What do you think of as being "coffee culture"? I think of it as being the sort of laid-back, cultured, prosperous lifestyle of the '90s. In a way, it sort of fits in with the alternative-inspired pop-rock of the last 2/3 of the '90s, sitcoms like Seinfeld and Frasier, Gen X movies like Reality Bites, exposed brick walls and "coffee to go", etc.

Then there was the pizza hut culture that dominated the suburban '90s, the culture that seemed to last in a way from 1984 to 2001 and was exemplified by Full House, Home Improvement, skateboarding, video games, the Bart Simpson sort of lifestyle, scrunchies, The Little Mermaid big suburban houses such as that in FPBA, basketball enthusiasm, etc.

What do you think of as the relationship between the two?

Ya know...you made a very good point....I think about this all the time, I like how you described each "culture".  I definitely miss the "pizza hut" culture...it reminds me of my childhood and teenage years, infact, to this day, whenever I go into a pizza hut to eat....I get that nostalgic feeling inside. It totally reminds me of the icons you mentioned within that particular era.

Ya know...you made a very good point....I think about this all the time, I like how you described each "culture".  I definitely miss the "pizza hut" culture...it reminds me of my childhood and teenage years, infact, to this day, whenever I go into a pizza hut to eat....I get that nostalgic feeling inside. It totally reminds me of the icons you mentioned within that particular era.


Yes, 'Pizza Hut' culture is more teen-centric, whereas 'Coffe Culture' was both driven and embraced by perhaps the most 'corporate' generation of all, the late/Boomers, early GenXers. Alot of the teens who grew up going to pizza parlours probably spent their 20s/30s etc discussing business deals in coffee bars, lol

Yes, 'Pizza Hut' culture is more teen-centric, whereas 'Coffe Culture' was both driven and embraced by perhaps the most 'corporate' generation of all, the late/Boomers, early GenXers. Alot of the teens who grew up going to pizza parlours probably spent their 20s/30s etc discussing business deals in coffee bars, lol




not me...I am still stuck in the past, reminiscing about the pizza parlour days!! LOL! :D ;D

not me...I am still stuck in the past, reminiscing about the pizza parlour days!! LOL! :D ;D


Yeah, don't we all...What about 'Video Arcade' culture vs Internet Culture?

Yeah, don't we all...What about 'Video Arcade' culture vs Internet Culture?




well, as much as I love perusing the net...I would give it all up to have those days back once again! ;)

well, as much as I love perusing the net...I would give it all up to have those days back once again! ;)


We still have alot of video arcades around, surprisingly...while I love them for their 90s vibe (it is like going back into the 90s), I rarely actually play any of the games because they are such money eaters... ::)

I think I'll stick to the Flash Arcade for now... :)

We still have alot of video arcades around, surprisingly...while I love them for their 90s vibe (it is like going back into the 90s), I rarely actually play any of the games because they are such money eaters... ::)

I think I'll stick to the Flash Arcade for now... :)



yes, game prices have gone up so much. I took Vaughn to an arcade that is part of a family fun center (mini golf, go carts, etc)....and some of the games were like $1.00 or more to play them....pfffft, what happened to 25 cents a game?!! ::)

yes, game prices have gone up so much. I took Vaughn to an arcade that is part of a family fun center (mini golf, go carts, etc)....and some of the games were like $1.00 or more to play them....pfffft, what happened to 25 cents a game?!! ::)


I guess you're just getting long in the tooth!  ;)

What do you think of as being "coffee culture"? I think of it as being the sort of laid-back, cultured, prosperous lifestyle of the '90s. In a way, it sort of fits in with the alternative-inspired pop-rock of the last 2/3 of the '90s, sitcoms like Seinfeld and Frasier, Gen X movies like Reality Bites, exposed brick walls and "coffee to go", etc.

Then there was the pizza hut culture that dominated the suburban '90s, the culture that seemed to last in a way from 1984 to 2001 and was exemplified by Full House, Home Improvement, skateboarding, video games, the Bart Simpson sort of lifestyle, scrunchies, The Little Mermaid big suburban houses such as that in FPBA, basketball enthusiasm, etc.

What do you think of as the relationship between the two?


do you consider the "Pizza Hut Culture" to be dead though? The fads have definitely changes, Bart Simpson and basketball are no longer "in", but the whole middle/upper middle class suburban breeding ground seems to still be thriving to me.

do you consider the "Pizza Hut Culture" to be dead though? The fads have definitely changes, Bart Simpson and basketball are no longer "in", but the whole middle/upper middle class suburban breeding ground seems to still be thriving to me.


Yeah, to me the changes are rather superficial in the sense that while cultural fad's may change with the times, but the predominance of the White middle-up class in culture will continue well into the future.

