Editing Milk bar (section)

==Modern day==
===America===
====United States====
A "dairy bar" is the term for a similar restaurant/store common in the [[Northeastern United States]], especially [[upstate New York]], which is a large producer of dairy products. A "malt shop" (named for the ingredient in a malted milkshake) is very similar to a milk or dairy bar, serving milkshakes and soft drinks as well as limited foods, such as hamburgers and sandwiches. Although there are still a few around, these have largely fallen out of fashion in favor of fast food.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-malt-shop.htm|title=What is a Malt Shop? (with picture)|website= wisegeek.com| date=| publisher= | access-date= }}</ref>

====Europe====
==== Poland====
The term bar mleczny ({{lit|milk bar}}) continues to be used in Poland to describe cafeterias offering nutritious, often traditional Polish, food for low prices. While historically known for their dairy-based dishes, milk bars today also serve a wide variety of other affordable meals.  In 2011, the Polish government began to withdraw their subsidies which led to protests by people opposed to their closure.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/fast_track/9714943.stm |publisher= BBC News| website= bbc.co.uk |title=Eating cheap - Polish style | date=2012-04-25}}</ref>  However, they continue to be supported by the state.<ref>{{cite web |title=Dotacje do posiłków sprzedawanych w barach mlecznych |url=https://www.gov.pl/web/ias-bialystok/dotacje-do-posilkow-sprzedawanych-w-barach-mlecznych |publisher=gov.pl |access-date=23 May 2025}}</ref>

The menu of milk bars in Poland would typically include the following dishes:
* zupa mleczna (''milk soup'') -  warm milk often served with rice, pasta, or other grains, and frequently sweetened with sugar or pieces of fruit,
* leniwe pierogi (''lazy dumplings''), or sometimes simply ''leniwe'': These are dumplings made from ''twaróg'' (sour [[cottage cheese]]), flour, and eggs, which are quickly boiled. They are called "lazy" because they don't require the time-consuming stuffing process of traditional pierogi. They are often served with toppings like melted butter, sugar, or a sprinkle of cinnamon,
* rice with fruit and double cream - cooked rice served with fruit (often stewed fruit or [[kompot]], or [[compote]]) and a dollop of cream.
These dishes are now associated with wider [[Polish cuisine]].  While milk bars today may offer a wider range of dishes, including some with meat, the core remains dairy-centric meals that were historically central to their identity.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Kępa |first1=Marek |title=Milk Bars – A Taste of Poland |url=https://culture.pl/en/article/milk-bars-a-taste-of-poland |website=2015-06-25 |publisher=Culture.pl |access-date=23 May 2025}}</ref>

====United Kingdom====
In the United Kingdom, the National Milk Bar [[Franchising|franchise]] was founded in 1933 by [[Robert William Griffiths]] as an ordinary café/restaurant chain which is related to the original milk bars in name only.<ref>{{cite web | title=A tribute to National Milk Bars | url=http://www.theresposh.com/NMB/ | website= theresposh.com| publisher= | date= |access-date=2007-06-27}}</ref> Once numbering around 20 outlets, which were located in Wales and in England near the [[England-Wales border|Welsh border]], now only one remains.<ref>{{cite news| url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-mid-wales-12038590 |title= One shop left as Aberystwyth National Milk Bar closes| website= bbc.co.uk| publisher= [[BBC News]]| date= 23 December 2010| access-date= }}</ref> In the UK, [[corner shop]]s serve a similar function to milk bars in modern Australia, providing everyday groceries, sweets, newspapers and such.

There is a campaign in the United Kingdom to encourage schoolchildren to consume more [[dairy product]]s, by installing 'milk bars' in schools.{{cn|date=April 2020}} The idea is that if the dairy products are attractively presented and properly stored, the children will be more willing to buy them. The organisers behind the project work to develop links with school caterers, so that the handling of milk and dairy produce can be improved, and they promote milk consumption and encourage milk drinking to become a habit that will be carried into adulthood. The milk bar project has been extremely successful in Scotland for 18 years, and it is currently being extended across England and [[Wales]].{{cn|date=April 2020}}

===Oceania===
In [[Australia]], a milk bar is a [[suburban]] local [[general store]] which can include [[delicatessen]]s or "delis" and [[corner shop|corner shops or corner stores]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Rodell |first=Besha |date=June 7, 2018 |title= I Came Back to Australia, and the Milk Bars Were Gone |url= https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/07/dining/milk-bars-australia.html |work=[[The New York Times]] |quote= ...one part corner store, one part candy shop and sometimes a deli or news agent or neighborhood social club.|access-date=2023-01-10}}</ref>  Similar, but not identical, establishments include [[tuck shop]]s. Milk bars are traditionally a place where people buy newspapers, and fast-food items such as fish and chips, hamburgers, [[milkshake]]s, and snacks. They are essentially a smaller-scale suburban form of the [[convenience store]] but are more likely to be "mum and dad" small businesses rather than larger franchised operations. The term is also found in [[New Zealand]], alongside the more local term [[dairy (New Zealand)|dairy]].
[[File:DarlingIslandJunction.jpg|thumb|right|Milk bar film-set from ''[[Strictly Ballroom]]'' at former Darling Island Junction rail yard, [[Pyrmont, New South Wales|Pyrmont]]]]
Milk bars in Australia today almost universally sell [[ice cream]]s, [[candy|lollies]], [[chocolate]] bars, [[soft drink]]s, [[newspaper]]s, [[bread]], [[cigarettes]] and occasionally [[fast food]]. Most generally serve milk (in cartons or bottles) or other dairy related products. Although there are far fewer milk bars than there were during the 1970s and 80s due to changing shopping habits, most people living in suburban areas still have a milk bar within walking distance or a short drive of their home. Today, many of them are owned by [[Immigration|immigrants]] of different generations. In conducting researches on the [[Linguistics|linguistic]] changes occurring in [[Sydney]], Horvath (1985) discussed the case of immigrant milk bar owners and how diverse their social status can be. Some of them run a small family business while others own several chains. This proved relevant for a new approach to concepts of status and class in [[Australia]] as opposed to the [[United States]].{{cn|date=May 2025}}

The term [[dairy (store)|dairy]] is also used for these establishments in some places, particularly in [[New Zealand]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Kiwi Dairy {{!}} New Zealand|url=https://www.newzealand.com/us/article/the-kiwi-dairy/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140108192416/https://www.newzealand.com/us/article/the-kiwi-dairy/|archive-date=January 8, 2014|access-date=2018-06-07| website= newzealand.com| language=en-us}}</ref>