The quest for food to fill the body, and food to seduce the soul, has provided a catalyst for the exploding variety of restaurants in the United States. Mapping out the development of the great American restaurant, the author takes us on a nostalgic journey in From Boarding House to Bistro (originally published in 1990) through the history of a nation’s eating houses.

From the earliest taverns and inns to the fast-food chains of 1990s, the restaurant mirrored a changing way of life. Increasingly Americans chose to eat away from home, in a variety of downtown establishments, or in the burgeoning sprawl of suburban eateries. Richard Pillsbury traces this evolution, emphasizing how the restaurant’s form, its fare, and its location reflect the country’s diverse economy and social life.

Abundantly illustrated, and with entertaining vignettes on individual eating places, this fascinating account is accessible to all readers. The unique product of extensive travel across the continent, this book gives new insight into the restaurant as an institution and will especially appeal to those interested in the social and behavioral sciences, urban planners, marketing specialists, and others working with the changing American urban scene.

Richard Pillsbury is Professor Emeritus of Geography at Georgia State University, USA.