I think Hangout culture is pretty much dead, period.  That includes pizza parlors, coffee houses, diners, malt shops, malls and any other famed spot of youth.  Our generation(Gen Y) just doesn't seem to do hangouts like Gen X and the Boomers did.  Heck, even the Silent Generation(the malt shops and drive-ins of the 50s).  It seems like now theres no inbetween for Partying and just having regular fun.  Either you're out doing pills and drinking or you and your friends hang out at your house playing video games and such.  Nobody goes to hang out at the drug store anymore though.

Silent Generation/Early Boomers - Malt shops/and or drug stores, drive-ins, diners
Late Boomers/Early Gen X - Pizza parlors
Gen X - Malls, coffee houses

But see, I can't think of a stereotypical 'hangout spot' for Gen Yers.  And I think thats because we don't do that like previous post-WWII generations.

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Maybe i was just never socially accepted enough to know where the hangout spots are.

I can kinda see the Starbucks thing though..

And I really can't figure out what the hell you are talking about with this Pizza Hut culture.

This decade is less family-friendly, thats true.  I think that may be due to the fact the 90s had more kids because of the echo boom?  Also, Generation X parents overall seem to be more liberal.  Like my older brother.. I mean him and his wife don't make the effort to shield their kids from more adult parts of the culture like parents in the past have.. and I think a lot of Gen X parents are that way.

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Gen X parents are either laissez-faire or overprotective, it seems.

Coldstone Creamery and ice cream places in general are hangouts, as are diners, if you live in an area like Jersey that's full of them. Like late on Saturday nights, everyone at my school hangs out at our local 24-hour diner. I do think it's because culture is focused around boomers, and boomers had alot of young kids back in the '90s because of the echo boom.


I would think New Jersey would be unique in its 'Diner/Pizza Parlour' culture, being perhaps more cosmopolitan, and urban-centric than the rest of the country. In places like rural North Dakota where the population is far more spread out, a different sort of 'hang-out' culture would have developed. While New Yorkers might entertain themselves at some swanky club in Tribeca or something, residents of other states might congregate at the local a watering hole, and hence develop such a culture.

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I think an easier way to comprehend this is to think of the movie, "Fast Times at Ridgemont High".....the whole scenario of the mall being the hub. The teenagers working and hanging out in the pizza parlor (the proverbial PLACE TO BE), teens hanging out at the movie theater (still located INSIDE the mall)...that to me, paints a perfect picture of the "Pizza Hut Culture".


If that's the case then we're still sort of entrenched in the 'Pizza Hut' culture. If you're a teenager where I live, the mall is the employment, shopping and entertainment hub of the community. You go there after school to hang out, you shop there, you work there, and you go to the movies there on weekends.

If that's the case then we're still sort of entrenched in the 'Pizza Hut' culture. If you're a teenager where I live, the mall is the employment, shopping and entertainment hub of the community. You go there after school to hang out, you shop there, you work there, and you go to the movies there on weekends.



In a way, yes....but it's a whole different feel than it was back then, IMO.  I don't know...maybe it's because I am just getting old...maybe the teens of today feel the same way that teens of the 80's/90's felt....just a different era and a different backdrop.

In a way, yes....but it's a whole different feel than it was back then, IMO.  I don't know...maybe it's because I am just getting old...maybe the teens of today feel the same way that teens of the 80's/90's felt....just a different era and a different backdrop.


I don't know, but I don't see any sort of 'alternative culture' to the suburbia/mall lifestyle of the 80s and 90s emerging. We all talk about 'gentrification' and 'urban renewal' leading to the re-vitalising of the inner city/cosmopolitan culture, but teenagers in the developed world will continue to live in the suburbs for probably as long as the suburbs can sustain them. I agree that teenagers are still basically the same as they were in the 80s and 90s - sure they like to think they're a little 'hip to it' now, but their smug parents know they really aren't.  ;)

Pizza Hut '90s: 1990-1997
Coffee '90s: 1993-1999

In a way, yes....but it's a whole different feel than it was back then, IMO.  I don't know...maybe it's because I am just getting old...maybe the teens of today feel the same way that teens of the 80's/90's felt....just a different era and a different backdrop.


Perhaps it is just that you are getting old...I know now there are alot more gentrified "main streets" where local aimless teens hang out, and that's now an element of mall-like culture, along with malls. People do sort of feel the same way, an attachment to a certain "stomping ground."

Then and again, Jersey and Long Island are sort of the archetypical older suburban areas, heavily mall-ified with pizza parlors where teens work and the classic diners that are a major and territorial element of local culture where you're always bumping in to everyone.

I would go for the Pizza Parlour culture more over than the people in coffee shops. The coffee shop thing is a nice place to relax, but I'd rather it be in the style of the old ma and pop coffee shops. Like something from "Happy Days" or the bobbysoxer thing. Now that's fun!  :)