The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1891-07-31
RESTAURANT SECRETS.
A Business Where Mon oT Ideas Can Make
Themselves Valuable.

A Business Where Mon or Ideas Can Make
Themselves Valuable.
! "a man Of ideas is valuable anywhere"
announced wellmown restaurateur to a
Chicago Journal representative, "but mo-
where is he more so than in a place like
mine You may think it requires no brains
to manage q restaurant, but if you do you're
decidedly mistaken. What about the pur-
chasingl What about disciplining and
keeping in regular order as regards their
work an army or more or less stupid and
often insubordinate waitersl What about
designing noveltiesl An, yes, that's where
q 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 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 Il
comes in, we'll say, and orders dish Of 1t
without looking at the bill Of fare. While
he is eating it, some other fellow who is
quito ignorant Of the blessings in store for
him, comes in and takes q seat at the same
table. He doesn't know what the other fell
low is eating, but he knows that it looks
mighty good and straightway orders a dish
for himself. The majority Of nay customers
haven't the remotest idea what they are 60
ing to eat for luncheon until after they've
seated themselves, and not few Of Them
take look around at what the other fellows
are sampling before they make their selec-'
ton. This is where the manager with d
genius for devising dishes that look appetis-'
ing gets in his deadly work. Seer'
II RENE mber," added the restaurant mah'
with retrospective stroke of his whiskers,
IAN instance that will illustrate nay mean
ing. Just about two years ago engaged q
young fellow as waiter He was an Irish
man, just over, and as bright and SMART
and obliging as you please. 1t didn't take
me long to see that he was too good man
Tor the mere transportation of provender
to 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 a suggestion or
two as to the general running Of the place.
His first idea went right to the mark. II
was summer time then, and he came TO me
one day and said that he couldn't under!
stand why patron who asked for water;
melon should be given twice as much Is he
could eat, and enough rind with it to feed q
sty Of pigs. well, what do you suggesti'
said l. For answer; be went to the kitchen,
selected big melon, cut of the ends and
sliced it into six or seven slabs about two
inches thick. He then cut of the rind and
sprinkled little chopped Ice over each
slice. There said he, 'one Of those is
enough wathermillin for any daceut man,
an 1t looks queer too It. certainly did
look queer, for after that l sold more
orders Of watermelon than l had done
before in any threeseasons, in addition to
which each melon went twice rs far as II
had formerly done. Look about you when
watermelons come into season again, and
you'll see that every first-class restauran,
in the city fxes up the dish in the manner
introduced by my little, lrishnSan. Where
is he nowl Bless your heart, he was toe
smart for this business. Last l heard Of
him he was oft ON the road selling boots
and shoes and making $500 and 800 month
at it. He can have all the watermelon hC
wants here by asking for it."