With roots in the cafe, diner and tea room, various kinds of roadside restaurants evolved after 1920: roadside stands, highway coffee shops, drive-ins, outdoor walk-ups and indoor walk-ups. Together they came to represent a distinctive kind of place along the American roadside. Large corporations came to dominate highway-oriented restaurants after 1960 through “place-product-packaging”: the coordination of building design, decor, menu, service and pricing under distinctive logos. This total design in merchandising has contributed to the standardization of roadside landscapes and travel in the United States. Roadside eateries are safe, predictable oases for strangers away from home.
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