New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-11-12
SCHOOL LUNCH SUCCEEDS
Brooklyn Experiment Shows
Profit of $143 05.

The Manual Training High School has
succeeded with II. lunch department. ac-
cording to Charles ID. Larkins. the princi-
pal. The Manual Training High School
stands In seventh avenue. between 4th and
5th streets, and is one OF the largest and
finest school buildings in the city. About
a year ago the caterer who had the priv
ilese OF selling food to the pupils got into
trouble with the school authorities. The
upshot was that the principal determined
to permit the caterer to do his catering
elsewhere and began the experiment.
Never before had a New York public school
tried running a lunch department Of its
own The preparatory department Of Poly
technic In stitute had tried the experiment
about three years ago. however. and had
succeeded. but the proposition was much
simpler than the one that faced Principal
Larkin.
The Importance of the project can be
understood after looking over report
which Dr. Larkin has made to Chairman
c. j. Sullivan OF the committee on high
schools Of the Board OF Education. The
lnchroom served up to June &c. 1911. %09S
portions of food. which cost the students
an average OF FIVE cents each. On each
portion the department made one-quarter
OF a cent profit. That, 1t Is said. Is close
figuring In spite of the narrow margin
of profit. the culinary department. held its
own. 1t began with a capital OF $780, Dor
rowed from the treasury OF the general
organization at the opening OF the faIl
term OF 1910. AS II went along 1t took In
from the dining room, the boys lunch
room. the girls lunchroom and other
sources slO,3s6 ~. This made the money
available in the school year siO,79e L.
Out OF This sum several relatively large
items had to be met as the weeks went by.
The biggest item was the supplies, which
cost 81, 800 Is. Then there was the item Of
wages. S2,s28 80. Besides, the equipment cost
$42S %: a safe, s25; the interest on the loan
500. and other things, s452 81. After meet
ing all these the managers succeeded In
repaying the original capital Of s4oo and
ended the year with a cash balance oil
s143 o. A profit Of this size would, OF
course. seem absurdly small to business
man. but the school authorities looked
upon It as n distinct evidence of sue, ess
as they had not contemplated making
money. All they needed, or wanted. was
mere margin Of safety. In his letter tc
Mr.. Sullivan Mr. Larkin said:
Since our profits were only s58S 05 (this
sum includes the 500 borrowed capital, the
SIS paid for the SAFE the balance Of STAB
and the so interest on the loan) yor
can readily see that no competent caterer
can afford to run the place and put in his
time for that money. Probably any bust
ness man would not have included the in
terest and safe in his profits, but we wish
to make as large a showing as possible, sc
we put those items in. Every teacher anc
pupil paid for everything he had. including
the teachers and pupils who did the work
Had they not done so, there would have
been no profit. In running restaurant
with a given plant It is one thing to serve
twenty-one meals a week and keep oper
for all corners and quite another to serve
only five meals week-sometimes, indeed
only three or four-and keep open only two
and a half hours week with the same
plant. (The lunch department only served
meals at noon on school days) We have
TO pay our cooks and kitchen help just the
same for five meals as for eighteen-thret
a day for six days I watched the restau
rant closely in the last year. No caterer
in a school can afford to serve large por'
lions of we'll cooked food made from the
best materials, because he cannot make o
living at It. To increase his profits ne
must cut down his service, the quality OF
the supplies or the size OF the portions
La ,,ni1nIl,r does ALL three |"