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« 2025. # 5 (185)

The Ethnology Notebooks. 2025. № 5 (185), 1105—1114

UDK94(477.83):394.5:642.5″1991/1996″

DOI https://doi.org/10.15407/

PUBLIC CATERING AS AN ELEMENT OF THE EVERYDAY LIFE OF THE URBAN POPULATION: ESTABLISHMENTS IN LVIV AT THE BEGINNING OF THE 1990S

DYKYI Liubomyr

  • ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0009-0008-6095-0725 
  • PhD student,
  • I. Krypiakevych Institute of Ukrainian Studies 
  • National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine,
  • Department of Contemporary History,
  • Kozelnytska str., 4, 79026, Lviv, Ukraine,
  • Contacts: e-mail: lyubomyr.dykyi@gmail.com

Absytact. Introduction. Public catering, as an essential element of everyday urban life, offers a unique lens through which to explore the social and economic realities of Lviv in the early 1990s. In the wake of Ukraine’s independence, the city’s cafes, restaurants, and canteens became more than just places to eat; they served as meeting points, cultural spaces, and reflections of rapid societal transformation.

Problem statement. In the early 1990s, catering establishments in Lviv operated in conditions of economic instability and inflation. The city’s cafes, restaurants, and canteens served as meeting points, cultural spaces, and reflections of rapid societal transformation.

The purpose of the article is to study public catering establishments in Lviv in 1991—1996, highlight the typology, locations, cultural features and their role in the everyday life of Lviv residents.

Methods. General scientific methods of analysis and synthesis, as well as special scientific comparative-historical and chronological methods are used in the article. Significant attention is paid to the oral history method — interviewing eyewitnesses of the establishments — which helps to reconstruct everyday details and the atmosphere of the time. The author adheres to the principle of historicism.

Results. In general, in the first years of independence, cafes and restaurants that had been operating since Soviet times remained popular in Lviv. For example, ice cream cafes remained an affordable and familiar option for family outings, while young people often chose bars and coffee shops for first dates or meeting with friends. More popular restaurants continued to serve as venues for celebrating important occasions such as birthdays, weddings, and other milestones.

Conclusion. The old public catering network gradually passed into private ownership, changing both owners and concepts, which marked a slow but noticeable transformation of Lviv’s restaurant culture in the 1990s. New private establishments appeared in the city, offering original interiors, innovative service formats, and a wider variety of dishes.

Keywords: Lviv, Lviv residents, everyday life, public catering establishments, restaurants, food, urban culture, Ukraine’s independence restoration, post-Soviet transformation.

Received 30.08.2025

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