The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1900-01-10
LIVE HIGH ON CREDIT
DAINTY DINERS WHO GET COSTLY
MEALS FOR NOTHING.

no" some DIG accounts InRt are
Never Paid Are Run Up Mt the Fash
ionabIe Restaurants That Flourish
! In New York City.
! Legal proceedings recently taken to
recover from well known citizen who
| belongs to the fashionable" class the
amount of a tailor's bill revealed the
fact that the man was poor, had no
money and no means of support and
owed many bills. Besides tailors, shoe
makers and hattcrs he owed money to
florists, jewelers., livery stable keepers,
dealers In theater tickets, shlrtmakers,
stationers and restaurateurs One of
the largest bills against the man was
contracted in the course OF several
years at prominent up town restau
rant.
You must have been hung up for a
great spread" said n patron of the
place to the manager, pointing to the
| item.
Not at ALL" he answered. THAT bill
represents hundreds of charges and has
grown slowly to It's present magnlfi-
cent proportions"
''But how Is 1t done-how do people
run big bills in a restaurant
| "WeN, In the first place, because we
look upon men who come here as gen
tlemen and treat them accordingly. !
don't remember just how the account
In question was opened, but usually 1t
is done In this way: Some day, after
man receives his check, he scrawls his
name across Its face and tells the wait
err IN pay this tomorrow; It's all
right and then If the person In charge
ut the desk marks 1t %. X the check Is
hung up and an account Is opened
with the man.
"In most instances the man comes
back, as he said he would. the next
+ day and settles his little bill and
9 thanks us for accommodating him. If,
however, the man intends to work the
house, he does not corlr back the next
day and settle, but Wallis three or four
days Then he drops In and orders
modest luncheon or n not elaborate
dinner and scribbles his name across
the check, gives the waiter a tip, and
the new account receives its first al
dition.
| Little by little the account grows,
5 but never by any really large charge,
; and when ut last the man has n little
| dinner party with n big appetite the
check IS liable To he % K,'d because
the account Is already SO large that 1t
would be poor policy to turn 1t down.
"Whcn the account has grown so
large that we think ii should have at
tentlon. we give the head waiter a
tip, and without telling the man in SO
many words he is given to understand
that cash would be preferred to an
autograph Sometimes the man takes
the hint and makes n payment or asks
for more time and tells us that he viii
pay as he goes, and he remains n Gus
toner without increasing his account,
but generally he leaves us and goes
to some other place aud complains
about poor service here and In other
ways tries to injure our business be-
cause he can't have what he wants to
cat and drink for nothing. His account
.e.n"tsss vi,~,.. anu ,,t,vn N nevvaIvs,
outlawed we put 1t on the list which
bears many good names. but we never
dun the man"
To show how anxious some people
are to have it known that they are
5 wen acquainted In the fashionable
restaurants the following story was
told:
Some months ago man came here
early In the day and said that he would
have little party of friends to supper
with him after the theater that even
ing and ordered what he wanted His
order showed that he was unaccustom-
ed TO the part, but 1t is our business TO
fill orders, and we said that his supper
would be served all right. Then he
laid down sum of money, more than
enough to pay the bin, and said This
Will save me the trouble this evening"
and went away. The supper passed
off nicely, the mans friends from the
country or the county part of the city
seemed to enjoy their spree, and finally
the host asked for his check, looked at
1t and then said grandly and loud
enough for all to hear, Charge it, The
! supper was grand affair In the eyes
of the guests, but the climax-tho order
to charge it'-ovcrwhelmcd them, and
, l dare say the man accomplished his
object. which was evidently TO make
himself solid with his guests New
York Tribune.