The Van Buren press., 1898-05-21
SILENCE RESTAURANT.
unique Chicago Concern Where Or
ders for Food Are Given
by Signal.

dium-boied eggs, and when he had done
SO he ducled instinctively that the
walters voice might pass over his head;
but it didn't.
The waiter snapped his fingers vig-
orously, looked across the room and
then raised his right hand with the
thumb and forefnger held to form a
circle and the other three fingers in the
air. Then he turned to an urn to
draw the coffee quietly and in good or
der.
Amt you going to order my eggse'
he asked, fearfully.
Eggs is ordered, sah-got 'em on
the fire now" said the waiter.
"How is that?" asked the customer,
suspiciously.
81 ordered 'em as soon as you gave
me the ORDER" said the waiter. "All l
got to do is just that" and again he
made the eabalistie sign with his
thumb and forefinger above his head.
The little man was almost overcome
by surprise. AT last he had found the
place he so long had sought, where he
could eat in quietness. When he had
finished the eggs and coffee he sought
out the manager of the house and said:
81 want to buy a ticket to eat here
the rest of my life. And l want to find
out some things about this system of
yours" The manager took him aside
and told him the secrets of the queer
messages which passed from waiter to
IRaaIy 10 ho lyifahar,
The distance is too great fora waiter to
walk back and transmit every order to
the cooks and then return to his GUS
toner. Years ago two walters who
should go down to fame for their serv-
ice to dyspeptic and unhappy mankind
devised a system of signals for all the
articles on the bill of fare. At first the
system was quite simple and the signs
were few, calling only for the principal
things on the card, but it has grown
with time until now there are over $50
articles of food which can be ordered
by waves and motions of the hand. No
other restaurant in the country has a
system like it.
A head waiter or his assistant stands
in the center of the floor during the
rush hours and keeps an eye on the
walters behind the long counters, sur
rounded by ''stool climbers" if a GUS
toner orders roast beef medium the
waiter snaps his fingers to attract the
attention of the head waiter. Then he
makes a cut across his left hand with
his right and sticks up his right thumb.
Instantly the head waiter repeats the
signal to man in the back room, who
transmits it to the cook, and the roast
beef is being prepared before the waiter
who took the order could have gone five
feet toward the kitchen, and there is no
noise or fuss about it. If a small steak
is ordered the waiter holds his right
hand atthe height of his head, palm out,
fingers Joined. If it is to be medium he
clenches his hand quickly and let's his
thumb project. If the customer wants
1t well done the open hand sign is fol-
lowed by two quick blows of the right
fist on the left palm.
The eye Of the interpreter must be
quick to catch the changes in the signs
for a certain move of the hand following
another means something entirely diff
ferent from what a certain move means
If originally displayed If an oyster
stew is called for, instead of shouting
"stew one" in strident tones, as is the
custom in many restaurants of the
lower price variety, the waiter snaps
his fingers, and when he has caught the
eye of the interpreter he extends his
left arm with his fist closed and the
thumb in the air. If the order is half
a dozen fried oysters the right hand is
thrust out with the fingers spread far
apart. For ham and eggs the waiter
places his right palm against his cheek,
that being the signal for fried ham, and
then extends his arm with the palm of
the hand up and the fingers closed,
which means fried eggs.
Some of the signals are continuous
motions, indicative of some process
| through which the food must pass.
| Thus, an order for corned beef hash is
transmitted by shaking motion of
both hands backward and forward, in
| dicating how well shaken the ingredi-
ents of hehash are before being served.
For baked beans the waiter holds up
his right hand and beckons rapidly with
his closed four fingers. For liver and
bacon the waiter scrapes his right index
| finger with the forefinger of his left
hand, showing how the bacon is sliced,
and then places a forefnger over his
side about where be thinks his liver is
located. Pork sausage, too, is signal
easily discernible. The waiter links his
two fingers together, indicating the
links of sausage Chicago Tribune.