Greasy Spoon cafe. R.I.P.























.....................Summer Row, Birmingham.........................................................Lozells Road, Hockley...........................

.....................Warstone Lane, Jewellery Quarter.....................................................Old Bull Ring...........................

During the lifetime of a cafe, certain things are guaranteed: taxes, ciggie stains on the wall and being closed down. The failure of paying the first, often leads to the last.

In Birmingham despite the monthly opening of a new Starbucks or McDonalds, greasy spoon cafes are still around. But littered around the city are the brick and concrete corpses of greasy spoons that never made it beyond their first year or health inspection. They become boarded up and covered in grafitti or posters for Gatecrasher and to stop the Iraq War. More insidious is the regeneration of Birmingham, whole areas redeveloped to yield more fertile retail space for Burger King and etc, as seen in the new Bull Ring Shopping Centre.

Their disappearance leaves people having affairs with one less place to meet up in secret, means the difference between a mild stroke and a full blown heart attack for lorry drivers later in life, and results in late night clubbers having one less meal to throw up later.

Remember, it's pronounced "Caff" not "Café". Across the country, caffs are falling silent and closing their doors for the last time. If you love your Queen, if you love your country, suppport your local caff, and order anything that has black pudding and fried mushrooms. They will not appear in the latest Time Out guide or restuarant review, but RIP.

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