The Detroit times., 1909-02-26

business district is Levi Cottington
place on Fort-st. west, near GriswoId.
His free lunch is famous, and is hber'
ally patronized, especially around the
noon hour. IL has been great draw
ing card unquestionably. and yet MT.
Cottington says he is heartily in favor
OF McKay's bill.
The free lunch Is getting 10 be
nuisance" said he. 1t costs me
from SIS 10 $40 a day and II takes
lot OF extra business 10 make that
up. III free lunches were abolished
in all the saloons IL would be good
thing for the proprietors and would
not hurt business a particle, In my
opinion. In Flint the council passed
an ordinance abolishing the free
lunch and the saloonkeepers were
mighty glad OF IT, The same thing
was done in Lansing, and |. for one,
hope McKays bill will pass
.Robert Schram, proprietor OF Mil
lard's old place on Woodward-ave..
takes similar view.
II don't believe the free lunch
helps business a particle" said he.
las far as actual profits are concern
ed. Ny free lunch costs me from IL
W IL per Vi PlOHNo N'NA|
month. II | should cut il out there
might be a slight falling of In trade,
but il would not amount 10 anywhere
nearly as much as the lunch costs
ne. | suppose there are some men
who would come in and buy glass
OF beer. knowing there is lunch on.
where they wouldn't otherwise, but
those men are few and far between.
In some ways free lunch is act
uaily deteriment. | have seen men
come In. size up the lunch on the
table, and. il it didn't suit them, walk
out without buying a thing. Others
will kick like blazes if the lunch does
not happen to suit them. and won't
hesitate TO complain right TO your
face. Then there is class OF fellows
who get their living of the free lunch
counters. Why, | know a business
man who could buy and sell me three
times over that used to come in here
regularly for his lunch. He would in
vest Ave cents in a glass of milk and
then literally gorge himself at the
lunch table. The same lunch would
have cost him quarter in a restau-
rant.
Norman Sharpe. proprietor OF a
saloon and chop house on Griswold.st.,
opposite the city hall, says IL is i'm
material 10 him whether the bill goes
through or not. He will he satisfied
either way, he says.
There is no question" he contin-
Ued that a good free lunch helps
trade. A man will come in for glass
OF beer and If there is lunch on he
will as likely as not buy second beer
and top off with q cigar. for men who
smoke always like cigar after they
eat. So a man will spend 20 cents
" here ne would have spent only five
Ii there was no lunch. but il is doubt
full whether the extra business, any
more than pays for the lunch. Person
ally. | dom care. for when | get IN
my new place, whenever that may be
am going 10 establish serve-seli
lunch in connection with my bar and
serve sandwiches, put up In nice style
at five cents each.
This talk OF abolishing the free
lunch is rot" says Louis Schneider
who runs two buffets on Woodward
ave. 1T would be better TO let the
free lunch alone and regulate the
saloons In the factory districts SO that
the temptation would be removed from
workingmen going home from their
work. That is, make il impossible
for a saloon to locate within half 2
mile OF a factory or something like
that.
The free lunch is all right and
should not be interfered with. And
the fellows who will take advantage
OF it and try 10 live at the expense ol
the saloonkeeper are not one in 100