Evening journal., 1897-02-16
MACHINE LUNCHES.
THE GERMAN AUTOMATIC DISPENSER
or QUICK REPAsTS.

Ooou iluhch Dhotct ecncine A+cO On
German Railways.
Germany is showing the rest Of tho
world how quick lunches" may be
served without employing walters and
how a hungry person may have just
what he wants to eat and drink at a
fixed price without paying an extra tip
and without feeling himself called
upon, no matter how particular he may
De, TO find fault with the service unless
he is satisfied TO make his complaint TO
a mechanical contriyance which differs
from somc walters in so far that it
makes no pretense Of caring rap or
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 lunch
places are deprived of their cause for
complaint because every customer may
supervise the cleaning Of the cup which
he viii use, and if he is so inclined may
attend TO the duty himself.
The quick lunch stands are provided
with automatic spraying nozzles 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.
In place of the ordinary counter there
are sets of ornamental cabinets ranged
along one side of the room, which have
a shelf projecting at a convenient
height, upon which glasses and cups are
placed Above these there are faucets
and number of slots TO receive the
coin When the customer has decided
what sort Of drink he wants-coffoe,
tea, chocolate or beef tea-he drops the
coin in the slot and receives the regula-
tion quantity. The cold drinks-lemon-
ade soda water and all sorts of ''soft
drinks kept in glass vessels and
the hot drinks in nickel tanks surround
ed by 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 a glass stand, circular in
shape, which is covered with a 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 revolvcs sufficiently TO bring his
sandwich to an opening where he may
take it out. Stands similarly arranged
provide hot beef, chicken and other
meats.
The quick lunch is nothing new in
Germany, though, as amy person will
know who has made a railroad trip be
tween Berlin and Copenhagen by way
of Warnemunde. A man who made the
! trip several years ago said:
1--WE were coming back from Den
I mark and stopped at little place oI
} the German frontier at about ICON
: Everybody was hungry, and the Ameri
can contingent was disappointed whei
the conductor shouted, 'Fuuf minutCi
aufonthalt. We knew that I've minute.
( would not give rs time for a meal, anC
{ we lost no time in leaving the coach as
soon as it was unlocked. Everybody
) rushed pellmen into the restaurant
!. where a lot Of wire things that looked
like old fashioned rattraps were pileC
up. Everybody grabbed a trap, paiC
about 20 cents for it and rushed back t'
the train
| "What looked like a trap was really
an ingeniously contrived lunch baske
} having three compartments. In one wa
. an ample portion Of chicken; the mex
4 | ,,,,,,t.,s,,.-l c,.,l.rs,los .r1 fho fbi,d .
dainty piece of pastry and small bot
: tie of wine, over which a little drink
, ing glass was fastened Little salt an,
4 pepper shakers and knife and forl
d were fastened 10 the sides, and th'
p whole was covered with a Japanese pa
r per napkin. The fact that we were al
hungry and that the whole arrmgemen
was unexpected may have had some
. thing to do with our enjoyment Of tn
D luncheon, but it was agreed that il WA
i tho most perfect Of the quick kind W
Is had ever seen. The bottom Of the wir
4 lunch basket was covered with q piec
!. of glass and paper beneath it bore tn
! request in German, French and Englisl
4 to leave the empty basket with the train
II hand -
r. Ma-ays, Of quick lunch places So
/, that iac automatic restaurant woul
> not ba patimized sufficiently to make
pay in New York
"The main object of the automati
arrangement " said one, "is to do awa
a with walters and save the outlay O
, that account. We have accomplishe
IF that end by making every man his ow
Is waiter, and l believe that brealxage i
N machines, falling Off in trade and cour
l terfcit coins would make a change fror
q cur present system to the automatic "A
!, expensive experiment. As 10 the quic
y lunches for travellers ON railway trains
much can be done, and no one know
that better than the traveller who
rompclled TO make a meal Of what h
+ ian buy from the dealer in pies. apple
n and sandwiches who hawks his ware
!, through the cars. Tho buffet and tf
y dining cars have reduced his field {
= operation. but he is still in business