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Join GroupFrom the late 1900s onward, the trend towards families with two working parents contributed greatly to the popularity of dining in restaurants (or at least carry-out options). This demand is leading to an ever-increasing number and variety of restaurant offerings, and consequently, more and more jobs for waitstaff and other hospitality workers.
Beginning with White Castle and White Tower, two popular hamburger restaurants in the early 1900s, the restaurant industry would become transformed before the end of the 20th century, largely credited to one man: Ray Kroc. Contrary to popular belief, Kroc did not actually start the McDonald's chain; rather, he bought the business from the two McDonald brothers, and it was Kroc who devised the successful franchise model still in use today, not just by McDonald's, but also by countless restaurant chains across the country. And fast-food restaurants employ a significant percentage of servers in the U.S.
Towards the end of the 19th century, new transportation options like trains and automobiles fueled a rise in European luxury travel and tourism, which in turn created a greater demand for restaurants. These changes were also reflected in the United States, where dining in restaurants soon became much more than just a necessity while traveling. This naturally led to the creation of many new job opportunities for waitstaff.
Prior to the French Revolution, guilds controlled how food was sold. For example, if you were a charcutier (producing cooked meats), but didn't belong to the charcutier's guild, it would have been illegal for you to sell your goods. But after the Revolution, guilds were banned, which resulted in many chefs losing their jobs in aristocratic homes. The more enterprising of these chefs started their own restaurants, introducing a style of fine dining based on their experiences in private chateaux and manor houses, with linens, china, and crystal gracing their tables. Serving the sumptuous menus were men who, in many cases, were previously employed as footmen or butlers in fine mansions.
In the days when the Roman Empire was expanding, it was common for peasants to travel several days at a time to bring their goods into the city markets. They would stay at inns along the way, eating at a common table with other travelers, with the innkeeper and his family doing the cooking and serving of the meals. There were no menus — every meal was the chef's choice.
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