History of Fast Food
The American hamburger
is a relatively recent creation. Hamburgers were not commonly made in America
until the early 20th century. The first hamburger fast-food chain was White
Castle, founded in 1916 by J. Walter Anderson of Wichita, Kansas. He sold five
cent hamburgers along with french fries and colas. However, fast-food did not
become a significant part of the American landscape until after World War II.
Richard and Maurice McDonald chalked out a design for a new type of hamburger
restaurant on a tennis court in 1948. Their goal was to make the operation as
efficient as possible. Compared with previous fast-food chains they planned
to reduce their expenses, thereby permitting them to sell hamburgers at a lower
price. To test their ideas, they opened an octagonal-shaped hamburger stand
in San Bernardino, California. Their operation eliminated waitresses and so
greatly reduced operating expenses. They sped up the process of making hamburgers
through a series of innovations permitting them to service more customers faster.
The McDonalds' success encouraged others to imitate them. Based on his observation
of their burger stand, Keith Cramer began a fast-food hamburger restaurant in
Florida which eventually became the Burger King chain.