About this episode
The episode explores the history and impact of feminist restaurants and coffee shops in the USA and Canada during the 1970s and 1980s.
In their heyday of the 1970s and 1980s, there were more than 200 - possibly more than 400 - feminist restaurants and coffee shops in the USA and Canada. These places were aiming to change ways of working, and upend the hierarchies of restaurants; to provide food that was ethically sourced and affordable to customers, while providing staff with a decent wage; to signal to particular kinds of people that a space was specifically for them. They didn't always succeed, and often they didn't last for more than a couple of years. But they sure did try things. Dr Alex Ketchum, author of Ingredients for Revolution, a History of American Feminist Restaurants, Cafes, and Coffeehouses , explains the ups and downs of how these places used words. Visit theallusionist.org/breadroses for more information about today's topics, plus a transcript of the episode. Support the show at theallusionist.org/donate and as well as keeping this independent podcast going, you also get behind-the-scenes info about every episode; livestreams with me, Martin and my ever-growing collection of dictionaries, and the charming and nurturing Allusioverse Discord community, where we're watching the current season…
People in this episode
Host: Helen Zaltzman
Guest: Dr Alex Ketchum
Topics covered
- feminist restaurants
- coffee shops
- food ethics
- wage equality
- 1970s
- 1980s
Keywords
- feminism
- restaurants
- coffee
- history
- ethically sourced
- affordable food
- wage
- community
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: Ingredients for Revolution
Places: USA, Canada, xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), səlilwətaɬ
More episodes of The Allusionist
- 228. Draculae part 2: Surprises in the Vaults · May 25, 2026 · 36 min
- 227. Draculae part 1: Enter the Castle · May 11, 2026 · 23 min
- 226. Suburbia · April 27, 2026 · 44 min
- 225. Hues · April 13, 2026 · 41 min
- 224. Cosmic Hairball · February 9, 2026 · 16 min
- 223. Bonus 2025 · January 20, 2026 · 34 min
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the The Allusionist podcast page.