There are a lot more baristas behind the counter at Central Perks–a new cafe that draws its name from the fictional coffee house in Friends–than there were in the tv version that ran for ten years on NBC and is now in syndication. It’s a full functioning cafe that borrows a famous name from a tv show.
There are a lot more baristas behind the counter at Central Perks–a new cafe that draws its name from the fictional coffee house in Friends–than there were in the tv version that ran for ten years on NBC and is now in syndication. It’s a full functioning cafe that borrows a famous name from a tv show. ( Photo: Central Perk Coffee Co.)

Backed by a licensing deal with Warner Bros., the Times Square-based café is testing whether a TV brand can translate into a durable food business.

Central Perk Opens–a Real Cafe That Borrows Its Name from the Fictional One on ‘Friends’

24 Feb 2026 | 12:48
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Central Perk’s grand opening late last year was not pitched as nostalgia for nostalgia’s sake.

At 20 Times Square, the café is operating as a food-and-beverage business first—one that happens to be licensed to one of television’s most valuable entertainment brands and one where the gang frequently gathered...

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