In the 1920s and 1930s, many well-known chain restaurants—such as Horn & Hardart, Howard Johnson’s, A&W Root Beer, Bob’s Big Boy, Dairy Queen, White Castle , and Marriott Hot Shoppes —emerged in urban areas as walk-up lunch rooms, cafeterias, and hamburger stands. These early chains primarily served urban working populations. As suburban development and automobile travel increased by the mid-20th century, many chains adapted their layouts to include parking and drive-in service. Some new chains also appeared during this period, explicitly targeting automobile-based customers. These changes in design and audience contributed to a shift in how dining out was perceived, turning it from a work-related necessity into a form of entertainment. In the 1950s, chain restaurant growth accelerated with the widespread use of the franchise model, originally developed by Howard Johnson in the 1930s. This model was successfully adopted by companies such as McDonald’s, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Domino’s, Long John Silver’s, Burger King , and Sonic . Unlike earlier centralized corporate chains, the franchise system allowed local owners to operate individual restaurants under contracts that standardized building design, menus, and service style. These agreements emphasized consistent quality and helped overcome the challenges of managing geographically dispersed locations.From the 1950s to the mid-1980s, the number of restaurants in the United States increased substantially. There were 127,000 restaurants in 1954 and 135,000 in 1967; by the mid-1980s, that number had more than doubled. By 1983, fast-food restaurants accounted for 40 percent of all U.S. restaurants, and Americans ate out an average of 3 to 4 times per week, spending 40 percent of their food budgets on meals prepared outside the home. Breakfast-focused chains such as IHOP, Perkins, Waffle House , and Dunkin’ Donuts began to expand in the 1960s. These initially catered to commuters and shift workers but soon attracted broader audiences, including families and teenagers seeking leisure activities. Later, traditional lunch-focused fast-food chains such as Hardee’s and McDonald’s added breakfast offerings in the 1980s, followed by coffee chains like Starbucks in the 1990s. These additions helped establish breakfast as a routine meal eaten outside the home. The following chart shows how the share of total food spending on food away from home (FAFH) changed relative to food at home from 1987 to 2017. https://gmatclub.com/forum/download/file.php?id=81309While restaurants are the largest source of food away from home (FAFH), Americans also purchase food from other venues, including sporting events, entertainment sites, hotels and motels, schools and colleges, retail stores, and vending machines. These outlets offer foods similar in type and nutrition to restaurant meals, but food service is not their primary purpose. In these cases, food may be purchased either to satisfy hunger or as a convenience while engaging in another activity. From 1987 to 2017, only two FAFH sectors increased their share of total FAFH expenditures: restaurants and recreational places (such as movie theaters and sports venues). Recreational places rose from 2.1% of FAFH in 1987 to 3.6% in 2017. All other non-restaurant sectors—hotels and motels, schools and colleges, retail stores, and vending machines—declined as a share of total FAFH spending during this period. I06-08.png

Q1: For each of the following statements, select Supported if it can be properly inferred from the information provided. Otherwise, select Not Supported. 1. Early chain restaurants in the first half of the 20th century were largely focused on serving working populations in city settings. Answer: Supporte d Explanation: The passage clearly states that early chains in the 1920s and 1930s “primarily served urban working populations.” 2. New franchised restaurant chains were regularly established throughout the 20th century. Answer: Supported Explanation: The text describes chain restaurant growth from the 1920s through the 1990s, including examples like McDonald’s, Starbucks, and others. This shows steady franchise establishment across decades. 3. Most restaurant franchise chains in the 20th century were created specifically to serve automobile-based customers. Answer: Not Supported Explanation: While some chains did target drivers (e.g., drive-ins), the passage never claims this was true for most franchise chains. Q2: Select Yes if the statement can be reasonably inferred from the information provided. Otherwise, select No. 1. In the 1960s, chain restaurants began expanding their meal offerings and appealing to a broader range of customers. Answer: Yes Explanation: The passage says that breakfast chains like IHOP began in the 1960s and expanded beyond commuters to reach families and teens, confirming audience and menu expansion. 2. By the mid-1980s, there were more than 100,000 fast food restaurants in the United States. Answer: Yes Explanation: The text says that the number of restaurants more than doubled from 135,000 in 1967 by the mid-1980s, and fast food made up 40% of that. So 40% of 270,000+ = over 100,000 fast food outlets. 3. Restaurant franchisees are required to conform to certain specifications regarding service and aesthetics. Answer: Yes Explanation: It’s stated that franchisees had contracts covering building design, menus, and service style—showing control over service and aesthetics. Q3: Did the following factors contribute to the rise in food away from home (FAFH) between 1920s and 2017? 1. Viewing eating away from home as a recreational activity Answer: Contributed Explanation: In the first passage, it says dining out shifted "from a work-related necessity into a form of entertainment," especially as automobile use and suburban development grew. 2. Target audience expansion Answer: Contributed Explanation: S2 mentions breakfast chains expanded from commuters to include families and teenagers, and fast food later attracted broader audiences. This clearly shows expansion of target demographics. 3. Growth in vending machine food purchases significantly contributed to the rise in food away from home Answer: Did Not Contribute Explanation: S3 says vending machine purchases declined as a share of total FAFH spending from 1987 to 2017. So they did not significantly contribute to the rise.

Q1. statement 2 - New franchised restaurant chains were regularly established throughout the 20th century. this should be not supported - the passage states franchise model started in 1930s and was adopted by popular chain restaurants.

Can someone please confirm if the answer to Q2)A) is a "no" because we are given in the 1960's breakfast chains expanded, not that they expanded their meal offerings, that happened in 1980's when lunch restaurants began offering break fast options

How much time it should take roughly? I took 10 min 10 sec to answer all of them (all correct)

2 min per question is the avg so around 6-7 mins

In the 1920s and 1930s, many well-known chain restaurantssuch as : Multi-Source Reasoning (MSR)

Contributed	Did Not Contribute
		Viewing eating away from home as a recreational activity.
		Target audience expansion.
		Growth in vending machine food purchases significantly contributed to the rise in food away from home.

In the 1920s and 1930s, many well-known chain restaurantssuch as

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Supported	Not supported
		Early chain restaurants in the first half of the 20th century were largely focused on serving working populations in city settings.
		New franchised restaurant chains were regularly established throughout the 20th century.
		Most restaurant franchise chains in the 20th century were created specifically to serve automobile-based customers.

Yes	No
		In the 1960s, chain restaurants began expanding their meal offerings and appealing to a broader range of customers.
		By the mid-1980s, there were more than 100,000 fast food restaurants in the United States.
		Restaurant franchisees are required to conform to certain specifications regarding service and aesthetics.

GMAT Multi-Source Reasoning (MSR) Questions