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National Fast Food Day is considered to be an unofficial holiday that is observed and celebrated annually on the 16th of November. Millions of people all over the U.S will be celebrating this national event by going through their favorite drive-in stops and may also be visiting their favorite fast food restaurant to pick up a burger, burrito, chicken nuggets and even pizza!
Today, fast food is an American staple. There are over 300,000 fast-food restaurants in the United States alone, and what more if we add the fast-food chains known all around the globe, making it nearly impossible to drive down the road without going by at least one.
Need more proof of the popularity of fast food? In 1970, U.S. consumers spent $6 billion on fast food. Thirty years later in 2000, U.S. consumers spent $110 billion.
These are just the tip of the iceberg, here are some more facts about Fast Food
1. In the 1950s, fast food was born once cars became affordable after World War I.
It was said that the Fast Food Industry really is a big part of the 1950s due to numerous innovations in the lifestyle of Americans back in the day. Fast Food Restaurants got the hype as families in the 1950s are busy enough that they don’t have much time to cook and they needed a place where they can pick up freshly cooked food.
2. The first fast-food restaurant to open up in the United States was White Castle in the year 1920s.
This fast-food chain founded by Walter Anderson and Billy Ingram in Wichita, Kansas was considered to be ahead of its time for several different reasons. First, they sell hamburgers for a nickel each. Second, they show their customers how their food is made. And third, they move efficiently and served quickly. By this strategy, a lot of companies have also decided to do this and copy their model.
3. Drive-Ins were also invented in the 1920s.
Drive-Ins were further invented by the Pig Stand in Dallas, Texas. They were known to be a fast-food chain that could not only sell 50,000 sandwiches a week when the city only had about 250,000 residents but they also invented the concept of the drive-in. According to the owners, “people with cars became lazy and they don’t want to get out of them.” Truer words than that have never been spoken.
McDonald’s, as a strong competitor in the market, revamped its San Bernardino, California drive-in in 1948 that the assembling line met the fast-food hamburger.
4. The first McDonald's opened in the 1940s.
Mcdonald’s Food Chain has already reached its peak as they went worldwide, but a lot happened to this popular fast-food chain during the 1950s. An entrepreneur named Ray Kroc visited the Mcdonald’s to sell his “Multimixer” which can prepare 5 milkshakes in one machine. He became fascinated with their “Speedy system” and became a Mcdonald’s Franchise owner in Des Plaines, Illinois. Since then, it turned out good as they were able to serve their customers’ 100 Millionth hamburger years later in 1958.