History of Food Service - Key Concepts (Last-Minute Review)

History of food service is closely linked to travel.
Early practitioners of quantity food production were those in religious orders and royal households; abbeys often met a higher standard of food preparation than inns.
Canterbury Abbey served as a pilgrimage site; the abbey kitchen was about 45 feet wide.
A strong sense of stewardship contributed to the beginning of detailed accounting systems.

In the Middle Ages, foodservice organizations originated from the food habits, customs, and traditions of the people that characterize a civilization.
Foodservice organization became well-organized as early as feudal times.
Canterbury Abbey played a central role as a pilgrimage site with notable kitchen facilities.

The royal household included as many as 150-250 persons.
Degrees of rank resulted in different food allowances; this rooted strict cost accounting.
For a household of more than 140 persons, there were 10 different daily breakfasts recorded, with the best for the earl and lady and the poorest for workers.

Provision of board and lodging has long been practiced in colleges and universities.
In the U.S., several changes occurred: until World War II, colleges provided a separate mess hall for men and women; students were trained in social graces in addition to meeting dietary needs.

Boarding: provision of accommodation and meals; mostly used by students; used for longer stays; examples: boarding school, boarding house.
Lodging: provision of accommodation; mostly used by tourists or traveling businesspeople; used for temporary stays; examples: hotel, guesthouse, motel.

Longer hours of service.
Fewer restrictions on the number of servings.
Pay-as-you-eat plan.
Diversity of campus foodservice.
Utilization of university foodservices as a laboratory for foodservice and management classes.

School foodservice was developed to encourage attendance by providing economical lunches.
1849: canteens for school children were established.
1855: Victor Hugo started school feeding in England, providing well-prepared luncheons at his residence; subsequently, school foodservice began in the United States.
1849, 1855

Dietetics began as a service in hospitals during the Crimean War.
Florence Nightingale pioneered a diet kitchen providing sanitary and nutritious meals for the sick and wounded.
Alexis Soyer, a celebrated French chef in Victorian England, contributed to culinary reform.
Robert Owen, a Scottish mill owner, is regarded as the father of industrial catering; he created large kitchens and eating rooms for employees and their families.

European hotel plan introduced a separate charge for board and lodging.
Restaurant concept originated from shops in France.
Cafeteria emerged to simplify commercial foodservice as a self-service model.
Automat (first opened in Philadelphia in 1902 by Horn and Hardart) used coin-operated machines; inspired by a waiterless restaurant model in Berlin.
Fast food concept emerged in the 1960s, patterned after Western hamburger chains going public.
Food on the Move now represents a major part of today’s foodservice via airlines, trains, and cruise ships.