The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-06-18
IMPA7IENT WALTERS FILL BE LOSERS
II They Force Restaurant Keepers to Charge
for Service In Their bills to Customers.

for Service In Their Hills to Customers,
In their proposed demand that the restaurant
keepers OF New York should add ten per cent
to the bills OF their customers to be paid to the
walters, the New York walters are following
in the steps OF the old European custom. Not
only the restaurants but the hotels Il broad put
in charge for service which had its origin in
the discomfort of tho walters with their pay
There was an increase i'll the price to tho
patrons by an addition to pay the walters. Be-
fore insisting on any such demand in New York
the walters should learn from the members of
their organization who wore walters abroad
what the result OF putting that item in tho
charges has been. Travellers on the Continent
have come to recognize this charge as ccr-
tain as tho charge for food or lodging. The
walters do not get a cent Of it. 1t al goes to
the proprietors to whom 1t Is paid. Neither Is
it diminishing tho fee system. except by
lessening the amount OF fees. A man is moro
likely to give n liberal fee II he docs not SEQ
before him in the list OF charges along with
the items OF soup. fish, and 80 on an ad-
ditional item for service.
Americans who fec at all give moro liberal
fees than Europeans. That Is true rs well in
Europe as in American cities. Throughout
great part of tho United States the fee custom
is not practiscd at all. In most of the cities
though it is prevalent and in New York city
II Is almost UNIVERSAL IL Is uthno"n on'S IN
the restaurants "here 'he Ma''eis Ge' p'sser
wages than 'ho patrons sueh as 'ne coHee "hu
cake saloons IN ho iaFh row p"sehehls'
Bcefsteak Johns. and like places.
Inc wages OF the waters are hNeu pY the
law OF supply ana demand IN the same man.
ner that inc pay OF any other man VINO WORKS
Is nxed by competition oet"een 'he employ
ore on ono hand and the en- ployed on the
other. what the WATERS are Trying 10 90 Is TO
reduce the NUMBER OF 'helr hours o. lhoor ana
to increase their pay. About nine-tenths OF
the mon of the United States arc trying to DO
go; - .,; T. -, ,t,,, ,r
'h's very saho '"'hs' ~ ''''Nes ,'','' u'''cr-
ence to tho waters in the amount they make
whether they arc paid by the propretors or by
49, ana,anrs r,,,is 10 snuathira tho, ,Is
inc c"stoherS' ihis IN sonie'"'''e 'nht lhe
walters arc waking UP to. They showed it in
..e y. 49, ,,,.,, w. .o
rasteu beelsteak '"hh "aees WITH NOSE pa"
by Delmonico. Beefstenk John paid higher
pr,cas INF tha DaImonico woiters mazda tho
We. Du' 'I.o ,.s ~. .'.o
most money because they received more from
Surprising that the walters persisted in their
,, -. .t,,,I , -. - -. -
oemanu ena. .nss S"oa.a se' zen Der fshs Oh
find that they would get no o,ber wages. Ir
.hn. ~ ~. .n,t ,r.s ,ar., 81, ,,.,th -. 80
theteh per cont was iarEe. 'here "ouiu oe 50
many applicants for their jobs that the course
would he the same in Nav York that it h.s
49, ~ En,aa. ,hat w ~, 49, ." ,I, .,'s
weekly pay would lower. until the walters got
nothing more than the charge on the bill for
Int. III, .h -o,i,a. ,,I1 .ti
service. mon 'he p.optie'orS "ou'u st'pu
late with new walters to pay them eight OF tho
A. - sona.ntts j., pnr,s t,a ,,,i,,ns,.o,,i,
as w solho s''.s Al ni.e' '"e M"i.els "puln
have to pay for the privilege of working there
and collecting fees from tho customers
MI, 90, - a;,i,r, o,J .ho -. -, .a-,,,
me ART Oh aihihs ana inc ART Oh serving
dinner have been studied great many moro
reached abroad a higher deGres OF evolution.
the same lines that nre now appearing in New
York. The waiter who serves the dinner has
away plates; there is another unIerling who
makes a speciality OF setting the table: the
man who brings the coffee. the man who
he 1nHG ss are @ the Waiter WEa
has charge of seeing TINT the food is served.
Where the work hGS cen SO highiy specaize4
for Thus tho man who brings the drinks to
the customers who sit around tables and only
his Job than tho man who brings the liIueurs
after dinner to the men who have dined and
oe was soud lire so nee no.
litical economist who has travelled abroad.
and SO can illustrate economic maxims by the
should have him instruct them in order that
they may know what the ultimate result. Of
their demands will he il they are successful.
Their desire for nor" pay and less work Will
always continue. hut political economist
could suggest TO them how % goahead so that
they will not defeat their purpose.
The people who are most aud most unrcaSon-
ably. neglected ana left ont IF consideration in
this matter are the ruitOmcrS. There are doubt
less some propret"rs Of restaurants and hotels
who think that if they would put an additional
ten per cent. on tho bill for service it would
come ont Of the customer and only slightly
affect them. An experiment would probably
show that after the first few weeks, II the res
taurant were il Ii carte. the gross receipts would
lie no larger than they wcrc before. Every pro-
prict0r now is making as much money as he
knows how to make, II he knew of any way Of
charging more, and thought he could get his
customers to pay ii for his food and liquors he
would do it. It is on the same plan that some
restaurant men in New York charge extra for
bread and butter on the other side number
Of restaurants do not charge extra for dishes
like rldishes and olives, and. after dinner coffee
is often given away.
In France tho bin Of faro Is moro tomiZel,
An additional pat of butter is extra; an addi-
ti0nai roll is extra, more than a minimum of
Jumps Of sugar is extra. cream is extra. every.
thing is an item hy itself but the total charges
for Il dinner in Paris arc not higher than here.
although the cost of most raw food is greater i'm
"a IA MT