Eating out is a part of every human being’s life. Whether it is a special occasion or not, people like to enjoy food outside their home. If you are going out for lunch or dinner, you may not know whether to go to a restaurant or cafe. Both of them are great places to eat and have fun but there are certain differences between them. This article is about the difference between a cafe and a restaurant.
Summary Table
| Café | Restaurant |
| Smaller Building. | Larger and more luxurious. |
| Cheaper. | More expensive. |
| Usually serve light meals and drinks. | Serve many kinds of food from ordinary to luxury dishes. |
Definitions
A cafe is a place where you can enjoy food and drinks while having a conversation with your friends. The food that is served in cafes is not very formal. They usually serve snacks, sandwiches, pastries, salads and light meals. They are not expensive and are usually located in the heart of the city. Cafes are usually small with seating for a few people at a time. The music played is also very informal so that it can go well with the environment of the cafe. The people who work in cafes usually dress casually so that they don’t stand out too much from their customers.
The first cafe was opened in Paris in 1689. The founder of the cafe was a Sicilian named Francesco Procopio dei Coltelli. The name of the cafe was Café Procope. This is where the word “cafe” comes from. It was actually the first coffeehouse in Paris and it still exists today. In England, coffeehouses were opened after the invasion of Turkey by Napoleon Bonaparte. After that, coffeehouses became very popular and many more were opened all over Europe and America. In fact, coffeehouses were one of the places where people could gather to discuss politics and social issues at that time.
A restaurant is also a place where people go to eat food. It can be a single place or an entire chain of places. They may serve all kinds of food, but in general, restaurants are known for their service and the quality of their food. Restaurants are also known for their ambiance, which is the way the place looks and feels to the people who are there.
People have been eating out since the dawn of time. They used to gather together around the fire to eat and drink. In ancient Rome, for example, people ate at their own homes or in the streets. They would buy food from street vendors and eat it on a bench or stand. They didn’t have restaurants as we know them today.
In fact, people didn’t even use the word “restaurant” until the 18th century. Before that, people just called places where they ate “eating houses” or “eating places” or “inns” or something similar. In France, there were a few places that specialized in cooking and serving food to people who came to eat at their tables: cafés and taverns. However, it wasn’t until 1765 that the first true restaurant opened in Paris.
Today, there are restaurants all over the world, and many cities have hundreds of them. These restaurants may be very small with only one table for two people or they may be large enough to seat thousands of people at once. Some restaurants specialize in certain kinds of food (Chinese food) while others serve all kinds of foods.
There are many types of restaurants, some of them are:
- Diners
These are small restaurants that serve inexpensive food quickly. They are popular with people who want to grab a quick bite to eat.
- Fast food restaurants
These are restaurants that serve food quickly. They are not known for their ambiance or the quality of their food. They are inexpensive and have many locations.
- Family restaurants
These are restaurants that specialize in serving families with children. They usually have a play area for children so the parents can relax while the kids play. These restaurants also usually serve more expensive food than diners or fast food places.
- Dive bars
These are bars that specialize in serving cheap beer and cocktails to a clientele of working-class people who come to socialize with friends and coworkers after work. The ambiance is very informal, but they do serve food as well as drinks.
- Lounges
These are upscale bars that serve cocktails and drinks along with light snacks like finger foods or small plates of food to go with the drinks. These bars usually have comfortable seating areas where people can sit back and relax after work, before going out on the town, or on a Friday night. Lounges are also known for their relaxing music (jazz, classical, rock) and their ambiance (lighting, furnishings).
Café vs Restaurant
A cafe and a restaurant both serve food, but they are not the same. Here are some of the differences between a cafe and a restaurant:
- Service
A restaurant has better service than a cafe. The waiters in restaurants have undergone training to provide better service to their customers.
- Menu
The menu in a restaurant is much more extensive than the menu in a cafe. A restaurant can have anything from burgers to luxury fish dishes while a cafe only serves snacks and light meals.
- Décor
The décor of a restaurant is more formal than the décor of a cafe. In restaurants, there are usually proper tables and chairs while in cafes, the tables and chairs are smaller so that you can have conversations with your friends while eating.
- Cost
Restaurants are more expensive than cafes. The food served in restaurants is of a higher quality and you get more for your money. The cost of a meal in a restaurant can be anywhere from $15 to $100 depending on the type of food you order. A meal in a cafe, on the other hand, can cost as little as $5 or as much as $20 depending on what you order.
