page_title: Nippy
hierarchical_section_title: Nippy
caption_attribution_description: English: Customers enjoying afternoon tea at Lyon's Corner House on Coventry Street, London, 1942. A waitress brings more cakes to the table as this group of customers enjoy a spot of afternoon tea at Lyon's Corner House on Coventry Street. The cafe is full of people, their hats hung up on hooks on the wall. The bar is just visible on the left of the photograph. A menu and a plate full of buns can be seen on the table in the foreground.
context_page_description: A nippy was a waitress who worked in the J. Lyons & Co tea shops and cafés in London. Beginning in the late 19th century, a J. Lyons waitress was called a "Gladys". From 1926, because the waitresses nipped around the tea shops, the term "Nippy" came into use. Nippies wore a distinctive maid-like uniform with a matching hat.
context_section_description: A nippy was a  waitress who worked in the J. Lyons & Co tea shops and cafés in London.  Beginning in the late 19th century, a J. Lyons waitress was called a "Gladys".  From 1926, because the waitresses nipped (moved quickly) around the tea shops, the term "Nippy" came into use. Nippies wore a distinctive maid-like uniform with a matching hat.
caption: A waitress in the iconic nippy uniform brings cakes to the table of customers enjoying afternoon tea at a Lyon's Corner House, London, 1942
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