The café refers to a type of informal restaurant that specializes in coffee and tea, much like an American coffeehouse. In the United States, the café typically offers light meals, salads, simple inexpensive hot meals, sandwiches and baked goods such as muffins and pastries. Online essays about the history of the café would indicate that the word café originated from the French word that means coffee. Topics for essay on the type of restaurant known as a café would reveal that the term café means refers to a different style of restaurant according to its geographic and cultural location. In France for example the café is seen as a lunch restaurant during daytime hours; at night, a café refer to a type of bar that also serves food during the day, and converts to a bar in the evening. Pastries and various types of breads and rolls such as croissants are popular in French cafés. In the United Kingdom café without the accent resembles a diner or greasy spoon and serves a lot of fried dishes, especially breakfast dishes such as friend eggs, bacon, sausages, baked beans and fried bread. In the United States a café is usually called a coffee shop and offers table service with extensive menu offerings, particularly in many hotels. American cafés or coffee shops often are not licensed to serve alcohol, since they cater to families and offer an extensive children’s menu.