Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1892-01-17
OLIVER HITCHCOCK,
THE "cofrEE-ANc-cAkE MANn-tIs
MOST PROMINENT PATRONS.


o9t0nloneQ 10 see ~ tuc uoWspspoAo Wv
voting much space--some OF them more
than coIumn--to obituaries Of man they
would contemptuously cal, coiee-and-
cako fellow Of whom most Of the multis
now heard for the FIRST time. They see
dead citizens whom they considered emf
nent and distinguished dismissed with
. line or two. and wonder what
made the cohee-and-cake fellow "
worthy OF so much, mention. II was
only what we conventionally call char
acter.n but man OF character. sterling
citizen, and especially regarded bv news
paper men. He was Oliver hitchcock, who
Tor twenty -six years kept one Of the cheap
est of cheap restaurants under the old
Freu,h's Hotel and then removed to the
basement of Lovejoy's. still keeping on
Printing House square. within reach OF the
patrons who made him rich For rlcn no
and as rich as he wanted to be. which made
him weather. than Gould, Sage. any
Astor. ali the vanderbilts. or any man OF
millions who wants more millions. With
all the rest-abundant means. Q happy
home. business which 80 we'll suited
him that when he retired. as he thought.
to q life of leisure be was glad to buy II
moneyless man ever came into his place
and went away unfed. Every morning the
baskets of crowds of poor children were
filed with food TO carry TO their poor
homes aud poorer parents. He was good
man. This cheap restaurant was as famous
in its way as ever was Delmonico's. 1t was
open all day and all night the year round.
A okRAT NEwsPAPKR RESORT.
Rnt Il was most notable at night, when
Il gathered III reporters, pressmen. COM
positors. critics. editors, newsboys, and all
In any way connected with the newspapers
printed in the region roundabout. The
menu was limited coffee and cakes. OF
course--the coffee good and the. cakes
those compromises between hot biscuit
and what country cooks of the feminine
persuasion call short-cakes." Then
cold corned beef and beans; pie, cIul.
lers. and perhaps real "doughnuts."
Thirty cents would cary hungry man
through the entire menu. To this cheap
place and cheaper fare have resorted such
men as Greeley, Raymond, Oakley Hall.
Wilfred M. Hurlbert, "Chet" Arthur, as
the boys were wont to call the Collector.
afterwards President. "old Clapp," in
fact every one who had any business in
that vicinity. II was the pioneer place OF
that peculiar kind. and the patronage was
as. unique as the place itself. My old
time Journalistic friend. who favors me
with occasional "reminiscences, tells me
that there used to be more or less
romancing among the newspaper-boys
about the gorgeous manner IN which the
downtown, shiIt-sleeves and white;spron
uptown. All the details OF fashionable
street. brownstone front, carriage, coach
man, livery. and so on were filled in. 1t is
certain that Oliver loved and owned fine
horses, and always had lively stopper for
bis own driving. And he gave his children
every advantage of the best teaching and
training. One of the boys 10 an instructor
In conservatory of music down South.
Another carries on the old mans business
here. and, of course. is making another
fortune to add to his fathers. Idon't know
which of the two boys my friend encoun-
tered--literally encountered for the
boy, then mayhap twenty years old. stood
behind the counter taking In the change
for coffee and cakes. 1t was years ago.
Max Strakosch was then IN hir first season
with Campanini and Nilsson at the old
Academy OF Music. As my friend stepped
up to pay for his coffee and cake musical
critic of one of the morning journals said
to the boy behind the counter; Il didn't
see you at the opera last night"
"Well. no" said the boy. making change
for quarter, cit WIS nothing but III
Trovatore,' and don't trouble myself to
go to the opera unless the performance Is
up TO my standard"
NV friend looked at the youth. meekly
climbed the cellar-stairs to the street, and
walked a half-block before he recovered
sufficient breath to elaculate very faint
"Whewi"
CHEAP FOOD FOB THE MILLION.
What Hitchcock IS as q remlnlscence
bennett Is as a living and actual presence
With the general progress of the age he
has. of course. greatly improved upon
Hitchcock's methods, and while he lite
rally feeds the millions he does 1t with no
small display of style. bennett has made
il possible for man TO lunch at q cost of
from 10 to 25 cents, and yet feel that every
thing he gets is prepared with as much care
and Is of as good quality as it would be at
Delmonicos at cost of $5. W: A. Den
nett is rapidly putting girdle round
this side of the world with his cheap
lunch-rooms--he avoids the word "restau-
rant" in describing his places, and per-
haps wisely. Some idea of the extent OF
his business will be had when l say. the
his Park-Row place. near the Advertiser
building, averages 4,400. George Parker,
his superintendent. tells me they have fed
as high as 4. 500 in one dav. And this is
but one of fifteen places he has in
New York, Brooklyn, Baltimore, Phila-
delphia, aud San Francisco. During
this week he will open ono in Bos-
ton. 1t cost him $4,000 to mt up the
Park-Row place. but there are features
about il which might be adopted with
benefit by some Of the aristocratic dining
places up town. For example, there is no
woodwork or paper hanging on the walls
or ceilings. All that part of the establish
ment devoted to restaurant purposes =
floors. wall, ceilings, and alt--is lined with
thing. This absorbs no steam from the
cooking, and by this means the restaurant
odor Is overcome. The customer who
calls for beer or wine or any Other" haro J"
drink with his lunch at Dement'S will not
get IT. Though not always q temperance
man, he is now and has been for fifteen or
twenty years and part of his life Is
given up to temperance work. The mis-
sions in all the cities where he does busl-
ness are generously remem bered by him in
aid of their temperance and evangelical
endeavor. ] understand that 1t is one of
his fixed rules Of business to give away q
certain portion of his income each year.
bennett is familiar figure on Park Row.
Tall and spare. he looks like typical
westerner, but he comes from Maine.
knowing by experience what it is to want
q good lunch, with limited capital to pay
for 1t, he has made it study to supply the
demand. The menu he furnishes is not
elaborate, and it varies but slightly from
month to month. lfyou want beefsteak
you will have to 60 elsewhere for it.
aRIpDLx-cAKEs AND COFFEE.
His specialties are grlddle-cakes and cof-
fee. In his downtown place FIVE barrels
of -four are consumed each day in making
griddle-c cakes alone. A portion of these
are baked in the front window. and at
times the sidewalk is blocked with people
watching the process The sight of these
brown cakes on the hot griddle tempts
many Q man inside. The amount of butter
consumed in this establishment, largely on
these cakes, may be inferred from the fact
that il 10 bought by the ton. have seen
as high a. 5000 pounds in the " butter
ROOM" ell in one-p pound "prlnts," and the
little apartment, which 10 under the street.
smelling As sweet as country spring.
house. There are 40 persons employed in
the Park-Row lupch-room. aud in all his
establishments perhaps not fewer than
1000. The number of persons fed In the
fifteen places cannot be far from $4,000
each day, except Sunday. which Is strictly
observed by Mr.. bennett, and II not by
every body In his employ 1t IS not because
no does not afford them an opportunity.