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 play on words of 'Central Park' (referring to the park also in New York) and 'perk', referring to the stimulation gained from coffee consumption.

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, due to his being the only cast member on set who could work the huge espresso machine in the back. 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.

Wait 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 espresso 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 goes a long way

The customer is always right

If a customer is rude, sneezemuffin (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 The One with Phoebe's Ex-partner that Central Perk holds open mic nights. Ross also played keyboard once in the coffee shop.