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More than 5000 entries on the history, culture and life of Britain (published in 1993 by Macmillan, now out of print)
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Lyons' teashops
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Familiar feature in English towns in the early 20C. The first teashop was opened in 1894 in London, at 213 Piccadilly, by the Salmon and Gluckstein families, who had previously been retail tobacconists. A friend, Joseph Lyons (1855–1917), became the first chairman of their new company and gave it his name as J. Lyons and Co. (now part of *Allied-Lyons). The formula of light refreshments in pleasant surroundings with fast and friendly service (by waitresses known as 'Nippies') led to a chain of more than 200 teashops round the country by the 1930s. Meanwhile, in 1907, Lyons had moved into the restaurant business with their first Corner House in London's Coventry Street. Each Corner House offered catering on a vast scale, with several restaurants in the same building. Coventry Street in its heyday could seat 4500 customers.
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