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- ''This article is about the coffee shop in Friends. For the US park see Central park.
Central Perk is a fictional coffee shop in New York City's Greenwich Village. It is situated near Monica's apartment, and was one of the focal points of the popular television sitcom Friends. It was one of the show's main sets in which the six main characters spent the majority of their free time talking about their problems. It is based on Cholmondeley's, a coffee shop and lounge in Usen Castle at Brandeis University, the alma mater of the show's creators. The name is a portmanteau of 'Central Park' (referring to the park also in New York) and 'perk' (referring to the stimulation received from drinking caffeinated beverages, or possibly to coffee "percolations").
Management
The space was formerly occupied by the gang's old hangout, a bar. Central Perk is owned by a man named Terry (played by Max Wright), who according to Rachel and Phoebe is a 'jerk'. Terry was rarely seen and left most of the running of his coffee shop to Gunther, who became a permanent fixture in the shop. The large sofa on the middle of the shop, the chair on the right (as seen from the main camera angle), the central table, and the table and chair on the left are nearly always used as the main setting for any scenes in Central Perk. In the earlier episodes, irrespective of how busy the coffee shop became, those seats were always available. The writers turned this into a joke, and in one episode the six main characters arrive in the shop to find their seats taken. They then look at each other, puzzled, and walk out.
Waiting staff
Rachel Green has worked as a waitress at Central Perk. This was her first job. She regularly got orders mixed up, put items in the wrong places, neglected to clean the cappucino machine, and blamed her poor performance on the fact she didn't care about the job. Rachel eventually quit to pursue a fashion career in the third season, in the episode titled The One Where Rachel Quits.
Joey Tribbiani became a waiter when he found that money was tight, needing another job while his acting career was at a standstill. He was as terrible as Rachel, partly because he felt he had gone backward on the hierarchy of occupations. He had problems with giving out free drinks and other products of Central Perk such as muffins, to the beautiful women who came into the store, and when reprimanded, pretended as if it were their birthdays so they could still receive free food.
Rachel offered Joey some advice on waiting at Central Perk:
- A smile always helps
- The customer is always right
- If a customer is annoying, give them a sneezemuffin (a complementary muffin which you sneeze on)
Entertainment
Phoebe Buffay was also a regular fixture in Central Perk, and played songs such as Smelly Cat to often bemused audiences. Ross also played keyboard once in the coffee shop.
Trivia
- The Basement Lounge of Perkins Hall at Brown University is named 'Central Perk' in reference to the show.
- The student-run coffeehouse of Briarcliff Commons at the Briarcliff campus of Pace University is named 'Pace Perk' in reference to the TV show 'Friends'. (Opened February 4, 2000)
- In The One with George Stephanopoulos, Joey proves to Chandler that Central Perk is less than 100 steps from their apartment, counting 97 steps from the apartment to the inside of the shop.
- The artwork in the back of Central Perk changes every three episodes.
- There is a Central Perk in Geneva, Switzerland. Rumor has it there was a legal dispute regarding its name between the owner and NBC (unconfirmed).
"Central Perk"