Today you will not surprise anyone with the original, unusual design of a cafe or restaurant. This move allows the owners of establishments to attract more visitors. But in the days of the Soviet Union, there were much fewer such proposals, if not to say that only a few. Basically, all catering establishments were of the same type and easily recognizable. That is, it was impossible to confuse a canteen with a store in terms of external parameters.
Despite this, there were also atypical options that were striking in their originality. In the seventies, for example, decommissioned aircraft were converted into a cinema or ice cream parlor. Well, it was not without rumors if aircraft suddenly appeared on the square or in the middle of the park in the city. Various speculations and versions were put forward. The most common was the one where the plane was landed urgently and there is simply no way to remove it from the city.
In reality, the situation was prosaic. The board was dismantled and transported by freight transport to the designated place. There it was installed, acquired the desired look and redesigned inside for a cinema for children or another institution. Most often it was a cafe. The cockpit housed goods and a counter, and tables and chairs were installed in the cabin.
There was practically nothing left of the plane inside, except for the windows. But they also tried to cover them with curtains, traditional for other cafes. Unusual for the USSR cafes were not deprived of the attention of visitors. They have always been filled and loved by people of all ages. Such establishments were opened in many Soviet cities. Among them are Evpatoria, Tashkent, Yaroslavl, Krasnoyarsk, Minsk, Chisinau, Nalchik, Novokuznetsk, Kuibyshev, Ryazan.
Almost all Soviet airplane cafes offered an identical assortment: ice cream in the form of balls in metal vases on legs, sprinkled with grated chocolate on top, milkshakes, coffee, soda water, cakes. But the most important thing was the atmosphere inside the establishment. Especially the children imagined that they were inside a real plane and were about to take off.
The waitresses working in the cafe were dressed as flight attendants, which further impressed the visitors.
There was also something to do for teenagers. Many people still remember the chassis of these cars, made of magnesium alloy. Sawdust was grinded from them and used in their pyrotechnic experiments.
Unfortunately, all these establishments did not suffer the best fate. During the period of privatization, they were bought out, but they were not used for their intended purpose. Some were dismantled and handed over for scrap, and the surviving objects were often used by asocial personalities as a temporary refuge. Abandoned equipment could be set on fire, taken apart in separate parts. And what was left was dismantled, and a stationary restaurant was built on this site.
Breathe a second life it is possible not only on airplanes, but also in Soviet furniture, which for sure remained with everyone.