The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1891-02-12
WAITS ON HIMSELF.
Lunches Whore the Bill is Made Out by tho Man
Who Pays It.

Lunches Who're tho Bill Is Made Out by tho man
Who Pays It.
Several lunch-rooms in New York
supply quick service because the
patron helps himself All he has to
do is to satisfy his appetite and thirst
at Bullets and then pay his check as
he rushes out. This remarkable sys-
tenn is known as Trusting to-a-man's
honesty plan of quick lunch service. F"
AS the names OF the places imply,
says a correspondent, the owners trust
entirely to mans honesty to be re-
paid for what has been eaten. Many
mon throughout the lower part of the
city do not have time during their
business hours to take luncheon, espe-
cially where they have to go into
restaurant, hang up their hats and
coats, sit down at table and wait to
be served, and to these mon the new
plan is boon. ..--.
Whom man plunges into one of
these places at noon he makes a dash
for one of the long counters where del
icacies are plentlfully spread. When
his eye strikes some tid-bit that suits
his fancy he helps himself to it, and
at the. same time orders a beverage
from one of the white-aproned men
standing about. It is either coffee.
tea, chocolate or milk, and in less
than ten seconds is standing before
him on the sideboard. not in a dainty
cup and saucer, but in big. plain
mug.
Thus he stands up before the little
space on the counter which, for the
time being, belongs to him, and
munches away at his food with fire.
quent sips from his mug.
When he gets his first selection
down his throat he walks to another
sideboard and selects some other del
icacy. OF course there are clerks and
cashiers in each Of the restaurants,
but none of them seem to pay any
attention to the wanderings of a GUS
TONER He is free to go where he
pleases and select everything and
anything he likes.
In little place of this sort in
Nassau street the customer walks to
the desk after he has finished eating,
or more probably while chewing his
last mouthful, and says to the cashier:
1.-Two ham-sandwiches, custard and
coffee" ~
twenty-five cents,' says the CASH
Ter, and the bill is paid.
The regular customers, however,
know the prices of all the goods, and
walking to the counter lay down a
bill and say, "Twenty out" or "thirty
OUT as the case may be, or, perhaps,
the exact change.
In Broadway lunch-rooms the Gus
toner has to figure out his own bill.
To every dish is attached card an
nouncing It's price and on the walls are
hung placards giving the prices Of all
the dishes. When a customer has fin
ished his lunch he goes up to little
rack, takes out a check from one of
the rows, throws it on the cashiers
desk with the amount of money it
calls for and walks out. The correct
ness of the check is never questioned.
The customers word is taken every
time. The men who have put up their
cash to back this system claim that
the percentage of customers who de-
| liberately cheat the house and get
more to eat than they pay for is so
small that it is hardly worth noticing.
This system, I think" said the
manager of the Nassau street room,
''is not new with America. It was
first introduced in Scotland many years
ago. Do I lose much from beats?
Well, less than you would suppose.
Such meanness doesn't happen more
than two or three times week, I am
sure. think man who really is a
thief and wanted to cheat some man
out of adinner would sooner 60 into
big restaurant than cheat me-"