A coffee shop is a commercial establishment where coffee is served.
A cafeteria is an establishment where coffee is served. Generally these venues also offer other infusions and drinks , and even certain types of food . For example: “Tomorrow I am going to meet with the owner of the company in a downtown cafeteria,” “For five years I worked as a waitress in a cafeteria,” “Will you accompany me to the cafeteria?” “I want to drink something hot to combat the cold.”
Coffee shops can have very different characteristics from each other. In some cases, due to the variety of foods they offer, they are comparable to a restaurant . If they stand out for the number of drinks available to customers, they resemble a bar . Sometimes, in fact, the same space can be presented as a cafeteria, bar and restaurant.
Generally, cafeterias have several tables . Customers, upon arrival, sit and wait for a waiter to approach to take their order and then serve them what they have requested. A coffee shop can also have a bar where the order is placed directly to the person who prepares the coffee.
Cafes and literature
However, we must not forget that coffee shops have always maintained a close relationship with literature. A good example of this is that there are so-called café-bookstores or café-bookstores . In these establishments, as their name suggests, not only can the customer enjoy a coffee or any drink they fancy, but they can also do so while reading.
In some of these stores you can choose one of the publications on the shelves to read them, while in others what is offered is to be able to see their collection and be encouraged to buy one of the examples.
A good example of all this is the emblematic Ocho y medio bookstore in Madrid . It is a bookstore where fans of the world of cinema can find a wide variety of books about cinema as well as films and articles related to the seventh art and all while having a good cup of coffee.
It is common for cafes to also offer food and other drinks beyond coffee.
Meeting point
In addition, it must also be taken into account that in the 19th and 20th centuries, fundamentally, coffee shops or cafes became meeting places for politicians, writers and artists. Thus, in the capital of Spain you will find the emblematic Café Gijón , located on the emblematic Paseo de Recoletos .
It was opened in 1888 and since then illustrious personalities from the cultural world such as Francisco Umbral , Truman Capote , Orson Welles , Ava Gardner , George Sanders and Fernando Fernán Gómez have been its clients. This without overlooking the fact that neighbors who came to the premises such as Madame “Pimentón” or the matchmaker Alfonso became emblematic in the city.
The social importance of coffee shops
It is possible to find coffee shops inside or near places with a large influx of people, such as a hospital , a university or an airport . This way you can drink a coffee, eat some food or simply rest.
It should be noted that, beyond their function in serving drinks and food, cafeterias have great social relevance since they are meeting places . Many meetings of different types take place in cafeterias.