Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-05-10

his mind to devote his lunch half hour to the
squarest sort of a meal. Finding on the bin Of
1are two kinds of soup he chose mutton broth.
with steamlng bowl of which the waiter pres
entity returned. Also some bread and butter
the attendant fetched-four fresh, white slices
ana a little pat of the dairy article. When the
prom was cOnsumed-some oyster crackers
broken into lt-a meat stew of beef and pot;t-
toes, most appeuzlng. succeeded. This the
customer ate with Zest. taking the bread and
Dutter incidentally. and then he selected IL
glass OF milk IN preference to either tea or coffee
ana ordered cherry pie, though he might just
as wei have had apple or even pudding had he
so desired The generous piece of pie was duly
goDbIed, with the milk TO wash it down. and
then the youth. stretching his legs with IN
enable satisfaction under the table, called for
his check.
1t was for 10 cents
After the youth with the lemon-colored neck
tie had gone out. selecting "A toothpick from
the cashiers desk he paid his bill with a
silver dime, the STAR man, who sat on the OPP
poslte side OF the table, introduced himself TO
the proprietor of the establishment and in
CURED how on earth it possible to serve a
meal IKE that at profit for SO small price.
EVERYTHING BY WHOLESALE.
cit is all matter of producing food in great
quantities." replied the restaurant keeper,
sitting down. ITO begin with. L buy all my
supplies-enough to provide 1000 meals day
at " holesale. l never get less than a barrel or
box OF anything; potatoes l purchase by tie
hundred bushels, and all sorts of canned goods
| by the quantity. For meats L don't buy the
whole animals. but special cuts at the rate of
$50 pounds day. Now, take it this way: If
fed only 800 people l should lose money. My
expenses you see, are large. | have to en-
ploy 80 help, my rent is big fuel costs SIS
month and gas $50 more. May be l don't make
a cent on the first 400 customers, but on the
next 200 l profit considerably-for they cost
me nothing additional for gas fuel, rent, or
cooking. And on every extra patron over and
above 600 | make more. SO that altogether my
business Is very profitable, Notwithstanding nv
cheap prices. For 10 cents | can afford to give
| a dinner consisting of one bowl of soup, one
plate of meat or fish, two vegetables, bread
and butter and coffee, tea or milk. The break
| fast offer every day for Is cents includes two
| chops, or two eggs. potatoes any way, mullins
I ana rolls, and milk, tea or coffee"
But this lunch seems cheapest of all"
ut is SO" answered the proprietor land I
| take great pride in 1T. You think it remarka-
| Die that should be able TO give soup, bread
| and butter, meat stew with potatoes, piece
OF pie and glass of milk for ten cents and
| yet, as a matter of fact my profit on such a
| lunch Is greater than on any other meal,
| chiefly because its bill of fare gives me an or
| portunlty TO utilize scraps left over. Let us
see what that lunch costs me. To begin with,
| the soup costs practically nothing. The stock
Is simply boiled up from bones that would
/ y
of them. If | want to serve macaroni soup l
| put some macaronl in, or any other vegetable
| sin, larly. Put down one tenth of cent a
| plate as the cost of the soup. Bread and but
ter Will cost one cent and a half. The meat
| stew is made from what was left over from the
| previous days orders; it costs me only half a
cent for potatoes. We make our own pies
| and a cent and quarter will cover the cost of
fourth part Of one. Milk get by the guam
tity at five cents quart, 80 that a glass of it
/ 70 lNyo 4 .L,t
| now. You see, all the items together amount
! only to trIie over four cents and half
which leaves me nearly five cents and half
profit on that ten-cent lunch. By this time l
fancy that you grasp the idea of the cheap
restaurant and the way in which it makes
money"
ENORMOUS WASTE.
II begin to. But tell me, is not the waste
in an establishment like this very great!'
Enormous; but there is no help for it. 1t
would appall French cook, who always knows
how to make use of every scrap to see all the
good stuff that goes out Of here as refuse
| However, IL has got to be SO, because the
people who come to restaurant like this are,
as class, particularly wary of anything that
may be suspected of being made up of things
second hand so, for breakfasts and dinners,
L never offer an article of food that suspicion
could be entertained about. however unjustly;
II did otherwise my place would soon be re-
ferred to as hash mill and by similar OBJ
| Jectionabe epithets and l should lose custom
Hash never serve, save for lunch on the day
after have corn beef, and stew is exclusively
for the midday meal. Good meat that Is left
over on the dishes is scraped into big pan
each day and the cook the next morning cuts
| 1t up for the stew. All the rest goes into the
| Stops which the slop man takes away daily,
keeping the yard clean and removing the ashes
as an equivalent. In New York and other cities
slops are salable at good price. but not in
Washington. Each day we make two hundred
pies OF two different kinds, as we'll as ten great
pans OF pudding. These are all manufactured
30 as to be fresh for dinner. but there will
! usually be run on one kind Of pie or on the
! pudding and whatever is left over goes into
the next days lunch. 1t is all matter of
economical! management, you see, and of big
Quantities"