The times., 1899-09-03
WOMEN AND RESTAURANTS.
Should They or should They Not Pa.
tronize Them.

An English paper has been agitating
the question as to whether 1t is proper for
women TO patronize public restaurants
over here such question would be scout
ed. for, in the large cities fully half the
patrons of restaurants are women. The
question on this side of the water is not
so much question of propriety as one OF
convenience; for even those restaurants
which are nearly altogether dependent on
the patronage of women make few con-
cessions TO their preferences.
The restaurant question is not one
which interests alone the business or pro-
fessional women forced to live in board
ing house. but the woman of leisure who
goes shopping or who is sometimes COM
PEELED TO spend a few days in strange
city unattended and unchaperoned, is also
deeply concerned.
What women like in a restaurant are
clean and quiet surroundings: no fussy
mattresses or naughty. shrill voiced
Jeans and Pierres insolently demanding
a fee. The restaurant of the future
which will be popular with women, will
pay the walters an adequate salary and
make il a rule of the establishment that
no fees shall be accepted. says the Buff
:alo Times"
card stating this rule can be placed
on the printed menu to notify guests of
/ the fact The walters, whether men or
women, will be respectful and attentive;
/ the only reason why women prefer male
/ 10 female Mattresses is the fact that when
a woman is inclined to be insolent TO a
woman. she has thousand and one ways
of making herself disagreeable that
would never occur to the masculine mind
The restaurant where the mattresses wear
neat white caps and pretty white aprons
is admired and patronfZed by women be-
| cause its mattresses are as rule, sensi-
bic women who attend TO business; the
naughty or the fighty waitress is too ele-
! CANT to work in a shop that requires them
| ia wear a uniform. Besides, the neat an l
| natty appearance of the attendants adds
| to the picture.
AS women understand the culinary art
| better than men. IL is wonder that more
women do not go into the restaurant busi-
ness.
A few years ago on a side street rear
| Union Square. New York, some young wo-
men. sisters. opened a small restaurant
1 and made a great success of it. They were
1 highly educated and of good family and
/ being thrown practically on their own re-
| sources. had adopted this means of earn
ings living rather than taking up teach
ing or writing or lecturing. at any one oi
which they could have succeeded. The
| restaurant soon became celebrated in the
| neighborhood for its marvellous bread
baked beans, coffee. tea. and juicy steaks
| II was patronized by the well-to-do busi-
ness people in the vicinity who Mere able
TO pay the rather high prices which were
4 charged. After Ii became known, the res
taurant. although occupying small quar-
ters. cleared ut the rate of $50 to 800 a
day. more than the combined earnings OF
/ the sisters would have been in any other
occupation into which they could have en-
barked without experience. They gave uT
the venture after having acquired enough
capital to embark in what seemed a more
! promising field of work which was a little
4 more congeniai.