The industry or business of preparing and serving food to customers in restaurants, cafeterias, catering companies, and similar establishments.
Food comes from Old English 'fōda' (nourishment), and services from Latin 'servitium' (servitude, attendance). The compound emerged in the 20th century as the restaurant industry formalized.
The foodservices industry is actually one of the world's largest employers—it didn't really exist as we know it until affordable restaurants became popular in the 1800s, but now it touches nearly every person on Earth daily.
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