Restaurants’ appreciation of air conditioning is likely to be at a high point this week as a major heat wave rolls across the country. For at least the next few days, and likely at a significant number of additional points during the summer, no other piece of technology is likely to be as highly valued by the trade. Just ask operators in Phoenix, where temperatures hit 111 degrees on Friday.

How did that dependence come about? And who invented air conditioning in the first place?

Those questions are answered in this week’s episode of Restaurant Rewind, the podcast that looks back into the industry’s past for more color on what’s happening in the trade today. The current installment traces the development of A/Cs from their invention in 1902 by a name that’s well known and still a dominant force in the field today.

We look at when and why the foodservice business followed movie theaters’ lead in adopting the machinery, and touch on how the equipment forced the industry to be more inclusive.

So grab a cold drink, crank up the A/C, and give a listen.