Originally Posted by Steerpike

You call it 'the cafe', but wouldn't you also call it the 'coffee shop' back then? Today, 'coffee shop' could be misconstrued as a Starbucks, but back then, 'coffee shop' was a full-blown breakfast restaurant, was it not? I used to have lots of visitors from the UK (family and friends) and I always made a point of taking them to the various coffee shops for breakfast. I developed a love for corned beef hash, hash browns, eggs 'easy over', and of course, the endless coffee. My visitors couldn't get over the endless coffee. It became a joke that you couldn't stop the waitress (it was always a woman!) from sneaking in a refill, even when you really didn't want one! (I think there's a scene in a movie about that ...). I would get the coffee, milk and sugar ratio just right then I'd turn my head and the next thing I knew, the phantom server had whisked in and filled up my cup! I still adore finding a good, old-fashioned 'coffee shop' with vinyl covered seats and cozy booths. I personally prefer sitting at the counter. We often go to one either Thanksgiving or Christmas day, for some reason.

I also just remembered ... my car back in those days (a '77 Honda Accord) didn't have cup holders! I had to buy some accessory that hung over the inside-door trim in order to hold my cup! So that probably contributed to the downfall of that poor woman who filed the lawsuit! I think some European car makers still frown at the notion of a cup holder, and perhaps reluctantly install them in their US models only ...

Originally Posted by Steerpike

But anyway - given that this is a Brit forum, and Brits are famous for drinking tea, one of the universal complaints I've always heard from 'Brits in America' is that when they order 'tea', they are provided with lukewarm water and a teabag! Any self-respecting (British) tea drinker goes out of their way to make and keep the water as hot as possible; pre-heating the pot, immediately putting a 'cosy' on it, etc. So while I might agree with you that there's no compelling reason to maintain coffee at such a high temp, I would think any brit visiting a McD for tea would be dismayed to receive water that was anything but 'just off the boil'. I think when I first came here I was a tea drinker, and it was the inability to readily get 'proper' tea (with hot water) that caused me to transition to coffee!

Originally Posted by Hiro11

Helpful hint to visiting Brits: don't order tea in the US.

Originally Posted by Steerpike

But anyway - given that this is a Brit forum, and Brits are famous for drinking tea, one of the universal complaints I've always heard from 'Brits in America' is that when they order 'tea', they are provided with lukewarm water and a teabag! Any self-respecting (British) tea drinker goes out of their way to make and keep the water as hot as possible; pre-heating the pot, immediately putting a 'cosy' on it, etc. So while I might agree with you that there's no compelling reason to maintain coffee at such a high temp, I would think any brit visiting a McD for tea would be dismayed to receive water that was anything but 'just off the boil'. I think when I first came here I was a tea drinker, and it was the inability to readily get 'proper' tea (with hot water) that caused me to transition to coffee!

Originally Posted by Hiro11

Helpful hint to visiting Brits: don't order tea in the US.

Originally Posted by Nutek

You can all throw stones at me, but our local Dunkin Donuts makes a good cup of tea (2 bags).

Originally Posted by BristolUK

They just make lousy donuts though. What the hell is wrong with a straightforward jam donut? Fake cream, Boston cream, hundreds and thousands, maple cream, chocolate...

Originally Posted by Nutek

You can all throw stones at me, but our local Dunkin Donuts makes a good cup of tea (2 bags).

Originally Posted by robin1234

Is that a west coast thing? What you are describing sounds like what we call a diner over in the northeast! But I have to confess, I never, ever, drink their coffee. I have my coffee at 06:15, at home or in the hotel room or wherever. The diner (corn beef hash, two eggs any style, home fries etc ..) is at least a couple of hours later.

Originally Posted by Steerpike

Interestingly, I do still know of a couple of places that only open for breakfast and lunch; very rare concept these days!

Originally Posted by BristolUK

Cora's (chain) does it up here.

Strange idea of Sausage, Bacon, Egg, potato on the same plate as fruit.

Very nice though.

Originally Posted by joto

There is a small homey diner, breakfast/lunch place near us that we sometimes bring UK visitors to. Always busy when we have been there, but not been back since covid restrictions. Massive portions and the never ending cup of coffee. Various types of pies, by the slice or whole to take home, as well.