The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1897-02-20
MACHINE LUNCHES.
THE GERMAN AUTOMATIC DISPENSER
OF QUICK REPASTS.


world how 'quick lunches" may be
served without employing walters and
how hungry person may have Just
what he wants to eat and drink at
fixed price without paying an extra tip
and without feeling himself called
upon, no matter how particular he may
be, to find fault with the service unless
he is satisfied to make his complaint TO
II mechanical continuance, which differs
from some walters in so far that it
makes no pretense of caring IA rap CT
the turn Of handle how uncomfortable
or how badly served the hungry one
may be. The contrivance, which has
been perfected by the Quisicana compa-
ny of Berlin is so perfectly arranged
that even those people who object to
the manner of washing the cups and
plates in the ordinary quick lurch
places are deprived of their cause Tor
complaint because every customer may
supervise the cleaning of the cup which
he will use, and if he is so inclined may
attend to the duty himself.
The quick lunch stands are provided
with automatic spraying MOBILES for
cleaning glass and china and insure per-
feet cleanliness. No rubber tubing is
used to conduct liquids, silver tubes be-
ing employed for the purpose. The serv-
ice is run by clockwork.
III place OF the ordinary counter there
are sets of ornamental cabinets ranged
along one side of the room, which have
Il shelf projecting at convenient
height, upon which glasses and cups are
| placed. Above these there are faucets
and ii number of slots to receive the
coin. When the customer has decided
what sort of a drink he wants-coffcc,
tea chocolate or beef tea-hc drops the
coin in the slot and receives the regula-
| ton quantity. The cold drinks-lemon-
AIDE, soda water and all sorts of soft
drinks'-are kept i'll glass vessels and
the hot drinks in nickel tanks surround
ed by q hot water bath, which is heated
by gas.
But the establishment is not limited
to drinks, and the hungry man may
also be served. Sandwiches and cakes
are kept in u glass stand, circular in
shape, which is covered with Il glass
bell. Each bell contains about dozen
sandwiches, and the purchaser indicates
his choice by dropping his coin into the
slot opposite the kind he wants, and the
stand rcvolyCs sufficiently to bring his
sandwich to an opening where he may
take it ont. Stands similarly arranged
provide hct beef, chicken and other
meats.
The quick lunch is nothing new i'll
Germany, though, as any person will
know who has made railroad trip he
tween Berlin and Copenhagen by way
of Warncniundc. \ man who made tie
trip several years ago said:
eve were coming back FROM Den
mark ana stopped at " little place or
| the Germi.:' frontier at about loon.
Everybody was hungry, ard the Ameli-
can contingent was disappointed when
| the cUnGu"tnr ghNa,ed, 'pUuf ln.N@,"rI
aufcnthGlt. We l,n'W that five minutes
would not give Us time iDr Il meal, and
we lost no time i'll leaving the coach as
soon as it Was unlocked. Everybody
rushed pcllmcll into the restaurant
where IL lot Of wire things that locked
like old fashioned rattraps were piled
up. Everybody grabbed trap, paid
about 25 cents for it and rushed back to
the train.
''What looked like a trap was really
an ingeniously contrived lunch basket
having three compartments. In one was
an ample portion of chicken; the next
contained sandwiches, and the third IL
dainty piece Of pastry and small bot
tie of wine, over which little drink
ing glass was fastened. Little salt and
pepper shakers and knife and fork
were fastened to the sides, and the
whole was covered with II japanese pa
per napkin. The fact that we were all
hungry and that the whole arrangement
was unexpected may have had some
thing to do with our enjoyment of the
luncheon, but it was agreed that it was
the most perfect CT the quick kind we
had ever seen. The bottom of the wire
lunch basket was covered with piece
of glass, and Il paper beneath it bore the
request i'll German, French and English
to leave the empty basket with the train
hand. -
Managers of quick lunch places say
that the automatic restaurant would
not be patronizcd sufficiently to make it
pay in New York.
'The main object of the automatic
arrangement, said one, sis to do away
with walters and save the outlay on
that account. We have accomplished
that end by making every man his own
waiter, and | believe that breakage in
machines, falling off in trade and coun-
terfeit coins would make change from
cur present system to the automatic an
expensive experiment. As to the quick
lunches for travellers on railway trains,
much can be done, and 10 one knows
that better than the traveller who is
compelled to make meal of what he
San buy from the dealer in pies, apples
and sandwiches who hawks his wares
through the cars. The buffet and the
dining cars have reduced his field of
operation, but he is still in business,
selling the same old sandwiches to the
people who cannot afford to ride in
drawing room cars, and to them the
quick lunch on the plan of those which
they have in some parts of Europe would
be a blessing. New York Tribune