The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1882-07-09
LIFE IN A HOTEL.
The Losses Not so Great as Might
be SuppOsed---Facts About
Walters.

requires as much active ability as
the command OF a brigade in the
field. The same attention to de-
tails is necessary, and a strict sys-
tenn, which approaches military
discipline. is followed. The profits
of hotel may be largely diminished
or frittered away entirely through
lack of judgment on the paIt of the
heads of departments and through
the various leakages that are apt
to occur In every large establish
ment. In speaking of the losses of
hotels, hotel man said recently:
Gina well-managed hotel, however
large, the losses are not so great as is
! often supposed. Take the provis-
ions. With careful buying and ade-
quite ice houses and cooling rooms,
there should be very little wasted.
Things that are not used as origin
ally intended can be utilized in some
other way, as, for example, fruit
which is not available for dessert
can be turned into tarts and pies
But the greatest loss in food is
caused by the guests themselves
when meals are served table Of hote.
OF course first-class hOuse presents
bill Of fare for any meal which con-
tains more than Eve men can eat.
There are some people, however,
who are not accustomed to the best
fare, and are unable to make selec-
tons, and they simply go in on the
principle of getting their moneys
worth. So they order every
thing, and if at dinner go
straight through from soup to coffee,
calling for every dish that the menu
contains. OF course they can't eat
one-quarter Of the amount, and so
they leave a great deal to be wasted.
There is chance, also, for the
waters to cause a loss, by bringing
guests more things than they want,
in the hope that this undue atten-
ton will increase their fees. But
the head waiter and the controller,
who stand at the doors of tile
kitchen, always keep a sharp look
out for this, and when a waiter is
found bringing a guest half a dozen
things instead of two that are really
wanted he is Immediately dis
charged.
"When the meats are served O. Ia
carte, great deal of money is often
lost to the guest by the double
check racket, which is a fayerite
game with dishonest walters. The
guest writes his orders on a check,
which the waiter takes to the cash.
ier's desk. where the prices are put
on and the check stamped. But
while the guest is eating his meal,
the waiter secretly makes out an
other check with the same orders,
but with the prices increased from
10 to so per cent. Then he hands
this raised check to the guest for
but gives to the cashier
the first check with the proper |
prices, and pockets the difference.
If the guest pays his check without |
close examination, as he is likely to |
do if he has ladies with |
him, Of course he is swim |
died, aud we can't prevent it.
l have heard people say they |
wouldn't go to Manhattan. Brighton |
or Long Beach hotels again because
the prices were so outrageous, and l |
knew at once that the walters had
raised their checks. The only rem |
edy is for the guest carefully to COM
pare the prices On his check with |
those on the bill of fare. First |
class walters, as a rule, are very
smart men. They are usually |
French, German or italian, gener-
ally speak two, three or four lam
and often have some educa-
ton. The best waiter 1 ever knew !
was something of a linguist, some
thing Of a musician, and no mean |
artist. Then he was an admirable !
waiter, and had the knack of salts |
factOrily serving a great many peo-
pie at the same time. His fees
were very large. He received the |
usual salary Of $50 or $S5 a !
month and board. We Of |
fered him the position of head |
waiter at a salary of 500 a month |
and board, and he refused it. He
told me afterward that he could not |
afford to lose money by taking the |
place; so you see what his fees |
to. at a great seaside |
hotel, in the height of tt season. a
good waiter will make from SIS to |
SIS day in fees. 1t is not an un-
common thing for a waiter to receive |
81 as single fee, and if he is serv- |
ing q large party he sometimes gets
S..
But returning to their losses in |
hotels, / come to the bar, which is
really the most important feature |
of the house. No hotel can be sllc-
cesSfully run without bar. The |
goods are not perishable, and the re-
ceipts are so largely profit that the
manager often expects the bar
alone to pay the expenses of running
the hotel. No system of checks that |
know of is effectual in keen |
ing the barkeepers from Knocking |
down. still L don't think there is
much of it done at the best houses.
The reason is that the best men at
5ainable are selected for the places
and they are paid good salaries. II
know q man who goes next week to
Saratoga hotel TO be head bar
keeper. For the season of three
months he receives 500 and all his