From the rise of click and collect to the advent of dark kitchens, the very concept of the restaurant is undergoing major changes. Even before the pandemic hit, consumers were moving away from the physical location of the restaurant, a transformation that has only been accelerated by coronavirus. These new ways of eating question the very identity of the restaurant itself, and invite us to investigate its origins. The history of the restaurant is entwined with the history of France, its birthplace. The word “restaurant” as we understand it today was accepted by the Academie Française—the body that governs the official use of the French language—in 1835. Until then, the “restauran,” also called “bouillon restaurateur” (restorative broth), was a dish composed of meat, onions, herbs, and vegetables. A broth with medicinal and digestive properties, its aim was to restore people’s strength. The term restaurant, therefore, initially had a medical connotation, …