Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1909-06-25
NO ONE WANTS TO
RUN RESTAURANT
SENATE LUNCH ROOM IN OFFICE
BUILDING CLOSED FOR WANT
OF A TENANT.
BUSINESS DOES NOT PAY.
Man Who Runs House Restaurant Has
Had Hard Work to Keep Out
of Bankruptcy.
PROHIBITION GIVEN AS REASON.

WASHINGTON, D. c., June 90
Especial. 1.-The United States govern
iment does not publish advertisements in
the want columns" of the daily papers.
otherwise one might look for an adver-
,tisement under the head of business op-
portunities," or "help wanted, male"
for an advertisement something like this:
"Wanted-A caterer; a man who
knows how to get up a bill of fare suit
able for a United States senator, q mes
senger or a visitor. The United States
government has in the Senate office
building a completely equipped kitchen,
and everything that makes for a first
class restaurant, which will be turned
over free of rent together with free ice,
free fuel, free light and free toothpicks to
any frst-class caterer who understands
his business and who is of good moral
character and who will agree to furnish
meals and lunches to senators, employees
of the Senate and visitors at reasonable
prices.''
When the two Office buildings, one for
the House and one for the Senate, We're
designed the consulting architects
Messrs. Carrere and Hastings of New
York, set aside two handsome rooms for
dining rooms, two almost equally elabo-
rate for cafes and six or eight more for
kitchens, pantries, store rooms, butcher
shops, etc, in each of these two build
ings.
House Restaurant Don't Pay.
The purpose was to establish restau-
rants in each of the office buildings,
which should be conducted by some for
tunate individual competent to make a
soup, pie, a ragout or an oyster stew
which would tickle the palate of the
statesmen and their guests who were
expected to visit these restaurants.
That in the House office building was
opened by the man who runs the regu-
lar restaurant in the House side of the
capitol proper. 1t is only through siren
uOus financial efforts that this gentle
man has kept out of the bankruptcy
court.
In the Senate office building nearly
$4,000 was expended in fitting up the
kitchens alone. The ranges are of the
finest grade of steel plate. The walls
are lined with porcelain faced brick and
the refrigerators, made UP in the north
west, are the most perfect OF their KIND
that could be constructed. In fact, the
whole outfit is as complete and neat and
attractive as the most expert chef could
desire. The floors are of karbolith,
which is a resilient compound resembling
hard rubber, and everything connected
with all the rooms is as perfect as 1t is
possible to devise And yet, although
completed some months ago, there has
never been a fire in the range, there has
never been a steak on the gridiron of
the charcoal burners, not a pound of ice
has ever been placed in any of the re-
frigerators, nor have the dunbwaiters
ever been used.
Prohibition Is Blamed.
The superintendent of the United
States capitol building and grounds who
has charge of all matters pertaining to
this new office building has the privilege
of turning this kitchen with its accom-
panying dining room and cafe over to
any first class citizen who will consent
to run it free of rent and without cost
for light, fuel, ice or other supplies OF
that character and yet he cannot get
man who cares to take the risk of runs
ming it.
Ten years ago before the sale of beer
and wine was prohibited in the capitol
and other federal buildings such an OPP
portuDity would have been seized with
been fighting for the chance which is
now going begging.