Café 211893 226094678 2008-07-16T20:16:31Z Id447 1461656 /* See also */ added a link {{redirect|Cafe}} {{Refimprove|date=June 2008}} [[Image:Vincent Willem van Gogh 015.jpg|right|thumb|''[[Cafe Terrace at Night]]'', September 1888, by [[Vincent van Gogh]].]] A '''café''' (also spelled '''cafe''', {{pronEng|ˈkæfeɪ}} or {{IPA|/kæˈfeɪ/}}) or '''coffee shop''' is an informal [[restaurant]] offering a range of hot meals and made-to-order [[sandwiches]]. This differs from a [[coffee house]], which is a limited-menu establishment which focuses on coffee sales. Depending on the jurisdiction, a café may be licensed to serve alcohol. The term can also refer to [[bistro]] or a restaurant facility within a [[hotel]]. In some countries, however, a café is synonymous with a coffee house. In small towns, the local café is often the central gathering spot for conversation and meetings. Such cafés are especially popular for [[breakfast]]s. In [[central business district]]s (CBD) of larger cities cafés and coffee shops are often open only for breakfast and [[lunch]], since their patrons leave the area after [[business hours]]. In France, a café also serves alcoholic beverages. French cafés often serve simple snacks such as sandwiches. They may have a restaurant section. A ''brasserie'' is a café that serves meals, generally single dishes, in a more relaxed setting than a restaurant. American cafés may or may not serve alcoholic beverages, and the serving of coffee is incidental to the serving of food. British cafés, however, do not sell alcohol. In Europe, cafés often have an enclosed or outdoor section extending onto the sidewalk. In the [[Netherlands]], a ''café'' is an establishment selling [[liquor]], as opposed to [[Cannabis coffee shops|coffeeshop]], which sells soft drugs ([[cannabis]] and [[hashish]]) and is typically not allowed to sell liquor. A "café" can also refer to a small informal public discussion. These are usually live events, and often focus on starting an open conversation on a particular topic. Examples include science cafes in the US [http://www.sciencecafes.org], [[Cafe Scientifique]] in the UK [http://www.cafescientifique.org], and Cafe Society in Chicago [http://www.thepublicsquare.org]. ==Spelling and pronunciation== [[Image:Korovin winter.jpg|thumb|[[Konstantin Korovin]], A [[Paris]]ian Café in the late 1890s.]] The most common spelling ''café'' is the [[French language|French]] spelling, and was adopted by [[English language|English]]-speaking countries in the late 19th century.<ref name=OXFORDA>Oxford English Dictionary, Second Edition (1989), entry number 50031127 (''café'')</ref> ''Café'' can also be spelled ''caffè'' (the [[Italian language|Italian]] spelling), In southern England, especially around [[London]] in the 1950s, the French pronunciation was often shortened to {{IPA|[kæf]}} and informally spelt ''[[caff]]''.<ref name=OXFORDB>Oxford English Dictionary, Second Edition (1989), entry number 50031130 (''caff'')</ref> A long history of lack of support for accented characters in (first) typewriters and (later) computer [[Operating system|OS]]s (which can be explained principally by the fact that these technologies were largely pioneered by people whose native language, [[English language|English]], generally did not require [[diacritic]]al marks) has guaranteed that the spelling ''cafe'' has also become common. ==See also== {{Wiktionarypar|café}} * [[Cafeteria]] * [[Coffeehouse]] * [[Greasy spoon]] * [[Internet café]] * [[Sidewalk cafe]] * [[Cafe Scientifique]] * [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporate_Average_Fuel_Economy Corporate Average Fuel Economy(CAFE)] ==References== {{reflist}} ---- {{coffee}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Cafe}} [[Category:Types of restaurants]] [[ru:Кафе]] [[tr:Kafe]]