Editing Milk bar (section)

==History==
[[File:Black and White Milk Bar Sydney SLNSW FL10329351.jpg|thumb|Black & White Milk Bar, Martin Place, Sydney, 1934]]
[[File:Central Station milk bar, 1946 (4009463159).jpg|thumb|[[Central railway station, Sydney]] milk bar, 1946]]

The first business using the name "milk bar" was started in India in 1930 by an Englishman, James Meadow Charles when he opened Lake View Milk Bar at [[Bangalore]]. The concept soon spread to the [[United Kingdom]], where it was encouraged by the [[Temperance Society]] as a morally acceptable alternative to the pub, and over 1,000 milk bars had opened nationally by the end of 1936. Milk bars were known in the United States at least as early as 1940 as evidenced by contemporary radio recordings.{{citation needed|date=October 2020}}

By the late 1940s, milk bars had evolved to not only sell [[groceries]], but were also places where young people could buy ready-made food and [[non-alcoholic drink]]s, and could socialise. Milk bars often had [[jukebox]]es and [[pinball machine]]s (later upgraded to [[video game]]s), with tables and chairs to encourage patrons to linger and spend more money.

The milk bar as a social venue was gradually replaced by [[fast food]] franchises, such as [[McDonald's]], and [[shopping mall]]s. Much of the elaborate decor has disappeared from the remaining milk bars. They are still found in many areas, often serving as [[convenience stores]].