FUN FACTS ABOUT RESTAURANTS (and a little history too)

Restaurants, since early times, have always been in existence in some form or another dating back to Ancient Rome and today, we have endless choices of restaurants to enjoy!

So, just for fun, grab your cup of coffee and stroll with me down “fun-facts” lane…. 

The concept of selling food for profit goes back almost as far as history itself, including ancient Rome and China, where street “restaurants” commonly sold bread and wine to hungry and thirsty patrons of early times. (I bet there was no such thing as Eco-Sure way back then).

Centuries later, and during the Middle Ages, roadside restaurants were the earliest evidence of dine-in restaurant concepts. Imagine dining at a restaurant where the menu options were strictly chef’s choice, and patrons had no alternative but to dine family-style…. There were no kids’ menus, no references to calorie counts, or special diet considerations.

Did you know….

·       The French Revolution Invented Fine Dining! It’s true! During that time, Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette lost their heads during the French Revolution, and the French superiority collapsed. Chefs, and domestic servants who were once employed by noble households, found themselves jobless. So, many of these displaced workers decided to open their own establishments and offer a “Prix Fixe” menu to their new customers. Prix Fixe is a multi-course meal available for a “fixed price.” There can be as few as two or as many as ten or more courses. Sometimes, the menu is completely determined by the chef – you are told what the courses will be and that's that! Most of us these days would absolutely cringe at the thought of an extremely limited menu. Eventually, the French style of dining spread to Great Britain and across the Atlantic to the U.S.A. 

Did you know... 

·       The oldest restaurant in the world is located in Madrid, Spain, and was founded in 1725! Restaurante Botín, a cozy eatery in Madrid, Spain. It and holds the Guinness World Record for being the world's oldest restaurant.  

·       The Oldest Restaurant in the U.S. Is in Boston! The Union Oyster House has been serving up fresh oysters and more since 1826. I’ve actually dined at the Union Oyster House, and it is fabulous!  

·       McDonald's Once Featured a Grilled Pineapple Sandwich! Who knew? Even the Golden Arches giant McDonald's has had its fair share of menu flops. In the 1960s, McDonald’s ran a pineapple “hula burger” during lent, in select areas with a high Catholic population. The sandwich featured a sesame seed bun and a grilled pineapple ring topped with a slice of American cheese. Understandably, the hula burger didn’t last long, never making it to a national rank.  Pineapple has, however, been a smash hit with top pizza companies in recent years.

·       Speaking of Pizza, did you know the title of most expensive pizza on earth was—for some time—held by celebrity Chef Gordon Ramsay, whose $2,000 beast of a pie was topped with a mountain of North Sea lobster. Wow!  

·       Ever get guac at Chipotle? It might have been from Jason Mraz's backyard. The singer sells avocados to the burrito chain!  

·       14.7 million people work in the restaurant industry… what a wonderful industry to be associated with!

·       Soda in restaurants is marked up by 1,150%! That’s one heck of a markup!

 ·       With nearly 70,000 eating and drinking locations, California has the most restaurant locations, followed by New York.

 In a world that has been ever-changing, a few common threads remain…. We love to eat, we love to socialize over meals, and we enjoy great food from a variety of restaurants. Cheers to the past, present, and future of restaurants and those who make the industry successful, our hats are off to you!  

Written by:

Lisa Williams Franchise Partner Gecko Hospitality - Mississippi Market – Restaurant Division

lisaw@geckohospitality.com