The six main protagonists frequently visited Central Perk throughout the series. It is situated in New York City's Greenwich Village, in the same apartment block as Monica's apartment. It was where they spent much of their free time conversing. There are 97 steps away from Chandler and Joey's apartment as Joey counts in "The One With George Stephanopoulos". In every episode, the gang somehow always ends up getting the same set of chairs, and the couch. In many episodes fans have noticed a "Reserved" sign on the main table of the area. This is also sometimes on the side table (on the left of screen).

Staff | Rachel Greene

Rachel works as a waitress at Central Perk from autumn 1994 until winter 1996/1997. Being pretty much a spoiled, self-centered individual throughout this period of her life, Rachel clearly shows ineptitude at work, mixing up orders, neglecting her waiting duties, and showing little care about where everything goes and how it should be done. Ironically, in "The One With The Flashback", it is revealed that prior to getting this job, while out with her friends one night, she had responded to a waiter getting their drinks mixed up by remarking: "how hard is it to get a couple of drinks?". When Joey starts working at Central Perk, Rachel mentions that she would sneeze on the food of any customers who were rude to her. She also told Ross this when they had dinner with her father in "The One With The Race Car Bed" when she revealed she served "sneezers" to rude customers.

It quickly becomes clear that Rachel does not care for her job at Central Perk, only for her financial income. However, she does try for other job opportunities in fashion (mostly during Season 1), with little success. In Season 3, she decides to pursue the fashion business again after Gunther assigns her to re-training, quitting her waiting job to work with Fortunata Fashions, then moving on to Bloomingdale's.

Staff | Joey Tribbiani

Joey becomes a waiter at the coffee shop half-way through Season 6. His acting career being at a standstill, Joey is tight on money, so much that he can't afford paying for coffee. Gunther decides to let him work there. Like Rachel, Joey shows ineptitude at the job. Unlike Rachel, however, this is mostly due to his immaturity coinciding with the house's policies. However, later in the season, Joey's acting career takes a step forward when he gets the lead role in Mac & C.H.E.E.S.E.. This makes him quit his waiting job, which he does without mentioning anything to Gunther. Gunther, however, points this out to him in "The One Where Paul's The Man", and that he was going to fire Joey anyway.

Entertainment

Phoebe Buffay was also a regular fixture in Central Perk, and played songs such as Smelly Cat to often bemused audiences. Phoebe was, at one point, replaced by Stephanie Schiffer, a professional who was hired by Terry. Ross also performed his keyboard music from there twice in "The One With Phoebe's Uterus". Phoebe's former singing partner Leslie also performed there at least once.

Layout

Throughout the coffee shop are small tables with chairs that extras on the show usually occupy. These, from the main camera angle, are behind the large orange sofa in the middle of the shop. The green chair on the right, the coffee table and the table and chair on the left are nearly always used as the main setting for any scenes in Central Perk. In the earlier episodes, irrespective of how busy the coffee shop became, those seats were always available. The writers turned this into a joke and, in the first episode of season three, the six main characters arrive in the shop to find their seats taken, apparently by Kevin Bright, Marta Kauffman and David Crane, the show's creators and the writers of Season Three. They then look at each other, dejected, and walk out. The artwork in the back of Central Perk was changed every three episodes (including images of King Kong and Uncle Sam), but the layout of the furniture remained largely unchanged for the entire series.

The Orange Couch

The most prominent fixture of Central Perk is the large orange couch that the characters usually sit on. It usually seats four of the Friends at one time. One of the others then occupies the green chair on the right and, if all six are present, there is a table with one chair to the left that sits the last person. Rarely is anyone else ever seen on the couch and the guys consider it their own. In one instance, Chandler is seen sitting reading, when a young man comes in and goes to sit down on the green chair, only for Chandler to promptly usher him away. Another example is when Rachel complains about sitting by the window instead of the couch, or when the Friends came in only to see the couch taken, and leave. In "The One With The Bullies" two bullies 'steal' the seating area, and also steal Chandler's hat. In "The One With The Ultimate Fighting Champion", Robin Williams and Billy Crystal come in the coffee house and ask the cast to move over. They are sitting there having a personal conversation, which the cast overhears.

The couch is also seen in the opening credits of the show in front of the large fountain the cast of Friends dance in. At the end of the credits all of the friends sit on the couch at once as Monica turns off the lamp to the right

gunther

Gunther is the manager of Central Perk, where the six main characters spent a great deal of their free time. He is portrayed by the late James Michael Tyler.

Gunther has a smoking habit in common with Chandler.[1] Since season 3, he has had a consistent unrequited love for Rachel but only gets the courage to confess in the series finale, when he finds out that she is going to Paris. Gunther used to be an actor, having played a character called Bryce in All My Children. Being killed off by getting buried in an avalanche is how he ends up being a waiter at Central Perk. He confesses this to Joey in "The One Where Eddie Won't Go", after Joey confides in him that his character, Dr. Drake Ramoray, was thrown down a shaft in daytime show Days of our Lives.

Though Gunther is a permanent fixture in the everyday lives of the friends, he never penetrates the inner circle. This becomes a running joke. At Ross' bachelor party, Chandler announces Gunther as his best man, to which Gunther instantly replies: "What's my last name?". Chandler defeatedly answers "Central Perk?". Another example of this is when Ross is celebrating getting tenure. Ross asks Gunther for six glasses, to which Gunther asks hopefully "You want me to join you?". Ross replies "Oh, I thought Joey was here - five is good."

Gunther is on good enough terms with the friends, however, to often be invited to their informal parties, such as Phoebe's birthday party, Rachel's birthday party, Emily's farewell party, Ross' bachelor party, Rachel's premature surprise birthday party and Chandler and Monica's Halloween party. He is, however, left out of the official formalities, like Ross' London wedding and Monica and Chandler's wedding, but he attends Phoebe's wedding.

In a 2019 interview, James Michael Tyler said he thought Gunther would be the owner of Central Perk and a very small apartment in either the East or West Village, but is content with his life.[1]