Empire Szechuan in New York City wasn't the first restaurant in the United States to offer its food for delivery, but back in the 1970s, this wasn't as common and certainly not as prevalent as it has been in the last two years. Thank Chinese restaurants in Manhattan for popularizing the practice of food delivery which forced other restaurants across the U.S. to follow suit. As Chinese restaurants brought food delivery to a new level, Chinese cuisine found a home in a growing number of American kitchens. But every innovation is born out of struggle, as Ruth Tam and Patrick Fort of WAMU’s award-winning Dish City podcast explains.
Born out of struggle, Chinese food delivery opened doors to different cuisines
Some New York apartment buildings banned Chinese food delivery menus, which spearheaded delivery across the U.S. Photo courtesy of Ruth Tam.