What 'Fast Food' Looked Like In Every Decade Since The Turn Of The 20th Century
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What 'Fast Food' Looked Like In Every Decade Since The Turn Of The 20th Century

Genevieve Carlton
Updated September 23, 2021 12 items

In the 1950s, fast food was all the rage. McDonald's, Burger King, and Taco Bell dished up food across the country, and fast food restaurants in the 1960s expanded into delivery service. 1970s fast food restaurants served up the first fast food breakfast menus, including the world's first Egg McMuffin.

But what was fast food like in the other decades since 1900? Early 20th century fast food seems almost unrecognizable today. In Manhattan, hungry tourists and workers could pop into a store to buy meatloaf and mashed potatoes from a giant vending machine. In the 1940s, In-N-Out created the first modern drive-thru. And in the 1990s, fast food restaurants pioneered value menus to attract more customers. 

Even since the 1990s, fast food restaurants have changed their look and menus. But how else has fast food changed since 1900? 

  • 1900s: The First American Automat Opens Introducing Americans To Take-Out Dining

    1900s: The First American Automat Opens Introducing Americans To Take-Out Dining

    Fast food was brand new at the turn of the 20th century. The recently invented automat offered a new, high-tech experience for hungry diners - diners would insert coins into a massive vending machine to receive their meal. Horn & Hardart unveiled its first automat in 1902. 

    “New Method of Lunching,” a New York Times advertisement declared. “Try It! You’ll Like It!!” 

    What did people buy from automats? The vending machines contained sandwiches, chicken pot pie, and hot slices of pie. The hot food options included steak, soup, and mashed potatoes. Behind the machine, food service workers refilled empty slots to keep the machine running smoothly. The slogan promised "less work for mother."

    Horn & Hardart opened another automat in Times Square, truly kicking off the fast food era.

  • 1910s: A&W Sold Handmade Root Beer From A Cart At A Parade

    1910s: A&W Sold Handmade Root Beer From A Cart At A Parade

    As veterans came back from WWI, they found a new drink available for sale: root beer. The first mug of root beer was served at a military homecoming parade in California. 

    Soon, A&W started offering drive-in service from its California locations. Cars pulled up and a server brought out a frosty cold mug of root beer served in a glass. In the 1920s, A&W expanded its locations, bringing delicious root beer to thousands of customers. 

  • 1920s: White Castle Marks The First Traditional Fast Food Restaurant Opening

    1920s: White Castle Marks The First Traditional Fast Food Restaurant Opening

    In 1921, Walter Anderson and Billy Ingram opened the first White Castle in Wichita, KS. By 1924, the chain had multiple locations in Kansas and Missouri. 

    But White Castle wasn't just the first fast food restaurant. It also pioneered the most popular fast food: burgers. Anderson invented the hamburger bun and developed the assembly line as a method to cook fast food. 

    Thanks to White Castle, burgers soon became an inexpensive, fast option across the Midwest, where the chain quickly expanded. 

  • 1930s: QSRs Were Slow To Grow During The Great Depression

    1930s: QSRs Were Slow To Grow During The Great Depression

    The Great Depression was a tough time for quick service restaurants, but several important milestones occurred during the 1930s. In 1930, Harlan Sanders opened a restaurant in Corbin, KY, which he named Sanders' Court & Cafe. The roadside restaurant serviced fried chicken to travelers and locals. 

    Sanders didn't turn his cafe into the Kentucky Fried Chicken franchise until 1952. 

    Also in the 1930s, Howard Johnson came up with a new idea: he would let other restaurant operators use his name for a fee. Johnson, an ice cream seller, thus invented the restaurant franchising model, which soon became standard in the fast food industry. 

  • 1940s: The Modern Day Drive-Thru Was Started By In-N-Out

    1940s: The Modern Day Drive-Thru Was Started By In-N-Out

    In 1948, Harry and Esther Snyder popularized a new idea: drive-thru fast food.

    That year, they opened the first In-N-Out Burger in Baldwin Park, CA. The model built on earlier drive-in businesses was one in which carhops took orders through car windows. At In-N-Out, cars drove up to a window in the store to place their orders. Customers used an intercom to relay their order, and then they received the food without leaving their car. 

    The idea quickly caught on, transforming fast food. 

  • 1950s: Dunkin' Donuts, Baskin-Robbins, And Taco Bell Are Founded

    1950s: Dunkin' Donuts, Baskin-Robbins, And Taco Bell Are Founded

    The 1950s marked a new era in fast food history. Multiple brands that dominate the industry today trace their roots to the 1950s, including McDonald's, Dunkin' Donuts, Baskin-Robbins, and Taco Bell.

    In 1954, a milkshake salesman named Ray Kroc visited a drive-up restaurant owned by Dick and Mac McDonald. Kroc instantly invested in the business and transformed McDonald's into a giant in the fast food industry. 

    That same year, Jim McLamore and Dave Edgerton opened Burger King, while Glenn Bell founded Taco Bell. 

    Streamlined assembly methods distinguished 1950s fast food. At McDonald's, line cooks using the "Speedee Service System" could make burgers in half the time, allowing McDonald's to charge just 15 cents a burger, or half the cost of a sit-down restaurant.