The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1889-03-13
JOHN wANAMAKER,s KITCHEN.
How He Disposed of stock of Leftover
Mince Pies.
tChicago Tribune's Washington letter.

Chicago Tribune's Washington letter.
John Wanamaker could give his prospective
chief some good advice about the management
OF the white house kitchen. Mr.. Wandmaker
has one of the biggest kitchens in the world. Ii
Is IN the basement OF ms Philadelphia store,
where no rats are tolerated and no dampneSs is
permitted to penetrate Wanamaker takes
great pride in this Kitchen as he does in every
thing connected with his store Often he goes
down to the big steam cooking pan, lifts the
lid, tastes the soup, peeps at the boiling pota-
toes, or inspects the little porcelain pan in
which the charlotte russo is served. Wanama-
ker is noted for his rich charlotte russo, and the
delicacy is made from a recipe furnished the
chief cook by Wanamaker himself. Wanna
maker likes to take visitors through his kitchen
and ask them TO sample the food in all its stages
of preparation. His is one of the few great
kitchens in the world which man may 90
through and come out with good appetite.
Wanamaker's kitchen is actually an appetizer.
The great merchant is never so happy as when
running knife into the Lancaster county but
ter and passing ia around for the visitors to
taste. In Wanamakers restaurant from four
thousand to eight thousand persons are fed
every day, and Wanamaker is not too proud to
lunch IN his own shop. In the summer he
makes and sells there 5000 quarts of ice-cream
daily and in the oyster season fries $1,000 Oys-
tiers. WanamakeT knows his trade and caters
to 1t as carefully as an apple woman on the
street corner. That is the way he became rich.
An instance of this is to be found in the orders
he once gave his restaurant manager about
mince pies. Have only the best mince pies
that money will buy" he said, "even if you
have 10 sell at a loss. | can afford to sink Sl0
600 year in mince pies rather than have DeO-
pie say do not give them good pies. The peO-
pie OF Philadelphia can't be fooled on mince
pies" Neither can Wanamaker, and with his
usual careiulness in seeing that all his orders
are carried out TO the letter il was for long
time his custom to slim down stairs and sample
the pie every day. Nanamaker is as
famous for his mince pies as he is for his cabi-
net prospects.
When Wanamaker first started up his restau-
rant, then a much smaller place than il now is,
his manager ordered 200 dozen assorted pies in
anticipation of big run by the Philadelphians
on their favOrite pastry. But the customers
were scarce the next day, and when the store
closed 1917 dozen pies we're still on hand. The
restaurant manager was in CONSERVATION. He
at once sought Nanamaker whom he found in
his Office after all the employees had gone home.
"Are the pies still gOOd% asked the great mer-
chant after listening to the managers story.
~ es: they will be good all day tomorrow, but
not after that" We'll, then, said Wanamaker,
"put an advertisement in every morning paper
tomorrow announcing that for this day only we
will sell choice fresh pies at a cent cut. See
what that will do" Next morning the Philadel-
phians read Wanamaker's pie advertisements
and by nightfall there was not piece of pie
left in the house. In telling this story Manager
Gillian added: THAT is the way with Wanna
maker. lie viii have only the best that is to
be had, and when the goods won't move he
makes them move"