The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1895-11-29
MEALS FOR CLERKS.
EMPLOYERS o. LARGE PARIS GroRCs
DINE lis TIE Cc!LDlNG.

In First Glass Style, but 1t Pays.
Tho refectorics of the vast depart
ment stores or ''bazaars' of Paris arc
among tho most curious sights of tho
French capital. As soon MS tho Bon
Marcho and tho Louvre-dear to tho
hearts of all American women who
make tho grand tour" and prototypes
of the colossal establishments in New
York and adjacent cities-began to as
sumo great importance their projectors
were confronted with tho question,
"How shall we organize tho meal
times of these thousands of men and
women?''
In Franco "lunch," as understood in
America, is unknown. Every person,
gentle and simple, makes of the early
morning repast simply Il "break-fast"
and no more. A bowl of coffee and a
large piece of crisp bread for the work
ingman and woman; tho smoking choc-
olatc in Il Sevrcs cup and tho brooches
which melt i'll the mouth for the mil
lionaire-thOsc are the only distinctions.
For many generations the French have
recognized that it is unhealthy to take
Il hearty meal ut 6, I or S in the morn
ing. So they wait until IL or 12, and
millions wait until / O'Clock before tast-
ing the first substantial meal of the day.
Dinner, Il second meal of two or three
courses, and i'll 10 wise resembling the
light repast which Americans know as
supper" comes ut I, s or even 9, ac-
cording to the circumstances of the per
son. C~oDciorGes, Ur house porters, gen
orally dino at 3, winter md summer,
;ind sit over their meal an hour or two,
chatting and laughing. At that late
hour the whole family is united, and its
little affairs arc discussed and settled.
With the organization of the '~'bazaar''
came the need of keeping u constant out
look over the hundreds Of young men
and women in each department, and
economizing each moment of their time
between the opening hours and the let
ting down of the great iron shutters be-
fore the immense windows at 6 D.. m.
precisely. 1t was with a view of this
watch over the employees, rather than
because of any philanthropic tenden-
cies, that the owners and of
the largest 'bazaars" decided to make
it obligatory for all employees to take
their meals at noon and night upon the
premises.
Tho bazaar proprietor said, eve
must do this, rs we do everything else,
with an eye to the advertisement" And
so they decided to install their refecto-
ries very handsomely and to feed their
employees we'll. The idea has paid from
the start.
At the Bon Marche spacious and very
handsome halls on the fourth story of
the cditice are devoted to tho
restaurant for the employees. Twelve
Thousand meals are served daily be-
tween | and 6 O'Clock. Men and WON
ell eat il separate halls, and arc served
with tho same politeness md attention
that they would receive in restaurants
or ut "lnnch counters''-if lunch coun-
ters had ever been inflicted OIL the
French.
At tho Louvre about the same num-
her OF meals arc served, and tho arrange
mcnts are wonderfully complete. Tho
kitchens, with their seductive array of
copper Sauccpans, and tho pautries, with
the thousands upon thousands of plates
and cups, all marked with the trade
mark of tho house-a majestic lion
c%ouchant, with his paws hanging over
the letter "L"-and the little army Of
white capped and aproned cooks, wait
crS, bottle washers II potato peelers,
are well worth Il visit. Nor will tho
visitor get his back chalked. All is con-
Quoted witt, dignity and refinement, as
i'll the house of Il gentleman of fortune.
The caidrons i'll the kitchens are i'm
1npIEn T,n yiSifnr ~ 1oc1- i,to $40
kettle which contains mashed potatoes
for 5000 men, and into another in
which soup for 5000 persons is simmer
ing. Then the bottle department. is
something ~stupcndous. Twelve thousand
half bottles of good wine, guaranteed
unadulterated, are served out daily. The
battalion of bottle washers is busy from
dawn to dusk, fetching up the rosy
liquid Or the ycllowish whito wine i'll
huge pitchers of wood three feet high,
IL then bottling it. Both the Louvre
and the Bon Marche have vino collars
of vast extent for customers as we'll as
employees.
AT tho Louvre there arc three table
services of 700 each for the men. At the
Bon Marchc n larger number can be fed
ut once. Each category Of employees has
ITS special room. The heads of depart
mcnts dine together, and never mix
with tho head clerks of each counter.
II under clerks eat their boiled beef
IL roast chicken without being trou-
bled by tho presence of their chiefs.
Then the humber ones, tho packers, the
stablcmen, the elevator men, the run
iiers, the sWeepers and lighters, have