Early Hospitality in Lower Manhattan

1842-1894 

New York was already a rapidly growing city by 1800, with its 60,000 residents concentrated in Lower Manhattan. By the close of the century, the population had surged to 3.4 million, distributed across the city’s newly consolidated boroughs. This rapid growth, coupled with increasing business activity, fueled the demand for hotels and restaurants, establishing Lower Manhattan as one of the birthplaces of the American hospitality industry. Sixteen surviving menus from the 19th century, beginning in the early 1840s when menus first came into general use, provide a glimpse into these early establishments and the types of venues that remained as society migrated uptown and the area transitioned into a financial district.

Hang Me Up

1937

The history of takeout food dates back to ancient times, when street vendors sold ready-to-eat meals. Archaeological evidence reveals early examples, such as cook shops uncovered in the ruins of Pompeii and tamale stands in Aztec markets. By the 1920s, restaurants in the United States began to promote takeout. The earliest takeout menus emerged in the late 1930s, sometimes with a hole at the top, allowing them to be hung on a wall near the phone. Two menus illustrate this largely forgotten design feature.