While North American cities such as New York, New Orleans, San Francisco, Chicago, and Montreal have produced many excellent restaurants and hotels, the unique American contribution to gastronomy has been quick-service and convenience foods. The first cafeteria came into being in San Francisco during the Gold Rush of 1849. Automated cafeterias were later introduced in New York and Philadelphia.

The United States is a culinary melting pot. In New York City and many other metropolitan areas, one can find almost any kind of food. Outside the great cities, American food at one time had a distinctive regional character. New England was famous for its clam and lobster dishes, its New England boiled dinner, and its red flannel hash. The South had its fried chicken, barbecued meats, and corn breads. The Far West prided itself on its Dungeness crab, abalone, fish, and shellfish. As a result of easy transportation of fresh, packaged, and frozen foods, once strictly regional dishes have become popular countrywide. A “new” American cooking, combining inventive simplicity and eclectic venturesomeness, offers a challenge to the bastions of European gastronomy.