What Killed the Cafeteria

The culture that sustained them, the chains that died, and the competitors that replaced them.

All series normalized to their own peak (100%). Dashed lines = cultural infrastructure (malls, SBC membership). Solid warm tones = cafeteria chains. Solid reds/pinks = competitors. Toggle each layer to see the story: the culture that built the cafeteria peaked and fell; the cafeterias fell with it; and the competitors that replaced them are now under pressure from the same forces. Mall data: ~1,500 enclosed malls peaked mid-1990s (Richmond Fed, Atlas Obscura); ~700 remain. SBC: Lifeway ACP. Cafeteria and competitor counts from company histories, SEC filings, and press accounts.