Dabangs (다방, 茶房, tea.room) are tea and coffee shops. Most of them are just that. As an older word for 'coffee shop', one will sometimes hear older people refer to newer coffee shops, such as Starbucks and The Coffee Bean, as 'dabangs', and people will often jokingly refer to Starbucks as 별다방 (별 meaning 'star'). However, in smaller cities and towns, dabangs are known to be used for outcall 'companionship'. Men would call the dabang and order coffee and a women would drive a car or a scooter and deliver a thermos of coffee and sit and accompany the customer. Sexual services are known to be negotiated.
It's important to note that the majority of dabangs do not fit this image and are just your average traditional tea and coffee shop.
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