Special Reports

The eruption of World War II brought shortages of food, equipment and labor—precisely as demand for meals prepared outside the home soared to 60 million meals per day, triple the prewar level. Some es...

The industry grappled with government-imposed pricing controls, the result of a nationwide beef shortage and tight supplies of other staples, while vying with other fast-growth industries for new employees.

The restaurant industry faced a critical challenge when President John F. Kennedy posed a hike in the federal minimum wage as a patriotic way of combating poverty and a growing disparity in incomes.