Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1889-03-22
RESTAURANT SECRETS.
A Business where Men of Ideas Can Mako
Themselves Valuable.


"a man of ideas is valuable anywhere"
announced a well-known restaurateur to
Chicago Journal representative, "but no
where is he more so than ID place hike
mine. You may think it requires no brains
to manage a restaurant, but If you do you're
decidedly mistaken. What about the pur-
chasing? What about disciplining and
keeping in regular order as regards their
work an army or more or less stupid and
often insubordlnate watersl What about
designing noveltiesi All, yes, that's where
a good deal of the brain work comes in. It's
the cooks business to oversee the prepare
ton of the food for the table and to post
himself on any new attractive dishes that
may be introduced: but a discerning and
conscientious manager will often invent
some novel way Of setting up dish that
makes it doubly attractive to the customer
and in consequence increases the revenue of
the house. Tact in this direction works
both ways. A customer who has sampled
the managers new invention and likes it
comes in. we'll say, and orders dish Of 1t
without looking at the bill Of fare While
he is eating il, some other fellow, who is
quite ignorant of the blessings in store for
him, comes IN and takes seat at the same
table. he doesn't know what the other fet-
low is eating, but he knows that it ooks
mighty good and straightway orders dish
for himself. The majority of my customers
haven't the remOtest idea what they are go
ing 10 eat for luncheon until after they'v
seated themselves, and not few of them
take a look around at what the other fellows
are samping before they make their seiec-
ton. This Is where the manager with
genius for devising dishes that look appetz-
ing gets ia his deadly work Sect"
II rene mber'' ADDED the restaurant man
with a retros pective stroke of his WHISPERS.
ian instance that will Illustrate my mean
ing Just about two years ago engaged
young fellow as waiter. He was al Irish
man. just over, and as bright and smart
and obIlglug as you please. IL didn't take
me long 70 see that be was too good man
for the mere transportation of provender
10 and fro, so | made him head waiter and
gave him entire charge Of the help. Later
on sent him to market and asked him to
help me now and then with suggestion or
two as 10 the general running Of the place.
His first i'd ca went right to the mark II
was summer time then. and be came 70 me
one dav and said that be couldn't under
stand why patron who asked for water
melon should be given twice as much as he
could eat, and enough rInd with IT 10 feed
sty Of pigs Well wba. do you suggestr
sad L For answer. be went 70 the kitchen,
selected q big melon. cut OF the ends and
sliced il into sII or seven slabs about two
inches thick He then cut OF the rind and
sprinked little chopped ice over each
slice There said he, one of those Is
enough wathermllhn fer any dscent man,
an II looks queer, too Il AMY did
look queer, for after that / sold more
orders Of waterm elon than i had done
before 4 auT three seasons. N addition 20
which each melon weot twice as far a. il
had formerly done Look about ron when
waterm.lous come into season again, ard
you L see that every f1rst-class restaurant
in the city fixes up the dish IL the manner
introduced By nv little lrTshESu- Where
Is ne aowi Bless your heart, he was too
smart for this business Last 1 heard Of
him be was oUt on the road selling roots
aud shoes and MAKING 500 and $40 month
a. - He eau have ali the watermelon he
wants here 0Y asking for II
BIZ KIND 70 all-speaz kindly % alto
rleEllals and dependents Never slight CT