Abstract
Fast food restaurants represent one of the largest segments of the food industry with more than 500,000 restaurants implanted all over the world and their number does not stop growing, particularly in industrialized countries. Fast foods are characterized with a short time of preparation and service, and the food is eat on the go. The very first fast food was born in New York in 1912, by Horn and Hardat who created the ancestor of the fast food restaurant, the Automat. They knew a big success, in particular from the 1920s with their slogan 'less work for mothers'. The drive-in developed some years later with the popularization of the automobile. The concept of ready cooked food for sale is closely connected with urban development. In the 1970s, mothers were working outside their homes, so they had less time to cook. The principle of fast food remains the same, a limited menu, a big volume and low prices.
