Well I suppose I'd say that a coffee house would be specifically for coffee and other non-alcoholic beverages though they probably did snacks too whereas an eating house puts the emphasis firmly on the food. But that's not to say that they were separate establishments - he might have found there was more money in one than the other. Or the census enumerators might have classified things differently - are the addresses the same?
An eating house was a type of restaurant or diner.
A coffee House was a place where people met to discuss politics, read or hear news sheets being read and general debate topics of interest.
Cheers
Guy
Originally posted by Val wish Id never startedView Post
thanks both suppose both could be the same really ?
Not really their objects were virtually opposite.
The coffee house did not serve food and was a place to meet, discuss politics, read papers, even carry out business deals (Lloyds the insurance underwriters started in a coffee house).
An eating house was designed to serve food to travellers etc, almost the same concept of a fast food establishment today. Feeding people was the main priority, hopefully with a fast turnover of customers.
By the way women were banned from coffee houses in England. ;)
Cheers
Guy
Really interested in this thread as fair few of my lot coffee house keepers, Martyns and Cornish families, thought that the business and political aspect of them was the early coffee houses, my lot mid to end 19th cent. on the 1891 census husband shown as coffee house keeper wife as assistant
I think Im going senile as Im sure I added on here before.
But what I said was I was surprised when researching OH's side - his GGF was a Scots Guardsman at Westminster Barracks and trawling through the list of soldiers in the barracks there were other occupations like tailors and dress makers and also a Coffee Shop.
Heather you did add that before as I read it yesterday. I'm fairly sure an answer I put on another thread yesterday has also disappeared - just seen Grim's post about yesterday's problem which explains the loss of posts.
Last edited by JudithM; 06-06-11, 11:30.
Reason: just seen Grim's post about yesterday's problem which explains the loss of posts.
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