"store" 'restaurant'

[Baker, John]

        I've seen "store" to mean "restaurant," in industry use, since
the early 1990s.  It can refer to any kind of restaurant that is in a
large chain, not just fast food.  I assume it's older, but don't know
how much older.  Restaurant trade publications would be the place to
look.


John Baker



-----Original Message-----
From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On Behalf
Of Dave Wilton
Sent: Wednesday, April 29, 2009 12:10 PM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Subject: Re: "store" 'restaurant'

Yes, it's a very common usage in the chain restaurant industry. Just
Google "McDonald's" and "store."

In a similar vein, a few years ago I noticed that airlines stopped
referring to "passengers," using "customers" instead.

In both cases, it shows a shift in corporate priorities--away from food
quality or responsibility for comfort/safety and toward the financial
transaction.

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