The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-10-28
LONE WOMAN CAN
HAVE LATE SUPPER
Can Get 1t Now in Most City
Restaurants
OLD RULE DlSREGARDED
Change Has Taken Place in Attitude
of Managers Toward Women
Without Escorts-other
Concessions Made.
OLD RULE DlSREGARDED

From the New York Sun.
Is the old rule excluding women with
out male escorts from certain expensive
restaurants after dark to be abolished for
mally? An indication of change that
has occurred in the last few years is
found in the following announcement con-
spicuously displayed in the hall of
fashionable Fifth avenue hotel:
Ladies served in the South Cafe after
7:30 p. M
This announcement does not mean that
women without male escorts are admit
ted into the cafe. The change is less
radical than that.
Until recently, under no circumstances
were women permitted in the South Cafe
at all. After dark it was mans particu-
lar province, distinguished from the main
restaurant by less formallty, chatting dish
suppers and thicker tobacco smoke.
Not long ago the man who took his
wife or sweetheart to the hotel to dine
was debarred from this cafe He had to
pass on to the regular dining rooms. An
Eveless Eden was the South Cafe, the
entrance guarded by liveried attendants
who firmly DETECTED anything done up in
chiffons and a picture hat to a less in
teresting part of the hotel.
Now all that has been changed and
notices posted acquaintIng women with
the fact. Properly escorted, woman is
now as welcome there as man.
And now that l am allowed to enter
remarked fair patron of the hotel, II
don't care to dine there so often as in
the main restaurant
Eyes, that's the woman of it, her hus-
band rejoined
As mirht be expected, in line with this
relaxed policy is the attitude of the man
agement toward women unattended who
present themselves at the late dinner
hour and after the theatres are out. eX-
pecting to be served in the restaurants.
Al one time 1t took a courageous woman
to seek to eat there after dark unless, in
deed, she was stopping at the hotel. All
over the city parties of women went
supperless to bed, failing an entrance
to frst-class restaurants and not caring
to patronize the cheaper grades.
Strangers Disfcomfited.
Is Even gray hair and quiet apparel failed
to impress the stony-hearted managers
of some restaurants where the cast iron
rule of woman unattended by man may
not enter here after p. n" was rigidly
adhered to. much to the discontinue of
strangers to New York-late arrivals in
some cases-intent on treating themselves
to the best the city has in the culinary
line.
There are still few, a very few. res
taurants like that now, but the pathetic
story of party of women from the south
who vanly roamed Broadway one even
/ ing after the play seeking a place to
stay their hunger and finding none which
about four years ago went the rounds of
the press of the country has died nat
ural death. It's a back number.
hale trfsg n Inc l1xF hn fha 10
mentioned been relaxed or abandoned
that some New York women have yet to
learn that for all practical purposes it is
a dead letter in at least seven-eighths
of the high class restaurants of this city.
Let the woman who doubts try it and
see. To give an instance:
A quartet of women just back from a
three years sojourn in England were dis
cussng in a desu1tory way their desire
to attend the theatre the next night
Storm doors and windows had scarcely
been removed from their dwelling, their
baggage was not yet unpacked.
II wish father could take u.s. said the
eldest woman, meaning her husband, ''but
he is feeling so wretched after the stormy
trip that 1 can't depend on him. should
like to go to Blanks after the play for
bite and to see some of the old faces,
even If it should be only the head walt
ers and the managers"
Go without him., urged an aequaint-
ance who had dropped in.
without a MANI" asked the other.
Certainly. Oh, l forget how long 1t is
since you last had supper there. | admit
that parties of women supping alone were
quite uncommon in that estaurant four
years ago. Now, however, they are so
common that no one notices Them
Just fancy" said tn ewly returned,
lapsing into London vel cular.
AS an outcome of the that the little
party of women visited Che particular
restaurant in mind at II pm. that even
ing and were greeted pre-, isely as they
would have been at II a. m.