Restaurant. A restaurant is a business that prepares and serves food and drinks to customers.
   Meals are generally served and eaten on the premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services. Restaurants vary greatly in appearance and offerings, including a wide variety of cuisines and service models ranging from inexpensive fast-food restaurants and cafeterias to mid-priced family restaurants, to high-priced luxury establishments.
   The word derives from the early 19th century, taken from the French word provide food for, literally restore to a former state and, being the present participle of the verb, the term restaurant may have been used in 1507 as a restorative beverage, and in correspondence in 1521 to mean that which restores the strength, a fortifying food or remedy. Remains of a thermopolium in Pompeii Service counter of a thermopolium in Pompeii A public eating establishment similar to a restaurant is mentioned in a 512 BC record from Ancient Egypt.
   It served only one dish, a plate of cereal, wildfowl, and onions. A forerunner of the modern restaurant is the thermopolium, an establishment in Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome that sold and served ready-to-eat food and beverages.
   These establishments were somewhat similar in function to modern fast food restaurants. They were most often frequented by people who lacked private kitchens. In the Roman Empire they
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