Lyons was famous for its tea shops, which were a major British institution well into the second half of the Twentieth Century. But before the first tea shop opened, in 1894 in Piccadilly, Joseph Lyons and his partners had trialled their catering operation elsewhere, first in Newcastle in 1887, and then in Glasgow in 1888.

This menu cover dates from 1889, the year of an Exposition Universelle – or World’s Fair – in Paris, which brought the city the Eiffel Tower. Along with this famous landmark, the Expo also featured the pioneering mass catering of J. Lyons & Co.

These tests were successful enough for Lyons to take over catering at Olympia, Crystal Palace and White City in London, with the tea shops following soon after.

Courtesy UNLV Special Collections

Each print is accompanied by a copy of the interior menu where available.

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