The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-04-09
RUNS AWAY FROM CUSTOMERS.
One Secret of Success of a Man Who Keeps
n Little French Restanrnnt.

Am l French? Certainly not but ! tell YOU
so in confidence. ! was born down in the I'D
Ninth ward. and I picked up enough Of the
lingo to pass for French when / began as dish
washer for De 1.iGne in his little restaurant in
Canal street. II | did not pass for a French-
man / would lose all my customers"
From his appearance and his accent ono
might easily suppose that Pascal was French.
AS he sat down at the table late in the evening,
after the crowd Of table d'h6te guests had paid
their bills and left. he yielded to an invitation
to have something. and from force OF habit
took cognac.
There are tricks in all trades. and we who
run French restaurants are no freer from them
than other people. Madame. my wife. who
takes the money. is French. and 1t was n lucky
day for mo when | married her. 1t sometimes
happens that men who were boys with me in
the old Ninth come to my restaurant. but they
never recognize in Pascal with the pointed
beard and the big mustaches Feetsev O'Bricn.
who used to play with them. / learned my
business Of De LiGne. | saw that many peopis
came there because he was French. and ! made
up my mind that il l were going to keep
restaurant | must be French. saved my tips
as a waiter. and when ! had enough in the
bank / hired n little restaurant on Bleecker
street. 1t was small and very French. Then I
married Madame. Her father was n cook. I
thought l knew all about the table dh6te bust.
ness. but | was Just learning. ! had no Gus
toners from uptown. only my neiGhbors.
One night four young men came to my
place and | gave them n good dinner. with het-
ter wine than ! usually serve. ! thought to
myself that perhaps II | can please them they
will come back, for ! saw that they were stran.
gers to the neighborhood. They did come
back and they brought friends with them.
They were members OF the hest-known
stock pOmpanv than MIA vino In Non, No.l,
and since that time two OF them have
become stars. They always look me up
when they are in town. They liked my
little, CATS because. It was so French and so
novel. Madame told me about the novel things.
for instance. II any customer wanted an rX-
ira service, Of any dish he might step RICH
into the clean MI" kitchen behind, whore
for himself, | didn't like this idea at frst. but
Madame said that it would make my patrons
! kept the, French papers on fle and ! displayed
the French colorsi You couldn't, persuade one
With the, Grst money that / sav ed" / W Vent IHr to
France with Mahame. and I go, ideas,
! enlarged my place. The regulars who came
from uptown were actors, writer's and artists
most a little club anal saw myself h6uMidiinnsaa
restaurant like pclmonico's. in "A few years,
made impr oven %'f n my pla my o omd nrti%!e.
were written about IT in he newspapers. Those
tbat s". saiG sn"s it Was ,yrry B"hewi2g, md
en- ,weIl-knowu men. -frcquented it. Then I
had more patronsth ! coHld acc%mmodpt"a and
people had 70, wait for tables. Before could
open = new dining room. my old patrons
9 Scw dn to cam 39n ~ md, 9't"r a few weeks. ny
We had now II restaurant too big for us, had
10 Eiye i ~: moved into a small restaurant,
began al over nGnin. had II modest little
sign. and IT. a few months my place began to
Ifr'i .G y, on1 evening !" '"mo " of my old
.h ",HellGc, Pascal, they snil., Why, we heard
~ have sinrtnd again. said "a modest
IIittle place Just like ono my brother runs IN
We'll, don't let it get too big. Pascal. orit
vii be spoiled. they sniG.
.My 6nsimrss grew lnst ns it did in the first
an art Gle in a newspaper about il. and all sorts
iThaii learned iTy cxT"rie :" rI howe s% my 'GGttIITf
enIarGr. my restaurant Not much! When
"a tnat my OH "pston"rs were tong crowded
founl a comfortable little place in Second ave.
, nue. old Thsm ! moved ,hnr" quick onA %notijn'
loved me. had discovered thar ns soon ~
my restaurant became 50 well known that tho
call Bohemian crowds cam" around, they drrv,
~ my real customers and then they de4,r'"u
>" have moved since that time about onco in
tw" years and | always took tor a pl"c" that -
away from customer, that way. ism il, INT
have made it pay IN the end. Look N puprr'.
did. When the big crowd came they enlarged
tntIr restaurants and suddenly they were l"ft
when you ar" making Ia" most money. but IA
me END II pays. MY patrons lIk" aiuuict ilttls
want m" to NOV" That is ono 81 my
trade secrets. md that is why ! have
Kept many Of my patrons for years. shun
publicity as II ] wcr" a thief. instead OF being
an honest man, VIII, gives "A better dinner FOR
~ cents than any O,hcr man in New York.
Don mention my name If you write anything
about mo. and come in again, | like to talk
sometimes without my accent. Yes, Madame,
Bon sOir, Wsiruv."
In Considering the A~dvisRbiIity