The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-06-01
THE QUICK LUNCH.
What Is Eaten Most and Some PecuI-
iarities of the Lunchers.
Springfield Republican.

Springfield Republican.
Speaking for some of the whimsicalities
or an average patronage of LOCO people a
day, Burton White shows an accuracy of
observation which in the last seven or eight
years marks the taste of the average Chi
cagoan who eats luncheon downtown. In
the beginning, 90 per cent. of the custom
of the modern luncheon place downtown
Is regular to the extent of coming two or
three times week to the place. Forty
per cent. may be daily customers, virtually
eating nowhere else. And yet a rainy, bad
day will shut out 20 per cent of the res
taurant's custom, indicating that people
on such days either give up eating or stop
at some restaurant nearer their places of
business.
AS to the things that a thousand people
eat at midday, everything depends on the
season and on the conditions of the atmos-
phere Yet the average of the quick-meal
luncheon in the table-and-napkn houses in
Chicago is 20 cents. Two or three tickets
out of 1000 may be for cents each; 200
may be for 10 cents each; there will be
more 20-cent luncheons than 25-cent ones.
and more for Is cents than for 80 cents; but
the average the year through, in all tenn
peratureS and seasons, Is not mills off
from 20 cents. That is for the quick-meal
service OF the better class, into which IS
per cent. of the customers come in alone
In the luncheon houses of first class and
yet not of the highest excellence, custom
erS come in by twoS and fours, and the
average luncheon costs about 40 cents. In
the quick-meal service an average of fif-
teen minutes of time is taken; in the other,
perhaps forty minutes is the average. Res
taurants, having the MONDAY rest" par
lorS, have affected the downtown luncheon
places in that the increase of women Gus
toners has not kept pace with the in
creased number of men.
AS between the man customer and the
woman customer of the quick-meal place
men generally tend more to meat dishes;
beyond this there is little to notice in their
dietary In the winter season, spring and
fall 500 out of each 1000 customers will
drink coffee for luncheon, with falling off
of one-third in coffee drinking in the hot
weather. AS to the bevera ges for the other
500. one-half of them drink milk and cereal
drinks, one-fourth of them drink cocoa-hot
in winter and cold in summer-and the rest
drink water or nothing. The 100 persons in
the thousand who break away from coffee
in hot weather drink iced tea in its place.
Hot tea as a beverage at MONDAY is scarce
ly tangible in quantity.
Within two or three years the carbon
lied soft drinks, introduced more or less
unSuccesstully a number of years ago, have
been coming into public favor. The preju-
dice against them that first existed gradual
ly is giving way, and these bottles now are
opened with pop that no longer Startles
the person who has ordered it. Beyond
any question pie eating is holding its own
as a luncheon dish. In its season the mince
pie is popular as il ever was; also in its
season the pumpkin pie is second to none.
Beyond these all pies of all kinds continue
popular With or without cheese, and al
the same time buildings are more in de-
mand than ever they were before. Sew
eral reasons are given for the growing
popularity of the pudding. Time was when
the slow process of stoning raisins by hand
either kept raisins out Of buildings or
caused them TO be put in seeds and all.
Machine seeding has made the raisin avail
able now, and it is one of the greatest ad-
juncts to a good pudding.
The increase in pudding making cereal
foods has made the work far easier than
it was ten years ago, and at the same time
these foods flavor and n
digestion TO the pudding. The stationary
place of the pie and the increase in pud-
dings consumed show that the dessert
luncheons are growing in popularity. Moth
ing is more noticeable in the downtown
luncheon place than is the increased de-
mand for good bread Of many varieties.
Thirteen varieties Of bread and rolls served
! in one of these houses are an indication OF
the demand In cold weather especially
corn bread is popular baked in great deep
pans or fried as griddle cakes.