The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1886-07-06
How TIE poor LIVE.
A GOOD Meal for Ten Cents-Cheap Rec.
taurant of the Better Glass.

taurant OF the Better Glass
lChicago Tribune.l
Attracted by 8 rough crayon drawing d
Ben Butler adjoining a placard on which
was written The Boss Workingman's Din
ner for Ten Cents, a reporter descended K
8 basement restaurant en- west Madison
street, determined to see for himself what
sort OF 9 dinner could really be served for Il
cents. The room had the ordinary appear.
ance OF the cheap restaurant but it was
cleaner than Is usually the case. and thers
was none Of that 'frowsy" smell that Is SC
prevalent in places OF this description Din
ner was on when the reporter entered, and
the room was crowded with both men and
women
The men were all evidently of the decent
artisan class, while the women were mostly
work-girls from the neighboring stores.
Seating himself at a table next q respectable
looking woman, the reporter called for his 10
cents worth. In more aristocratic restau-
rants he had often been obliged to wait for a
quarter of an hour before he was served, but
here time was evidently money, for the or
der was hardly out OF his mouth before the
meal was before him. The dinner consisted
OF large bowl mot cup OF excellent coffee,
as much bread as ne could eat that article
being supplied ad hbitum, and good large
cut of beef of the joint, with q fair share OF
potatoes There was just as much as any
healthy man would care Co eat, and it was
as well cooked and almost as clearly served
as at a much more pretentious restaurant
and all for dimel
III conversation the proprietor said: ~
feed about 800 to 1000 people a day; but not
SO many now as in summer, for when win
ter comes nearly all the lumbermen and
dock hands go south What profit do
make, did you say9 Well, never more than
a cent dish; sometimes not that It's the
number we serve that makes it pay. 1t is
a great mistake to suppose that the leavings
of other restaurants are used up in cheap
restaurants Come with me into the kitchen
and butchers pantry and 1 will show you"
The reporter accordingly followed the pro-
prietor, and was astonished to see the neat
ness and order that prevailed. In the
butchers pantry were hung up joints OF
meat good and as fresh-looking as one
could wish to see. At last the visitor thought
he would have an opportunity of learning
the mystery of "hash;" so he requested the
proprietor 20 inform him as to the manu-
facture of that compound Nothing easier"
was the reply; "you see we make nothing
here but 'corned- beef hash and here is the
corned- beef that it is made FROM" at the
same time taking up a piece Of excellent
corned beef from a barrel After seeing it
the reporter felt that he could order hash
with safety, the dread of eating hashed
pussy cat being removed.
"What class of people frequent your
placel"
"Chiehy mechanics and clerks. Somehow
or another we never catch tramps. Now and
again we get stray one, but as a rule
tramp goes to more expensive place.
have had customers coming here for years.
Did you see that old man with gray hair?
Well, he has been customer of mine for
years. He was worth his million once, but
he has often told me that he enjoyed the din
ner that he pays 10 cents for now better than
he did the ones he used to pay as many dol
lars for. He had dyspepsia then, but he
hasn't that now. They may talk about the
high rate of living in Chicago, but don't
think they have much to complain of when
a man can board well for 81. so week"