Greasy spoon
Greasy spoon is a colloquial term for the archetypal British café (often pronounced and sometimes spelled "caff"). The name is used to imply a less than rigorous approach to hygiene and dishwashing, and appears to date from 1925.
Fare
The typical greasy spoon serves mainly fried food, for example, various combinations of fried eggs, chips, bacon, black pudding, sausages and mushrooms. These are often accompanied by baked beans and tomatoes. Other typical possibilities include bacon sandwiches (on sliced white bread), and toast. Despite the origin of the word 'café', the main drink consumed is usually tea. Often the only coffee available will be instant. Alcoholic drinks are not sold.
Stereotypical image
The stereotype is of poor quality greasy food — largely meatless sausages; salty, tasteless bacon; and weak, tepid, milky tea (or, in transport cafés, tea thick enough to float a lorry wheelnut, served just below the melting point of the mug). Further stereotyping would suggest that the customary reading material of the clientele is tabloid newspapers, most commonly The Sun or, in the case of roadside greasy spoons, the further downmarket Star or Sport. In practice, cafes vary widely.
Trends
The demand for its cuisine has resulted in the establishment of greasy spoons all over the world and particularly in European coastal resorts located within an hour's coach ride from charter airlines' destinations. At such locations, Full English breakfasts may be consumed on an all-day basis (to accommodate late rising clients) and are often accompanied by day-old copies of The Sun.
The traditional greasy spoon has been in decline for many years as a direct consequence of the ubiquitous franchising of extensively marketed fast food chains. However, they remain numerous all over the UK, especially in certain parts of London (especially the "East End") and many seaside towns.
A relatively recent trend is the growth in popularity of more upmarket cafés on a different model, influenced by the traditional French café, the Seattle espresso boom and the British tea room. These places serve real coffee (including such variants as espresso and cappucino), a variety of teas (including herbal tea) and different food, such as more elaborate sandwiches and cakes. These establishments are usually referred to as "cafés", pronounced as two syllables in an approximation of the French manner, to distinguish them from the more traditional "caff".
Cultural references
In television and cinema the greasy spoon is often the rendezvous of choice for villains on the brink of pulling a major multi-million pound heist, and are frequent locations for situation comedy.
They are also favoured locations for British television reporters when statistics for heart disease occasioned by high cholesterol levels are released.
Music
The term was used by the rock band Status Quo as part of the title of their third album, "Ma Kelly's Greasy Spoon", which featured on the cover a particularly telling photograph of a worker in just such an establishment.
Hawkwind named their album "Hall of the Mountain Grill" after their favourite greasy spoon, the Mountain Grill in Portobello Road in London.
Greasy spoons are mentioned in countless more songs, for example, by the singer-songwriter Harry Chapin in "The Old Greasy Spoon", by The Streets in "Don't Mug Yourself", or implicitly by the Spin Doctors in "Hungry Hamed's".
For a taste of the archetypal greasy spoon, see the opening scene of Bruce Robinson's 1986 cult film "Withnail and I".
