Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-05-26
LIFE IN CHICAGO.

The Growth, of the Cheap Restaurant Bust
ness-Six Thousand People Who Get Fiji
teen Cent Dinners DaiIy-The Era of
High Prices Gone,
Correspondence of the Sunday GLOBE.
CE1oAeo, May 24.-The casual visitor to
Chicago must have been struck Of late by
being confronted on every hand with scores
of cheap lunch and dining rooms. Located
for the most part in small wooden cabs. I'M
derneath Of which can be seen four dilap
ldated wagon wheels device invented to
whip the devil round the stump, or rather to
avoid the penalties of the fire ordinance
against the erection of wooden buildings
or in unpretentious brick buildings but
single story in height, the first impression is
that these restaurants are patronized wholly
by the poor day laborer, the tramp, and the
hummer. An inspection of the bill of fare
on the outside does not remove the impress
sion, for here we find the prices of all viands
so low that it seems impossible to serve them
and make profit. Tea and coffee cost five
cents, roast beef, mutton, pork, veal. ham
and eggs-in fact all meats are uniformly
ten cents, with potatoes, bread and butter,
ETC., served free.
A glance inside at the lunch Or supper hour
will, however, remove the impression that the
patrons of these lunch rooms are all
of low social grade. for we find them
crowded with all classes of masculine hu-
manity-the merchant doing thriving bus
mess, the professional man, the clerk, the
book-keeper, the laborer, and the hummer.
Side by side sit the prosperous man, the
lawyer, and the day laborer. The cheap
lunch-room is great leyeller of social dis
tinctions, for here all meet on a common
footing, and each receives the same atten-
ton from the active walters.
The cheap restaurant is the growth of the
past two years. But a short time ago
young man would have been ostracised from
his set if he had patronized any but a first
class restaurant, where meal would cost
him from sixty cents to dollar now he is
regarded as fool if he spends more than
quarter, at the outside, while fifteen cent
meal is regarded as square" The result.
while no doubt a saving to those who lunch
down town, has been to close up permanent
ly some of the more expensive restaurants
that had previously done a good paying bust
ness, and to compel others to lower their
prices to figures in accord with the times.
Curiosity led me, a few days ago, to make
a tour of inspection of these new resorts,
and the results of my observations were sur
prising to me, though I have been familiar
with the cabs-on the outside-eyer since
their first introduction here. Entering one
of the cabs, convenient to several prominent
wholesale houses, I found seated before the
tables thirty or forty gentlemen occupying
responsible positions in business houses.
With number of them was acquainted,
and conversed with relative to the fare. All
appeared perfectly satisfied
! ''The roast beef is as good as you can get
at the Palmer said one.
| "And I never had better cup of coffae at
! the Grand Pacific said another,
'.What.s the use, anyway said a third, a
ssof mans paying fifty cents or dollar for
lunch, when he can get just as good a meal
for fifteen cents? Here I've had q nice
juicy piece of mutton, bread and butter
nealy potatoes, a cup of coffee, and quar-
ter of pie, and my check is twenty cents
and I get cigar thrown in.''
II tell you,' remarked another gentleman
'stinles amt what they used to be, and if you
save quarter on your lunch every day il
amounts to something substantial at the END
of year. I've got through patronizine
these expensive restaurants just for styles
sake
/ A visit to {. score of other places of like
| character elected remarks of the same tenor
l %oo%
!! WINGED me of the Justice of their praises Of
the character of the viands. No more whole
some or better cooked food is placed before
the guests of our best hotels than one cal
procure at these ten-cent lunch rooms.
I had long conversation with the origin
ator of these resorts day or two ago, ant
cleaned little information that may be o
interest to readers of the GLOBE. He is al
old Massachusetts Yankee, and with his tw
sons, conducts the most pretentious of tn
cheap lunch rooms of the city. 1t is long
one-story brick building, about twenty fee
wide, with one table running down each side
and another down the center. It is capabl
of accommodating about $50 persons at
time.
"How did you come to get into this bust
ness?" inquired of the proprietor.
s'Well,'' said he, 81 came out here fror
the East about two years and a half ago, t
try to get something to do. Times were dull
and after waiting around for some months
I found my money nearly all gone. I trie
canvassing, but could not make it go. Bu
in going around among the workmen
heard good deal of complaints about tn
high prices of restaurants, and often fgul
ing the matter up found that consider
able reduction could be made in prices, an
yet leave fair profit I thought I'd try i
anyhow, for hadn't much to lose-onl
about a hundred dollars. I bought an oil
wagon and built shed over it and starte
in. It was uphill work at first. My patron
were for the most part what you would ca
bummers, but gradually an improvement
took place. People who were out lat
nights printers, telegraph operators and til
lke-began to drop in for a cup of coffee
and then, finding the food good and cheaI
they commenced to come around during tn
day. From that time forward my patron
age has constantly been on the increase, an
all classes come here to lunch. You ca
see who they are yourself he added.
A look along the we'll filed tables shove
that indeed all classes were represented
from the prosperous merchant to the da
laborer, but there was little indication of tn
hummer element.
GLOW many meals do you serve daily?''
asked.
sOur average has been about 1850 for IL
~ LII