The evening times., 1895-11-19
AID now A BLoOMER CAFE
San Francisco Wafer Girls in The Costume
Of The New Woman.
The Damseis Are Fair, and Affirm
that Their Attire Is Clean and
Comfortable.

Score another triumph for boomers. In
modest letters the words ~Bloomer Cafe"
at al California street. in San Francisco,
announce the arrival of the pioneer eating
house where the waiter girls are garbed
as the new woman. The innovation is
taking one and is enjoying to the full the
patronage of the men about town as well
as the business men
THIS interesting cafe is situated in the
heart of the busiest district Of the city.
Across the way is the Bank OF California;
alongside is the Merchants exchange:
around the corner OH either hand are whole
sale houses and brokers offices. and the
crush of the hungry at the noon hour is
nowhere as great as in this locality.
Th, novelty has by no means worn off and
an eager knot OF men and boys may be Seen
all day looking in at the door to get a
glimpse of the maidens who are making
history and who are fully alive to the fact
that they are the first OF their Sex 10 work
IN mans own garments. 1t is the charge OF
the biscuit shooter" in earnest.
If you have any doubt as to whether
the attraction is bloomers or the bill of
fare just watch the look OF expectancy on
the face of the visitor The smile is all
ready as he enters and broadens as the
bifurcated maiden modestly approaches
to take his order.
He is all attention TO the beautiful ap-
partition and III he IS a susceptible young
man he is apt to forget that he has come
there to eat until he is prompted by the
young woman. AS rule the bloomered
waiter girls are well worth any mans
observation The girls long ago lost the
last vestige of stage fright attendant on
their debut in this new rolc and now re-
gard their boomers and leggings solely from
the business standpoint.
The costume worn by the young women is
practically uniform. 1t consists OF rather
full blconiers. plated from the waistband
and falling below the knee. The shirt
waists range from pink to green, with
collars of varying degrees of height and
width.
A short zouave Jacket is worn with the
waist. The boomers are dra VII up to just
below the knee, where they fall over
black leggings, also fun The material
is blue serge and the effect is that OF the reg
ulation bicycle boomers.
II is with a conscious look that the bloom
cred young woman comes 10 take an orter.
There is a playful lcok in the corner of her
eye and of hard ard fast resolution in the
tightly drawn corner of the mnuth.
Perhaps this is due to ineXperience. for
there are very few waiter girls in San
Francisco. That portion OF the service
so much given 10 women in the East is tere
relegated to the men. So the bloomer p:on-
ecrs are at n disadvantage at two points.
"Do like it?' said ere of the blocmcr
girls. ''Well. yes. on the whole. You see,
there are as many advantages as there are
disadvantages. OF course. there are any
number of men who come in here to guy
u.s. but they have not made it unpleasant
for me yet. The costume is away ahead
of n skirt to work in. II is awfully handy
TO have no skirts tn catch On tie tables or
doors or TO drag about. In that way it
beats anything ever 81 ". never lad any
experience with the bloomers before I
came here, either. l never Ioce a wheel.
"If the old men and boys wonl1 just let
us alone it would be all right. The men
come in, sit down. and while they look over
the bill of fare they get funny and want Ia
know how we lik, it as far as we have got
Thcr the small hovs pcap in at tl,e door ard
make remarks blt they Will learn in time
Its the greatest success I have ever
seen. said Manager Delnay. Il have had
To enlarge my force now by hiring another
girl and two men. The people come in
droves, and the cleanliness OF the Costume
ut nnCe impresses itself on the girls them |
selves
II had lots OF trorble to get them to |
PIT on the b,uomers nj first because they |
did not know ANYTHING abort them. ap-
piled to an cnpinvmen. office for the wait |
reSses and the first lot world not wear |
blovners for the job. / don't see why it /
sha-Id he So. either. for n woman who rides |
a wheel in the park on Sunday is mure on |
vie ~ than waiter girl. lam now thinking |
I will have to 'ook for more new women if |
my trade keeps on growing"