The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1885-01-04
ECONOMICAL EATERS.
HE CHEAP DINERS In BIG CITIES
Vow. When and Where the Impecunious
ths stingy and some Mean Spirits
Appease Their Appetites-A
waitress Observation.
There is a large class of people in tn

.;tv who prefer to eat when and where
they please, and to order what they
want, than to depend upon the tiresome
table of clearinghouse. They rent a
furnished room in which to sleep, and
take their meals where fancy dictates
and their pocket-books will permit
Fav students or clerks or Bohemians
who buy twenty one meals week can
,fford TO pay so cents for each
III them, or even half that amount;
consequently they seek cheaper
places where food isn't as tempting, but
perhaps as wholesome, Is served to
Them. Son,e Of the more popular places
are open day and night and feed more
than 1000 persons during every twenty
four hours. A person going into them
and caring more to look about him and
study his table companions than to eat
will find men to amuse and interest even
the superficial observer.
Such places are patroniZed by entirely
different classes Of customers at differ
ent times during the twenty-four hours.
In the morning tho trade is composed
chiefly of students and those Bohemians
who live in an itinerant sort of way. At
noon business men, clerks, shops girls
and variety of working people
throng the tables for their midday
lunch. At the supper hour those
who were in for breakfast, and
who were not particularly noticed
in the crowd at noon, return. From 8
usually very brisk, and is composed
chiefly of hungry people who have been
to some place OF amusement, travellers
Just arrived in the city, young fellows
and their girls, and any other person
who for some reason are inclined to eat
at irregular time. About midnight bust
ness becomes more brisk. Night-work-
crs come in for their lunch, and again
the class Of customc Q changes. There
are printers, reporters, gamblers and
sporting peoples of all kinds, together
with the fast young men who have
been on hurrah and wish bite Ia cat
before sneaking home to tell fond pa
rents that they have been to a church
social, or calling on Miss, of Price
hill. ave missed the last car, you
know, and had to walk it,"
"You meet with great variety OF APP
petites," said the reporter to an intelli-
gent looking waitress.
"Yes," was the reply, "all people have
their likes and dislkes, and it is quite
probable that they will show their
weakness when they come into place
like this. You can have no idea of the
annoyances we are put to by exacting
and mean spirited customers. / would
want no better test of gentleman than
the way in which he orders a meal.
Table manners always disclose unde-
sirable traits of character which, under
other circumstances, would not be
easily discerned. When here by
themselves they feel under no
social restraint, and the way in
which they abuse us poor girls is
awful. If they only knew il, they could
get more and better food by mixing a
little politeness with their orders than
by commanding us to bring this and
that in dictatorial and insulting way.
II a man is grabbed, cross and bent on
finding fault, just try to bring him the
poorest meal / can and delight in his
fussing. The meanest, most niggardly
people always want twice as much for
their money as decent folks. They
come here and with 10 or 10 cents expect
to get 50-cent meal. They are so un-
reasonable that they make the girls
mad and you can't blame us FIVE slam
the dishes about little Bit"
but is it not economy that causes
them to act sop
Not much. The people who are best
able to pay are usually the ones who
cause us the most trouble. The eco
nomical ones are easily waited upon.
They have generally made up their
minds as to what they will order before
they come in, and when that is brought
them they are satisfied.
with certain class OF our customers
the main object is to satisfy the appetite
At the least possible cost. With this in
view, their orders almost always CON
sist OF rolls and coffee, or soup, or beans
and stew. Such things are cheap, and
have considerable bulk. To show what
some people will do: We have a Gus
tome who buys buns at bakery for |
sent each and brings them here to cat
with his coffee. In this way he gets his
coffee and five buns for 10 cents, whereas
we only give him three rolls for cents.
lie is two ahead each time, but it takes
cheek"
"Who are your most troublesome GUS
tomers2"
"of course the fault-dnders are
troublesome, but we girls despise more
certain class of young fellows, who,
swelled up with conceit, come in here
to make mash. They, of course, think
they are irresistible, and annoy us by
talking to us and endeavoring to MAKE
engagements with u.s."
"Do you ever have any serious trouble
with customers?"
"Onoe in while we are compelled 10
somplain to the proprietor, and then
the conceited customer is invited Ia
leave. A good many come in and order
when they have no money, but that is
no concern of ours. The cashier looks
alter that."-lCincinnati Enquirer.
A