Coffee Republic and the New York City deli

The British-Iranian Hashemi family incorporates features of the New York City deli in its Coffee Republic chain. In addition to coffee houses in Britain, Coffee Republic has outlets in Bulgaria and Turkey and plans to enter the coffee house market in Bahrain and elsewhere in the Persian Gulf region.

Posted by David Fahey on September 26, 2007 at 09:08 AM in Bahrain, Britain, Bulgaria, Coffee, Drinking Spaces, Iran, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States | Permalink

Bulgaria's pubs to report customers with bodyguards

The Sofia News Agency reports that club and bar owners from Bulgaria's second city of Plovdiv will have to alert the police anytime a customer walks in accompanied by bodyguards. Local police chief Dimitar Ranguelov has issued an order to that effect, it became clear Tuesday. Ranguelov's aim is to lower the number of fights and brawls in such public venues.

The rest of the clients would also feel calmer that way, the police chief assumes. Private security companies that cover restaurants, bars, and discos would also have to report guarded individuals. Should they fail to comply with the newly introduced order, such companies would have troubles receiving a license for practising.

Posted by Cynthia on April 5, 2006 at 12:17 PM in Bulgaria, Drinking Spaces | Permalink

Bulgarians March for Marijuana Freedom

The Sofia News Agency reports (17 May 2005) that a crowd of young Bulgarians joined the Global Marijuana March on Saturday, a worldwide protest against bans on smoking cannabis. The Bulgarians marched through downtown Sofia in the afternoon, surprising passersby with curious costumes, balloons and placards. The Global Marijuana March, formerly known as the Million Marijuana March, was held for the first time in 1999 in New York City. Initiator Dana Beal then managed to expand the rally to more than 130 cities internationally.

Posted by Cynthia on May 17, 2005 at 07:05 PM in Bulgaria, Cannabis | Permalink

Bulgarian's Blood-Alcohol Level Astounds Doctors

CBC News online reports (4 January 2005) that Bulgarian doctors tested a 67-year-old man's blood-alcohol level five times before accepting it was 0.914 – nearly twice the amount considered to be life-threatening.  The full story can be found here.

Posted by Cynthia on February 4, 2005 at 04:53 PM in Alcohol (miscellaneous), Bulgaria | Permalink | Comments (1)