The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-06-28
BEHIND THE SCENES
AT THE WALDORF
INTER EsTING STUDIES OF HUMAN
NATURE BELOW STAIRS.
What Celebrities Eat-Yamagata
Took Quantities of Mineral Water
Lillian RusseIPs Appetite-How
to Dine Cheapiy.

One of the checkers who recently
left the Waldorf was overheard at
restaurant telling his experience to
fellow waiter. His pay was $40
month, besides meals, of which the
only appetizing things, ne SAID, were
the roast beef and ice cream.
Il used to punch the time-clock in
the helps entrance at the rear OF the
basement" he continued. 1T runs be-
tween piles of garbage cans that
breathe an odor of sickening microbes.
Some days 1 would have long hours, or
watches, and alternate days I would
have considerable time to myself. l
was placed at one of the four tables
standing in a row, and was told to
mark on the prices with the set of
dies in a box on the left hand side of
the table. Every time a waiter came
along 1 had to stamp the price of the
articles he was serving both ON his
card and on sheet of paper ON my
table.
"As the dies were on a red-inked
pad my fingers soon had the appear
ance OF a West Side butchers, and on
the first day 1 started into the store
room, just back of the checkers pen,
to scour them. But they told me that
was sacred ground. 1t is presided over
by six pretty maids, in white ruff1ed
caps, to whom the checkers are not
allowed to speak on the penalty of be-
ing discharged. Only a wire screen
separates the two places. These de-
partments of the kitchen are situated
in the east end, near the staircases
leading to the different dining-rooms.
and are not far from the broiler so
that the heat there is always intense,
especially on warm days
THE entire basement is finished in
white enameled bricks, with a flooring
of white tiles. They hold the heat
when once the place is warm.
YAMATAGA's s35 DINNER.
81 stamped the prices at reckless
speed when the walters told me the
amounts. and L would toss back their
books with a VOLTA which made them
think I knew all about what I was
doing. Whenever they jabberadi to me
in French 1 would answer bon like
the rest of the checkers, having no
ticed that the bon always made them
good naturad.
During the stay of the field mar
shall of Japan, who occupied the state
suite and who had all of his meals in
his apartments L checked food sent
to rooms He ate and drank quite roy
ally. Ills urSI meal was dinner, 10
which he had three guests, and the
four disposed of S35 worth of food
The dinner was rather modest, too. He
ordered but one quart and a half of
wine for the party, but made up the
deficiency with mineral water, ordering
nine quarts for the repast! The mar
quis' breakfast next morning was more
simple, his bill for that meal being a
little less than 81, including another
supply of mineral water.
Two days later 1 was placed in the
pantry upstairs, off from the Garden
restaurant. All had to do there was
to give out duplicate checks for wine,
and make additions, and between
times 1 had ample opportunity of
studying the guests. Only transients
in the hotel and town people frequent
this restaurant. The families and
older people patronize the ladies res
taurant' ON the Fifth avenue side of
the house. John Drew often takes his
dinners in the Garden on Sundays, and
occasionally his suppers, after the
theatre, during the week. Lillian Rus
sell often drops in for lunch, the petite
blonde who usually accompanies her
and another woman generally making
up her party. One day her luncheon
bill was s16.35 and the only wine or
dered was a pint of Yellow Label