Free learning resources from arts, cultural and heritage organisations.

Previous section
Modernisation

M&S Cafe Bars

One of the first M&S Café Bars opened in Leeds in 1935. Once war broke out, the Café Bars became even more popular because customers could pay with cash and didn't have to use their ration coupons. But after the war there was less demand, and the Leeds Café Bar was closed in 1961 (one of the longest running in the country). Leeds was at the forefront again when The Coffee Bar (M&S Cafés) was reintroduced in 1997 (see also M&S: 70 Years of In-Store Cafés for an overview of café bar culture).

Black-and-white photograph of three adults chatting at a café table inside a mid-20th-century store.
Customers at M&S Briggate Cafe Bar, 1951
 
A wide-angle black and white photograph from around 1960 captures an empty Marks & Spencer café bar. The space is filled with neatly aligned rows of square tables and matching chairs, each table topped with condiment sets and napkin holders. Fluorescent lighting fixtures line the ceiling, and in the distance, retail counters and wall signage advertise knitwear and other clothing goods.
M&S Briggate Cafe Bar