Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-02-28
QUEER PEOPLE IN .REsrAURANrs.
Men Who Are ON the Lookout for Would
he Swindlers.

QUEER PEOPLE IN gREsTAURANTs.
Men Who Are ON the Lookout for Would.
Re swindlers.
Prom the New YORK Tribune.
Five! ten ff-te-e-nr' chanted the boy with
a white apron, a. he turned the crank of a reg
lister that clicked on a ticket bearing the figures
Of the purchase. Fifteen - he drawled ont
again, as q man who looked like a sport
sauntered up and asked for q l5-cent ticket. In
the big crowd Of hungry, gobbling men in the
restaurant. intent only on satisfying their own
desires, there were two keen-eyed and we'll
dressed, who were watching the sport" When
they heard the boy call out '.ffteen," one of
them quickly stepped up to the sport and
said something to him in Q low tone The
sport" started and then looked defiant
II owe this restaurant just Is cents" he said
In loud tone. Don't You suppose know
what have eaten?''
"Yes,'" WAS the reply, II do suppose that Won
know what You have eaten. But do know that
you don't intend to pay for what you have had
unless You are compelled to. You owe us lust
40 cents. You had Hamburg steak which is
70 cents; cup OF coffee. q boiled egg and a
piece OF apple pie, five cents each, which makes
total of 40 cents. Now, see here. Won rot the
steak at the hot-dish counter from that fat.
red-headed waiter, and after You had eaten il
you walked over to the sideboard opposite and
helped yourself to hard-boiied egg and a
piece OF apple pie. Then You came TO the coffee
stand and drank cup of coffee. See? Don't 1
know what am talking about?''
The sport" now looked crestfallen. He sim
ply turned to the boy with a white apron and
said In snbdued voice: Forty cents and
the boy, with a knowing grin at the keen-eyed
one chanted 'forty centsr' turned out the
check to the sport" who quickly paid it and
hurried away from the curious ewes that were
watching him. Then the keen-eyed men be-
gan to circulate uneasly around the big res
taurant. 1t was a downtown buffet restau-
rant and, being noon. crowded. On
one side Of the room we're sideboards loaded
with sandwiches, pies and cakes of all kinds
On the other was a hot dish, a cold luncheon
and coffee counters. In the center of the room
were circular tables. On the walls were signs:
Help yourself, Everything on this Counter
Cents, ASK the Boy at the Registering Ma
chine for Your Check and Pay it to the
Cashier" I'VE Trust Our Customers" Every
man was helping himself and il was hard to get
around. Men were crowding by one another
holding cups of coffee high in the air. One
man had his teeth fastened into a sandwich car
rying cup of coffee in one hand and a plate
of pie in another while pushing his way
to q circular table. Walters were slamming
dishes around and yelling orders. but above the
din sounded: TEN fif-teenl TWENTY from
the boy in the apron. while the keen-eyed men
moved around in the crowd and made rapid
mental notes of every new customer who ell
bowed his wsy into the crowd. Several times
they induced customers to call for checks
different from those which they had asked for
when the restaurant was empty one of the
spoilers was asked how he managed to keen
track of SO many customers and tell what they
had eaten.
1T is a matter of practice.I suppose" he said.
but perhaps il comes natural am pretty
observing and when my living depends on nv
keeping my eyes open L never close them. Nv
chum and work Systematically and il is very
rare that dead beat gets away from us or a
skin cheats us. l walk up and down one side
OF the room and my chum on the other. We
take In at glance what men are eating and
listen for the boy to call the checks. OF course
We cannot tell what all men eat here at the busy
hour, but plenty of men who come here dom I
need watching. We have large number of regu-
lar customers. whom my chum and know by
sight. and l could tell you almost to a cent what
many of them buy. Men are mostly creatures
of habit and you would be surprised to know
how many men come in here day after day.
week after week and month after month for
their luncheon and eat a roast beef sandwich a
piece of apple pie and drink a cup of coffee
without variation. Chum and / catch onto
these fellows. We believe they are honest be-
cause they are meth0dical But we
have to watch the fellows who skip from
one counter to another. My friend and have
to move quietly. because people don't like
to know that they are being watched
We depend somewhat on mans face and gen.
eral appearance and of course the walters keep
their eyes open. too, and put us onto a man
they think is crooked and we keep track of
him. The unobserving men are, as a rule.
honest, and they don't notice us. But the
'sharps,' who are always on the lookout gener-
any Tumble TO .he fact that have an eye on
them and either they don't attempt to cheat us
at ALL or lower the ante only few cents. So
1t Is that our usefulness does not depend
entirely on actually detecting men trying to de-
fraud the restaurapt but really in preventing
them from attempting to do SO.
I'VE have some curious customers occasion
ally. There is one ahsent-minded old gentle
man who usually dimes at noon at hotel near
by. When he is in hurry he takes luncheon
here. The first time he came here he forgot to
pay up. Fortunately, there were some gentle
men here who identified him. The next time he
came saw him eat meal that cost exactly 10
cents. but he wanted to pay the cashier 81.
Probably he was dreaming that he had eaten
his table d'hote dinner. The old gentleman
was greatly surprised when told him exactly
what he had eaten and he thought that was very
smart 10 remember it all. L afterward learned
that he always carries his napkin home when
he dimes at his hotel. His wife has il washed
and returned the next day by mail