History of Fast food in Timeline

By Popular Timelines Editorial Team · Updated: May 1, 2026

Fast food is mass-produced food prioritizing speed of service, sold in restaurants or stores using pre-prepared ingredients, and packaged for takeout. Created to serve busy commuters and workers, it became a global industry worth an estimated $570 billion in 2018.

1910: Fish and chip shops across the UK

By 1910, there were more than 25,000 fish and chip shops across the UK.

1916: First White Castle restaurant

Walter Anderson built the first White Castle restaurant in Wichita in 1916, introducing the limited menu, high-volume, low-cost, high-speed hamburger restaurant.

1921: Franchising Introduced by A&W Root Beer

In 1921, Franchising was introduced by A&W Root Beer, which franchised its distinctive syrup.

1921: White Castle Opens First Fast Food Outlet

In 1921, White Castle, founded by Billy Ingram and Walter Anderson, is credited with opening the first fast food outlet and hamburger chain, selling hamburgers for five cents each.

1928: Harry Ramsden's Opens First Shop

In 1928, Harry Ramsden's fast food restaurant chain opened its first fish and chip shop in Guiseley, West Yorkshire.

1952: Harry Ramsden's earns Guinness Record

On a single day in 1952, Harry Ramsden's shop served 10,000 portions of fish and chips, earning a place in the Guinness Book of Records.

1969: Bar "Pasztecik" Founded

In 1969, the first bar serving pasztecik szczeciński, Bar "Pasztecik" was founded on Wojska Polskiego Avenue 46 in Szczecin, Poland.

1970: US Spending on Fast Food

In 1970, consumers in the United States spent $6 billion on fast food.

December 1984: Subway Opens First Non-US Location

In December 1984, Subway opened its first non-US location in Bahrain.

January 31, 1990: McDonald's Opens in Moscow

On January 31, 1990, McDonald's opened a restaurant in Moscow and broke opening-day records for customers served.

2001: Fast Food Nation Argument

In 2001, Eric Schlosser, the researcher who wrote the book Fast Food Nation, argued that fast food chains are not only a financial but also a psychological bait.

Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal

Check it on Amazon

2004: Super Size Me Film Release

In 2004, the film Super Size Me was released, designed to highlight the potential negative health effects from the overconsumption of fast food.

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2006: Global Fast-Food Market Growth

In 2006, the global fast-food market grew by 4.8% and reached a value of £102.4 billion and a volume of 80.3 billion transactions.

May 2009: Subway Restaurant Count

As of May 2009, Subway had approximately 39,129 restaurants in 90 countries.

2010: Fast-food Habits and Obesity in Jeddah

A 2010 study undertaken in the city of Jeddah indicated that fast-food habits were related to an increased level of obesity among adolescents in Saudi Arabia.

2010: U.S. Workers Employed in Food Preparation and Serving

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, about 4.1 million U.S. workers were employed in food preparation and serving (including fast food) as of 2010.

2010: Marketing to Children

In a 2010 article in The Atlantic, Kelly Brownwell supported the argument that Burger King and McDonald's adopted another dangerous practice for marketing to children.

April 2011: McDonald's Hires New Workers

In April 2011, McDonald's hired approximately 62,000 new workers and received a million applications for those positions.

2012: US Spending on Fast Food

In 2012, consumers in the United States spent $160 billion on fast food.

2013: US Restaurant Industry Sales

In 2013, the US restaurant industry had total projected sales of $660.5 billion.

2013: Food preparation time

In 2013, the average woman in the United States spent 47 minutes per day preparing food, and the average man spent 19 minutes per day.

2013: Median age of fast food industry workers

In 2013, the median age of workers in the fast food industry was 28.

2014: WHO Study on Deregulated Food Markets and Obesity

In 2014, the World Health Organization published a study which indicated that deregulated food markets were largely to blame for an obesity crisis, and suggested tighter regulations to reverse the trend.

2015: Local Governments Restricting Fast-Food Chains

In 2015, it was reported in the United States that local governments were restricting fast-food chains by limiting the number of restaurants found in certain geographical areas.