ABSTRACT
Restaurants have been part of the human experience for millennia. The modern restaurant industry’s entrepreneurial roots date back to 3500 b.c., when the first restaurant opened as an extension of its proprietor’s home (Reynolds 2003). The target market, as it were, consisted of weary travellers who wanted a meal in a family setting while away from home. The modern retail landscape is of course vastly different; restaurants are ubiquitous in everyday life. Throughout the civilized world, humans embrace the convenience, epicurean pleasure and value of eating meals outside of the home. The seeds of the chain restaurant industry were, however, sown long before the advent of contemporary chains. Restaurant patrons have always sought consistency, value and availability, the hallmarks of the chain experience.
