Taking the food away changed the dynamics of the assembly. Food service was where brothers and sisters could socialize. The ability to socialize was especially important to young people.
About that time, a CO told our congo that this is "not a social organization, it's a preaching organization." That shows you the mindset that changed the dynamics of assembies without giving a single thought to the negative impact it would have on the rank and file.
As I look back on my dub years, I see now this was the beginning of the end. I think the dub experience was fairly positive for me for a long time precisely because I was very involved in assemblies (in news service for a few years, then in food service and administration for many more). It meant that I spent many, many hours behind the scenes being "busy" with duties that kept me out of a seat in the main auditorium. As a result, I did not have the same experience many dubs did (although in those days there were a lot of "volunteers."). After the "simplified" (did away with) food service, I can remember the first assembly where I had to take a seat and sit there for days. It was insufferable. I wondered what had happened to the "quality" of the program; but it was just that I hadn't sat through them for years!
Sometimes I think if they had eliminated all the "fun" from the assemblies a decade or so earlier, I might not have stayed there as long as I did. Despite my many misgivings from Day One, the camaraderie and sense of purpose made it all seem like a genuine brotherhood. That's largely absent now. In my view, this was one of the WTS' greatest follies, the end of the JW organization as we knew it.