Episode
The Food That Built America: Empire of Convenience
Overview
The first convenience store is born, and with new innovations like late hours, to-go coffee, and America's most beloved slushy drink, it rises into an iconic chain with more locations than any other store or restaurant in the world.
Details
- Series
- The Food That Built America
- Season
- Season 6
- Episode
- Episode 4
- Air date
- 2025-03-16
Episode context
Empire of Convenience is Episode 4 in Season 6 of The Food That Built America. It aired on 2025-03-16.
Previous / Next
Episode 3: Baking Chocolate Chip History
A teacher turned restaurateur invents America's most popular cookie which leads to a battle of food giants, and one of the most iconic packaged cookies in history.
Episode 5: Legends of the Mall
Early American malls have no food court, until a cinnamon bun, a pretzel, and a panda all move in to create three of the world's most iconic food brands and transform the American Mall.
More episodes from this season
Episode 2: Movie Theatre Munchies
A struggling chocolate maker and a young theater assistant create the movie theater concession stand as we know it and launch the world's most iconic movie candies.
Episode 6: Coffee: A Brewed Awakening
Jim Folger discovers a new way to bring coffee to the masses. Then another famous coffee brand gets its big break at the Maxwell House Hotel in Nashville. Plus, the creation of the iconic coffee machines that help make coffee a billion dollar industry.
Episode 1: Tortilla Takeover
Bold visionaries take big risks to bring Mexican food to all Americans, by creating the best-selling condiment on the planet, two of the most famous snack chip brands of all time and innovating the iconic pairing of chips and salsa.
Episode 7: A Box of Chocolates
Stephen Whitman introduces Americans to chocolate candy in a sampler box, Russell Stover builds a competing company, and both iconic brands help turn chocolate from an unknown import to a boxed American staple given as a gift of love to this day.
Episode 8: Beer Necessities
A German immigrant looks to revolutionize the American beer industry when he's handed a struggling brewery; his signature beer will go on to amass sales of over 11 billion dollars a year.
Episode 9: Asian Food Invasion
A down-on-his-luck Japanese businessman and a Chinese immigrant and her son change the American palette when they introduce instant noodles in a cup, Peking Duck, and the biggest Chinese restaurant chain in the nation.
Episode 10: You Don't Know Jack
Jack Daniel, known for his determination and innovative spirit, teams up with a skilled distiller to create a new recipe that could change the whiskey game.