The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-04-06
What better could the hungry wayfarer


What better could the hungry wayfarer
with Il slim purse ask TOR?
Another sign announces the Tact that any
kind of hot cakes can be had, with a libe raj
supply of butter and syrup, for nickel
This IS certainly encouraging but when the
hungry man sees that he can obtain IAN
extra long bun, with a big cup Of coffee, for
215 cents, - he at once decides that this Is the
place lie is looking for and forthwith
enters.
The interior of the "money-saviug res
taurant." as the proprietor calls it, is differ
ent from the ordinary run.
The proprietor carries on a general real
estate business in connection with his
restaurant and il ne can sell lots as cheaply
as he does things to eat he should do a rush
ing business.
The place is clean looking, though one
would not eXpect II from the prices charged.
There is only enc waiter, and yesterday the
restaurant was crowded and the poor gany-
mede had a hard time of it. The men who
go there are not of the highest class of
society, and they do not understand that
even waiter in 22-cent mealhOuSe has
probably some feelings If a man did not
get his beef Spanish" IN the time he
thought proper the waiter had to stand the
bTunt of his diSpleasuTe, expressed IN no
gentle terms.
What one can really obtain in this place
for 2R cents is wonderful. The following
soups are sold Tor that modest price:
pea. oXtail and vegetable. These are
given out in liberal bowlsful, though unac-
eompanied by any bread and butter, which
is an extra"
Roast beef, beef a la mode or Spanish,
beefSteaE-pIe, roast mutton, lamb pUtpIe, or
with curry and rice. roast or fricaseed veal
and almost every other kind of meat is sold
at thts price. Steaks and chops are 3 cents,
and the hghest-pTlcpd article on the bill OF
fare is 10 cents. This is for three fresh
California eggs" coffee and breed.
On the bottom of the bill Of fare is the
announcement, In large black-faced type,
that great reduction is made IN meal
tickets" This, too, is encouraging TO the
man who may have only few dollars lett
and wants TO be sure OF eating regularly.
BY buying a ticket the cost of each article
is brought down TO about cents.
4 CALL reporter thought that lie would
try one Of the cheap meals yesterday, and
did SO. Having spare dime in his pockets
he decided TO make the management think
he was Jay Gould come back to earth by
spending such a magnificent sum on one
meal lie ordered sumo rice and tomato
soup as q starter
This was brought In a clean white bowl
with some bread and butter, and was really
quite good. If il had been served in a
betteT-class restaurant II would have been
received with relish, but the thought of lis
only costing half nickel was enough to
condemn il.
Rare roast beef was the next course, and
to finish up The CALL man decided to take
his life in his hands and try some pie.
Now, pie is something that most people,
especially those who are accustomed to
eating in public places, are wary Of There
have been so many newspaper jokes about
pies of all kinds that at last the world has
become almost as umid about approaching
a piece as 1t would be of eating a dynamite
cartridge. Therefore this particular piece
OF cranberry pie was well inspected before
being tried.
Cranberry" was ordered because there
Is no top crust, and, as Bill Nye would say,
its works are open as the day. One can
never tell what is hidden beneath the TOP
crust of dOuble-cased pie.
But this was good; as good as any pie
that could be bought There was not much
Of it, TO be sure, but that is one Of the ways
that restaurant people have of making Gus
toners want more. The check should have
been 10 cents, but either the waiter made a
mistake or he thought that there could nat
be so much money in newspaper mans
pocket at one time, for he made reduction
VI ~ cents and only gave a Z a-cent check
TINS was embarrassing, for pennies have
not yet been Introduced on this side of
the country, much less half-pennies. But
all that was arranged by the cashier, who
took the dime, and instead oil any change
gave check good for "a cents al future
time.
The proprietor, when asked IL he could
make money st such small prices. said:
'Of course there is not a fortune in res
taurant like this. but make enough to pay
me for running it. l do a large business,
for there are many men in the city who can
not afford to pay more than cents for a
meal, and then beside. l give no credit,
and so have No bad outstanding debts.
Il used to have another place like this
one, on the water front, but rented it, as
l could not give enough time to both.
Come in some Sunday and get one of our
special scent dinners"