Central Perk is perhaps the most famous coffee shop that no one has been able to visit. But here are some questions viewers still have about the cafe.
Central Perk is perhaps the most famous coffee shop that no one has been able to visit. Last summer a special pop up of the famed Friends location appeared in New York City, and the orange couch can be seen on the Warner Brothers Studio Tour, but Central Perk was created for the show itself.
It is perhaps the only set seen more than Monica/Rachel and Joey/Chandler's apartments. With ten successful seasons, a recent celebration for the show's twenty-fifth anniversary, and at home binging during corona quarantine, Friends seems to be back on everyone's mind. Here are a few questions viewers still have about Central Perk.
10 How is the Sofa Always Free?
Perhaps an orange sofa isn't to everyone's taste but as the largest and most comfortable looking spot in all of Central Perk, it is curious that it is always available for our "friends" to use.
Eagle-eyed fans have of course mentioned the "reserved" sign that happens to sit near the sofa, but the idea that no one complained, or that the friends spent more time or money there than anyone else is dubious.
9 How Did The Couch Stay So Clean?
Even if we just examine how much time the big six spent on the couch (always eating and drinking) it is a real miracle that the couch stayed so orange and clean throughout a decade of very heavy use.
Did Gunther have magical cleaning powers as well as a way with an espresso machine? It's never made clear (except due to the magic of Hollywood) and, like the extra-large apartments the characters lived in, it's just something viewers have to accept, but it's still weird.
8 Why Does The Art Change So Much?
The art on the walls of Central Perk changes about every three episodes or so. This is a very fun detail, but also relatively often compared to other local coffee shops. Many local coffee places highlight (and often sell) local art, but it usually isn't purchased, or replaced, quite as often as it is at Central Perk.
Sure, it's New York City, there's a larger customer base and what-not, but it still makes one wonder if people were perhaps going more for the art than the coffee.
7 Why Doesn't Gunther Talk?
Gunther, the bleached blond manager of Central Perk, doesn't say a word until season two of Friends. It's a bit strange, in an industry based on hospitality and taking orders, that he should be quite so mute for twenty percent of the show's total run.
Sure, it costs more to pay actors when they have lines, but still. Like the cleanliness of the couch itself, it doesn't quite fit with the reality the show is trying to establish, particularly in its initial seasons.
6 How Are The Prices So Cheap?
Friends premiered in 1994, and of course, prices were far cheaper then than they are today in 2020, but that doesn't mean that Central Perk was up to the standards of the early 1990s.
In fact, it makes perfect sense that the big six would visit Central Perk almost daily because of its prices alone. It's less than five dollars for a coffee and a scone (both! together!). If all you're looking for is a latte with a double shot of espresso it's $2.75. It's far more expensive to visit the pop-up shop than it ever was to visit the coffee house on the show.
5 How Is It So Close to Joey and Chandler?
Joey and Chandler actually spend time guessing how close Central Perk is to their apartment. It just so happens the coffee house is less than one hundred steps from where they live. The fact that Joey and Chandler do not live on the bottom floor of their apartment building makes this a little bit strange.
Perhaps the stairwell in their building has particularly large steps, or they don't count those steps because they take an elevator at some point. Anyway, Central Perk is only a little farther away from Joey and Chancler than Rachel and Monica are.
4 Why Do They Serve Potatoes?
The prices are low on everything from muffins and scones to tea and lattes, but it's not clear how much the baked potato on the counter would cost. In one episode the muffins on the counter at Central Perk are replaced by what looks to be a baked potato.
The more pressing question than its price is why, for what point or purpose, was there a potato sitting on the baked goods tray? No one ever asks and thus, fans are never treated to an answer.
3 Where is Terry the Owner?
The ever-present Gunther is Central Perk's manager, not its owner. The owner of the coffee shop is actually named Terry and, unlike Gunther, he only appears in two episodes.
One has to wonder why the owner of an obviously successful storefront in New York City wouldn't take more interest in his own business. His name is known, he is no fan of Phoebe's singing, but that alone shouldn't keep him away from Central Perk.
2 How Did The Street Change?
Central Perk has always been located within walking distance to Monica, Rachel, Joey, and Chandler's apartments. However, after season one, the street outside of the Central Perk window changed dramatically (if it was due to new New York City construction it was the fastest construction project in the history of the city).
While fans noticed the change in the vista beyond the front window none of the cast ever address the major new look.
1 How Do They Get Away With So Much?
Central Perk certainly looks clean (just see that orange sofa), but they still get away with breaking quite a few safety and sanitation laws. In the episode, "The One Where Ross Moves In" Phoebe dates a health inspector who actually comments on all the laws being broken (particularly when he sees Gunther taking the trash out, right through the main room).
While he notices the problems, they are never addressed, and the coffee shop stays in business.
NEXT: Friends: 10 Weird Character Inconsistencies That No One Noticed
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