Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-07-28
COSTS MORE TO LIVE
Restaurant Keepers Generally
Advance Prices.
BREADSTUFFS DEARER
Sailed MEATS ARE HIGHER
THAN EVER BEFORE.
Said That Lard Will Cost $12 Hun
dred by the Ton Within
Week.


Ham and -"
White Wings
Two over!'
Who of the thousands of patrons of lunch
rooms in Washington has not heard the
peculiar vernacular of the waiter as he
yells, with stentorian voice, to the cook
sweltering in the kitchen? Who of the
common herd has not marveled at the
terms used, yet always finding that his
order was understood?
The man or woman who is dependen MT
upon the downtown caravansaries for his
or her monday lunch, or perchance is COM
PEELED to live at cafes and restaurants is
paying more for his living today than Tor
years
Necessary to Charge More.
Restaurateurs who are careful to give
their customers the best of everything that
the market affords have found themselves
In a position that makes it necessary to
charge more for many of the articles serv
ed, if a profit is to be derived from the
business
A few months ago the price of beef went
soaring and the poorer families of the city
were compelled to eliminate 1t to a con-
siderable extent from their tables. What
had always been considered a necessity
was transformed into a luxury.
At that time restaurant keepers Increases
the price of steaks to their customers Beef
is not so high now There has been slight
falling off in price, due, it is believed, to
decrease In consumption. Many persons
have left the city for the summer and there
is not the demand for beef that there was
few months ago.
Nearly Everything Has Gone Up.
But nearly everything else has gone up
The proprietor of one of the best-known
cafes in the city said this afternoon that
salt meats were higher now than ne had
ever known them to be. Lard is another
commodity that has taken upward jump.
Lard viii be worth Sl2 hundred pounds
by the ton within a week" a pork man de-
ciared.
Nearly everything is from 70 to 100 per
cent higher today than year ago. To-
matoes are better and cheaper than they
have been for five years. Potatoes are also
cheaper. They can be purchased in the
market today for 81 barrel, where a year
ago at this time they brought s4.5 so.
Restaurant keepers have cut the prices of
some vegetables to their patrons and have
advanced prices on many other articles.
AS one proprietor put it:
Sacrifices His Profit.
The man who holds up the quality of
what he serves sacrifices his profit, and
vice versa"
There has been steady advance in prices
of breadstuffs and articles of food during
the past five years. The Spanish-American
war was the first excuse. Since the first
of the year the cost of living has been in
creased greater than almost ever before"
Salt meats, ham and bacon, seem to be in
greater demand since the price almost
doubled than when they were cheaper This
is an anomalous condition. Restaurant men
say that when eggs cost OTTO 40 cents a
dozen, they serve more than when they can
be bought for II and 10 cents a dozen. But
ter is higher by 5 cents than 1t was two
months ago. This is due, 1T Is said, to the
oleoma rgarine law which became operative
July /.
Cheaper Places Slow to Act.
The higher priced restaurants and cafes
are the ones that have made the general
advance in prices to their customers. The
cheaper places, where persons with limited
means eat. have been slower in adding an
extra 5 or 10 cents to the checks.
Scarcely a single restaurant Of dozen or
| more visited today failed to show changes
| in prices on the bills of fare. When the
| proprietors were questioned the answer was
| invariably that 1t was necessary to do SO
mt n hnSinsSS