Fire suppression systems for commercial kitchens have progressed significantly in the past 60 years to keep up with increasing challenges such as: higher power appliances for faster cooking or cooking larger volumes of food; increased numbers of deep fat fryers, particularly in the quick service sector; expansion of natural gas and solid fuel charbroilers for flavor enhancement; and overall expansion of the number of food service facilities. This article discusses significant evolution over the last half century in fire suppression systems for commercial cooking applications.