Product Code Database
A greasy spoon is a small, cheap restaurant typically specializing in short order fare.
The term is also used in the UK–along with the informal term "caff" for café–to refer to a small privately-owned eatery that traditionally serves fry-ups and other quick meals.
Nicknaming cheap restaurants after an unwashed spoon dates back at least to 1848:
The earliest appearance in print of the specific term "greasy spoon" was in 1906, in a story in Macmillan's Magazine, referring to an eatery in Paris frequented for a time by Robert Louis Stevenson:
Sandwiches are also popular, as are beef stew, baked beans, and hearty . Regional fare is often served. Since the 1970s, many Greek Americans have entered the business. Coffee, iced tea, and soft drinks are the typical beverages, as alcohol is usually not offered due to the prohibitive cost of a liquor license. Pie, savouries and ice cream are popular snacks and desserts.
A typical American greasy spoon or diner may offer a full meal for a special price, sometimes called a blue-plate special. A British or Irish cafe will typically offer a "full cooked breakfast" all day.
Restaurateur and television personality Guy Fieri, on Food Network's Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, pays homage to such eateries across the United States.
Comic strips and humorous magazines have often lampooned the greasy spoon diner. The Better Half had Bert's Beanery, and Dagwood Bumstead continues to eat at Lou's Diner in Blondie. The kitchen and mess hall in Beetle Bailey provide the military equivalent of a greasy spoon. Cooks featured in these tropes tend to be unkempt in some way – hirsute, unshaven, tattooed, wearing a stain-covered apron, or smoking a cigarette while working.
Term
The term greasy spoon—used to describe small and inexpensive and coffee shops—became popular in the United States as early as the 1920s."greasy spoon" entry, OED
Menu
Many typical American and Canadian greasy spoon focus on griddled, grilled, or fried food, such as hamburgers, french fries, chili, eggs and ,
bacon, , , ,
fried chicken, Spam, and fish and chips.
Popular culture
Although there are now far fewer establishments due to the dominance of corporate fast food restaurant chains, a certain nostalgia exists surrounding a greasy spoon. Evocative characteristics include "counter service", jukeboxes, and hearty comfort food. The greasy spoon as a setting is a common trope in movies and TV shows.
See also
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