One of the things I notice about the evolution of sitcoms is that the traditional 3-camera shot half-hours have gone beyond the standard number of sets. What I loved, and a lot of the times miss, about some of the older sitcoms is how the sets were used as plot devices on a weekly basis. This week lets talk a little bit about one type of set. Waste this weekend with sitcoms that use restaurant sets.

The Popular Choice: Friends 1994 – 2004

Although the character of Phoebe Buffet never understood the name of Central Perk until about season 3, the iconic coffee house played a major part in Friends up until the final episode.

The coffee house served as the gathering place for Monica, Rachel, Chandler, Joey, Phoebe and Ross for ten years and actually made a name for itself in the coffee drinking world by featuring the Central Perk giant coffee cups. Rachel and Joey both worked at Central Perk during the series and countless cameos were made right on the couch during the ten year run. Stars like Robin Williams, Billy Crystal, Isabella Rosallini and the infamous “Russ,” have all made appearances in Central Perk, but my favorite character in the coffee house will always be Gunther.

The Nostalgic Choice: Seinfield 1990 – 1998

Similar to Friends, the Seinfeld set of the coffee shop/diner/restaurant played a part in almost every single episode. What die hard fans already know is that the restaurant actually started out with an actual name, Tom’s Restaurant. The exterior shot that a lot of us recognize is an actual restaurant on the corner of 112th and Morningside Heights in Manhattan. The Restaurant was a way for Seinfeld and other head writer Larry David to get the gang out of Jerry’s apartment and into a more public setting. It provided plot devices like the coincidental arrival of characters, a meeting place and a public forum for the gang to spout off on one of their unforgettable rants. Although the traditional item ordered off of the menu by Jerry, George, Kramer and Elaine was usually just coffee and a slice of pie, the gang has been known to order hot food off of the menu. Tom’s Restaurant is currently featured as part of the New York City Seinfeld bus tour.

The Lesser Known Choice: Two Guys And A Girl (and a Pizza Place) 1998 – 2001

Back in 1998 it looked like ABC had struck gold with their premier of Two Guys, A Girl and a Pizza Place. Starring a young Ryan Reynolds, Traylor Howard and Richard Ruccolo, the show focused on the threesome as they attempt to complete graduate degrees while working at a Boston pizza parlor named Beacon Street Pizza. Two Guy and a Girl‘s first couple of seasons used Beacon Street Pizza heavily as two of the main characters worked there; but after the conclusion of the second season, Beacon Street Pizza was dropped, and subsequently the name of the show was changed. It was during this time that ABC decided to move the show from mid-week to the dreaded Friday Night time slot where it eventually died. During the successful years of Two Guys and a Girl, Beacon Street Pizza was one of the main sets and played host to a wealth of characters like Mr. Bauer, the old man who would tell a story each episode that always resembled popular movie plots.