Restaurant and tavern tokens served as surrogate means of payment in the numerous drinking establishments of major cities in pre-revolutionary Russia. Coin-like tokens were an attribute of everyday life in metropolitan and provincial restaurants, taverns, cafes, canteens, and snack bars.
The issuance of tokens was connected with the desire of factory, plant, and business owners to increase their profits. Workers and employees received part of their wages in tokens and spent them in shops owned by the companies. Restaurant and tavern tokens appeared in Russia in 1875 and became widespread in large industrial cities. So-called tavern checks performed a purely administrative, accounting function. They were intended for internal settlements between the establishment’s staff and the cashier. Having become a fashion trend and a marker of the wealth and prestige of restaurant owners, tavern checks became firmly embedded in everyday Russian life and spread everywhere. Similar tokens were issued by restaurants, clubs, buffets, taverns, cafes, and other drinking establishments.
Tavern token 1 Kopeck (figurative).
