave you in awe is that the fast food industry global business grew by 4.7% in the year 2006 and fast food kings like McDonald's have nearly 31,000 food outlets running in 126 countries and 6 continents!! Moreover, in developing countries like India, the fast food business is growing at an amazing level, with a growth rate of 41% per year!!

History of Fast Food

The essence of fast food lies in its fast service and availability of ready - cooked meal. As urban development became a phenomenon in the 20th century, especially in the US, people got busy in their works and the culture of eating outside in restaurants and food outlets gained immense popularity. In fact, history of the fast food industry is very old but its modernization and development occurred tremendously, post world war II. There have been numerous small restaurants and food outlets since pre world war I that were in business of selling hamburgers and similar eatables however, as per fast food history timeline, some of the pioneers who changed the fast food business and established a monopoly in this business, started in the early 1920s and 1940s. Their growth and success story is actually, a true account of fast food history. Let us know more about them.

White Castle
Founded by Billy Ingram, on a modest capital of $700, in 1921, in Wichita, KS, White Castle became one of the first most popular burger restaurants in the US. Come 2011 and this fast food giant will be completing its 90th anniversary. The company boasts of being the first to sell a billion burgers and its name signifies purity ("white") and strength, stability ("castle").

7- Eleven
Previously known as Southland Ice Company, 7 - Eleven was in the business of selling blocks of ice to refrigerate food. Now, with nearly 7100 stores in US and Canada, 7 - Eleven is certainly a leader in fast food business.

Kentucky Fried Chicken
KFC was introduced to the world by Harland Sanders in the year 1930. It started in front of a local gas station in Corbin, Kentucky and now, it is one of the fast food outlets that has a major global presence. Serving fried chicken and various other chicken items, KFC claims to have a secret recipe that is the reason behind its delicious dishes.

McDonald's
McDonald's is a name that is synonymous with fast food. In 1940, Dick and Mac McDonalds, also popular as McDonald brothers started a drive-in restaurant serving barbecue meals in San Bernardino, CA . However, eight years after it, McDonald's was founded officially in 1948, and it introduced a wide range of eatables including hamburgers, soft drinks, milk, coffee, potato chips, French fries and milkshakes. Ray Kroc, known as the man who made McDonald's was a multi mixer agent. After observing the business of his biggest clients in California, Ray Kroc made strong professional relationships with the McDonald's brother. Kroc used his salesmanship skills and brought McDonald's from the two brothers at a price of $2.7 million. The rest is history and now McDonald's is a legendary corporation with approximately 13 billion revenue generated per year.

So these are some of the most fascinating chapters in the fast food history in America. These fast food giants have a major global presence and they're managed by some of the most efficient and strong management teams. Carl's Jr., Arby's, Domino's, Dairy Queen and Pizza Hut are some other fast food centers that have been known worldwide. In the fast food history, there has been tremendous criticism of various fast food restaurant chains for producing food high in fat contents. Certainly, there are both advantages and disadvantages of fast foods but no matter what, it is a fact that fast foods are favorites of millions of people.