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Understanding Food Bars
Appears in
By Jaclyn Pestka, Wayne Gisslen and Lou Sackett
Published 2010
A food bar is a relatively new form of self-service buffet in which prepared foods are kept on permanent display in specialized equipment. Early food bars featured cold foods only. Today, many operations offer both cold and hot food bars. The history of food bars is included in the sidebar on buffet history.
While many eat-in restaurants feature food bars, they are becoming even more popular in take-out operations. Take-out food bars are now found in supermarkets, convenience stores, delis, transportation stations, and institutions such as schools and large businesses. In recent years, food bars have been added to cafeterias, in many cases entirely replacing the traditional service-style cafeteria line.