Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-04-02

When the late Frank Ward tied the key
of his dairy lunch room to a balloon and
sent It skyward, and made the announce
ment that the front door of the establish
men would never be closed, day or night,
he opened UP a new gastronomic industry
here that has since spread TO many parts
of the United States That was more than
twenty years ago, and since that time
lunch rooms of every description have null
tipled in Washington until 1t has come to
be known as n city of "luncheries," which
is a new designation for the many places
here where people go TO get their midday
quick meals.
Washington IS unlike most other cities
IT. regard 10 the matter of light meals in
the middle of the day. Here the govern
ment clerk and the mechanic, the store
clerk and the laborer eat their lunches be-
tween - o'clock noon and l o'clock in the
afternoon. These frugal repasts consist
OF anything from a plain ham sandwich to
a variety of ready prepared stuffs. Some
of the toilers bring their lunches from
home while others purchase them from
nearby dairy lunch rooms. from perambu-
latlng out door cafes or at the more fash
iOnable resorts that abound here.
In most other communities the hours be-
tween II and l o'clock are devoted to the
heaviest meal of the day-dinner, in all
vegetables, soups, stews and many other
dishes. The wisdom of this has often been
advanced by the quaint physicians and
hcaltholoEisJs of the far distant days in the
hazy past who have declared that midday
is the time 10 reinforce" the constitution
with something substantial in the food line.
"old Man Friday"
The evolution Of lunch houses and lunch
outfits Of all sorts in Washington can, it
IS said, be traced back TO odd Man Fri
day" In the late fifties. He was an odd
character according to old citizens and his
favorte stamping ground was the great
park which surrounded the Capitol. Friday
carried a basket and at first his wares
consisted only of rosy apples II is related
that he had several regular customers
among the p'd-tipe senators and represent
tatives who enjoyed his juicy wares before
going into the building To enter into the
debates and the wOrdy wTangles which
were said 70 hc frequent in Congress in
those days Friday aftcrward added pies
and cakes To his stock, and later set up
small lunch stand near the Capitol
When the stirring days of the civil war
came he did a rushing business selling eat
ableS to the soldiers. Others followed his
example until there We're lunch stands in
all sections of the city. The Fridays of
today are variety of cOlOred men and
women who sell their wares from all man
ner Of stands, some of them built over
the running gear of discarded baby car
riages, wheelharrOws and the like which
their owners push about town i'll quest of
customers.
There are several distinctive classes of
lunChcrs In this city. descending the scale
from the prosperous business and profess
sional men who have formed lunch clubs
and eat their meals at the fashionable hour
between l and o'clock In the afternoon
at the uptown hotels or swell cafes to the
grimy rounder or small CRATER who buys
giant beer for nickel and then regales
his inner man from the free lunch counter
A Pleasant Feature.
The business and professional mems