Central Perk logo.

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 percolator type of coffee pot. Image File history File links DVD cap showing Central Perk logo, taken by me, cropped for use on Central Perk. ... Image File history File links DVD cap showing Central Perk logo, taken by me, cropped for use on Central Perk. ... Coffee Shop is a song by the Red Hot Chili Peppers from their 1995 album, One Hot Minute. ... Nickname: Big Apple, City that never Sleeps Location in the state of New York Coordinates: Country United States State New York Boroughs Bronx (The Bronx) New York (Manhattan) Queens (Queens) Kings (Brooklyn) Richmond (Staten Island) Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Area    - City 1,214. ... The Washington Square Arch Greenwich Village (pronounced Grennich Village; also called simply the Village) is a largely residential area on the west side of downtown (southern) Manhattan in New York City. ... Monica E. Geller (b. ... A sitcom or situation comedy is a genre of comedy performance originally devised for radio but today typically found on television. ... Friends is a situation comedy about a group of six friends living in New York City. ... Brandeis University is a private university in Waltham, Massachusetts, United States. ... Alma mater is Latin for nourishing mother. It was used in ancient Rome as a title for the mother goddess, and in Medieval Christianity for the Virgin Mary. ... Look up Portmanteau word in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

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. Tourists sit outside a bar in Chiang Mai, Thailand A Depression-era bar in Louisiana. ... Max Wright (born August 2, 1943 in Detroit, Michigan) was an American actor in the hit sitcom ALF. He had previously made appearances in TV shows such as WKRP in Cincinnati, and was a regular cast member in Misfits of Science and The Norm Show. ... Look up jerk, jolt, surge, and lurch in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Gunther was a character in the popular television sitcom Friends played by James Michael Tyler. ...

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. Rachel Karen Green (born May 5, 1970) is a fictional character on the popular U.S. television sitcom Friends (1994-2004), played by Jennifer Aniston. ... A typical cappuccino with foam. ...

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. Joseph Joey Francis Tribbiani, Jr. ...

Rachel offered Joey some advice on waiting at Central Perk:

• A smile goes a long way
• The customer is always right
• If a customer is annoying, give them a sneezer (a complimentary 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. Phoebe was, at one point, replaced by Stephanie Schiffer (played by Chrissie Hynde of the Pretenders), a professional who was hired by Terry. It is also shown in one episode, "The One with Phoebe's Ex Partner", that Central Perk holds open mic nights. Ross also played keyboard once in the coffee shop. Phoebe Buffay (also Buffay-Hannigan) is a fictional character on the popular US television sitcom Friends (1994-2004), played by Lisa Kudrow. ... Lisa Kudrow as Phoebe Buffay in Friends. ... Cover of a Pretenders collection Greatest Hits showing Chrissie Hynde Chrissie Hynde (born September 7, 1951 in Akron, Ohio) is an American rock musician, best known as the leader of the band The Pretenders. ... Dr. Ross Eustace Geller, Ph. ...

Trivia

• The Basement Lounge of Perkins Hall at Brown University is named 'Central Perk' in reference to the show.

• As of April 2006, the Central Perk set is still set up at the Warner Bros. studios in Burbank, CA.

• 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.

• There is a Central Perk in Dubai. James Micheal Tyler, who played Gunther, is the spokesman.

• There was at one stage a "Phoenix Perk" coffee shop in Dublin, Ireland. This is in reference to Phoenix Park, the city park within Dublin. The restaurant was modelled to look just like Central Perk.

• The Coffee products in the glass case in the front of the counter are changed at least once a season.