Civic Restaurants Act 1947

The Civic Restaurants Act 1947 is a British law.[2]

Civic Restaurants Act 1947

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Long title	An Act to empower local authorities to establish and carry on restaurants, and otherwise provide for the supply to the public of meals and refreshments, and for purposes connected with the matters aforesaid.
Territorial extent	England Wales Scotland
Dates
Royal assent	2 April 1947[1]

During World War Two, British Restaurants had been set up to feed civilians in need. As rationing continued after the war, many continued to operate, and the Civic Restaurants Act of 1947 enabled those that were still profitable to remain open as Civic Restaurants. In 1949, 678 Civic Restaurants existed in the United Kingdom.

The Labour Minister of Food, John Strachey, noted that "private enterprise in the catering trade has, on the whole and by and large, catered for the middle class and not for the working class." [3] Civic Restaurants differed little in general from British Restaurants. The Civic Restaurants Act gave them the option of applying to the local licensing authority in order to serve alcohol on the premises. This was opposed by temperance campaigners in particular, but defended for breaking down the social barriers between the “tea drinker” and the “beer drinker”.

Many Civic Restaurants remained in place well into the 1950s, being used for meals, teas and functions such as wedding receptions. The last rationing ended in 1954 and by this time, few Civic Restaurants remained.