The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-03-17

15-cent dining parlor is an important factor
in San Francisco. Nowhere else in the
United States can such complete, ample
and entirely satisfying dinners be secured
for the modest sum of Is cents. And the
strange part of it to the uninitiated is how
the purveyors of these meals manage to
make living profit. Still stranger is the
fact that most of them do thriving bust
ness, own bank accounts, buy real estate
and are prosperous citizens generally.
There are three-cornered meals to be had
for Is cents as well as square meals.
These generally consist of one kind of
meat, potatoes, coffee and bread and but
ter, and are invariably served to order
But the most gratifying and satisfactory
repast Tor the hungry man with a six
hour appetite urging him to action is the
| regular 15-cent breakfast, lunch or dinner.
Laboring men of all classes, and thousands
OF others who are interested in the econo-
mics that must be studied by those who
live bv their daily toll, have been forced
to admit that if poor man cannot live
without going hungry in San Francisco he
is too poor, not only in pocket but in gen.
eral makeup and rustling capacity, to con-
sumo substance and occupy space on any
part of the earth's surface.
W lille it would see m that the15-cent
meal, comp lete in all requirements for
healthy and hungry man or woman, is
cheap enough for the most penurious and
| lmpecunious, there are many more aston
lshlng innovations in the serving of foods
in San Francisco. Competition under the
15-cent limit has of late been driven SO
close and hard that many enterprising
caterers, determined to carry the life of
trade to the farthest possible limit in Sc
curing patronage, have gone SO far as to
establish the 10-cent meal, with which is
served a pint bottle of native wine if the
customer prefers it to coffee, tea or milk
There are in this city number of places
where the regular 50-cent French dinner is
almost duplicated for 10 cents, the princi-
pal difference being in the furnishings and
surroundings of the service. These places
have long list of dishes to choose from.
and for 10 cents the patrons have soup, fish,
pickles, salad, two kinds of meat, two
kinds of vegetables, bread, butter, cheese,
usually roomy, well aired, clean and
well lighted. The tables are generally
covered with white oilcloth, and are kept
clean at all times. The table service, as a
rule in all of the cheap restaurants, is COM
plete, neat and clean.
But it must not be inferred that the
limit of expenditure in the 10-cent and
at a dim or dime and half. All of them,
or nearly all, are prepared to serve meals
cooked to order, and an epicure can spend
dollar as easily as he can ''long Bit if
he feels SO inclined. The cheap restaurant
is by no means patronized exclusively by
poor laborlng men as many suppose.
Merchants, bankers, lawyers, newspaper
reporters, editors, clerks and statesmen and
brokers with fat incomes are not above
slipping into the 15-cent restaurant for
a lunch or dinner. The fact that man
can be as well fed for Is cents. or even
for dime, as he can for quarter or so
cents IS the all important consideration
during these times, and tips the scale in
favor OF the cheapest place without injury
to personal pride or social standing.
-Four well-to-do citizens were yesterday
induced to make an investigation of what
kind of meal could be obtained for Is
cents among the ordinary restaurants of
the city.
l chose for my dining place the New
Vigilant," a restaurant and oy house
at 10S Fourth street / entered and took a
seat next to very hungry hod-carrier.
Directly opposite sat one of the directors of
a well-known corporation. When the
waiter called for my order l told him l
wanted regular 15-cent dinner.
Eyes, sir; have soup?"
l nodded affirmatively. After the SOUP
had been brought l could have fish, two
kinds of meat, two kinds of vegetables,
pudding or pie and coffee, tea or milk.
The dinner which l ordered and which was
well served was as follows:
Vegetable soup, salmon, roast beef,
mashed potatoes, boiled cabbage, sage pud-
ding, bread, butter, pickles and a cup of
excellent coffee.
The table was clean, well supplied with
spices and other condiments napkins and
toothpicks. The dishes which | ordered
were well laden-so well in fact that could
not eat all that was set before me- All of
the food was well prepared and tasteful.
In short, it was complete meal, entirely