Potato Chips in the United States

America turned the potato chip into a mass-market snack. The popular origin story places it at Moon's Lake House near Saratoga Springs, New York, in 1853, where cook George Crum is said to have fried paper-thin "Saratoga Chips" for a fussy diner; historians point to earlier recipes, but agree Crum helped popularise them. Chips moved from restaurants to stores, and in 1926 California businesswoman Laura Scudder began selling them in wax-paper bags. Regional makers followed, and many are still around: Utz began in 1921, when Bill and Salie Utz started frying chips in their Hanover, Pennsylvania, kitchen. Herman Lay started a snack delivery route in Nashville in 1932; his company merged with the Frito Company in 1961 to form Frito-Lay, which joined Pepsi-Cola in 1965 to create PepsiCo. Lay's is still the giant. In the 52 weeks to 1 December 2024, U.S. potato chip sales reached $11.7 billion, with Lay's at $4.4 billion, Ruffles at $2 billion and Pringles at $1.5 billion, according to Circana data. The 1980s brought a kettle-cooked revival led by Cape Cod (Hyannis, Massachusetts, 1980) and Kettle Brand (Salem, Oregon, 1982). Plain chips still reach the most eaters, followed by barbecue and sour cream & onion, though fans now help invent flavours: Lay's first U.S. "Do Us A Flavor" contest was won in 2013 by Cheesy Garlic Bread. Americans buy chips everywhere from supermarkets and drugstores to convenience, club and dollar stores.