New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-06-16
So Long as People Have to
Eat 1t Will Pay to Supply
Them with Food.
BY Mary Marshall.
CHAPTER XXIX

Nowadays when; q woman OF socidi
prominence finds herssA Obliged TO earn
her own living. she ~ . practically any.
thing she likes 20 l0zD es II Is honest anu
decent. but II she wants 10 be up-to-oatc
and do the really smart thing, she starts
a lunch or tea room. And the reason io'
this choice Of vocation, which has been ire
ouentlv made by women OF high soclai
standing and former wealth, is that II IS
one which. il properly undertaken. yields
really good income There is no DOUBT
about that. There is at the present time
and there will continue to be, good money
in well run lunch and tea rooms, and there
IL room for many more young women OF
business ability and training In this line OF
work
The few cases where women nave oeeh
unsuccessful at the lunch room business
were cases of nexperience, pure anu
simpIe-cases where women who. just De-
cause they could make tempting SANDWICHES
and set dainty tables, thought that they
were hound to make success OF the lunch
room proposition. forgetting that the sue
cess of a tea room depends upon buying
and planning And knowledge OF these
essentials can scarcely be gained without
actual training and experience
TO be sure. several women have succeeded
in the lunch and tea room business WIN
out any sort Of apprenticeship or TalninB
other than what they have acquired In the
running OF their own homes. but the parent
who is thinking OF letting his daughter
start out in this business would be on the
safe side in giving that daughter some
practical training before she ventures ror'h.
But before doing even this he shoulo
satisfy himself that she possesses traits OF
character that are quite essential.
In the first place, the woman who wants
70 run a lunch room must have business
ability. She must have an eye to costs and
expenses. must instinctfely have her eye
on the profit before anything else. To carry
on a lunch room where the cost OF produc-
tion exceeds tie receipts may result in
very popular resort. onc which may, In fact,
be crowded every day; but It Is hardly
worth while venture. Business sense IS
either born in woman or IL Is not. AND
the woman who has not naturally bump
| for business had better keep out of the
! lunch room business.
! TIE other trait necessary for the woman
! who wants TO succeed at lunch rooms IS
the ability to get along with other people
with employees and with patrons; and this
| ability is also a trait that Is born In a
woman and the woman who does not pos
SEES it had better join with the woman
who has no business ability and keep out
OF the lunch room business.
With the rest-the knowledge OF the par
tlcular problems OF the Observation-Disclosures
and training have to do.
This training can be got either I'm domes-
tic science schools or In the classroom OF
/ experience. The schools vary greatly In
/ scope OF training. They vary all the way
from q school IKE Teachers College In New
York. where a special course in lunch room
cookery ard administration Is given In
the newly established school Of house
hold arts to simple cooking schools, where
the problems Of food buying and cooking
on a large scale are taken up briefly and
without any special reference TO lunch and
/ tea rooms
Without doubt the best way TO learn
! the lunch and tea room business is In the
! school OF experience. and II is safe to say
that every day spent In such a school
means tens OF dollars saved later on. IL
Is not diflcult TO get the opportunity TO
serve an apprenticeship. One young
woman. who made up her mind that there
was good money 20 be gained In well
run lunch and tea room at a certain sum-
! mer resort went about IL in the right way
! tn learn the business.
For q few months OF the winter preceding
the opening Of her lunch room she went to
one OF tbs big eauas and actually went to
work as waitress IN q fashionable tea
room. In this capacity shs learned the PROB
lens o, pleasing patrons. the problems OF
the waitress herself. She learned how the
| tables should be set, and gained countess
Invaluable suggestions. all Of which sho
carefully put away in the back OF her head
When she had served as waitress for
few weeks she managed TO have hersen
transferred 10 tn. kitchen. where she
served as pantry girl, in this way learning
how to make w various dishes and now
10 run the pantry. Then for few days
| she had chance &c wash dishes In the
absence Of the regular dish washer and.
tiresomc as this was. IL gave her the OPP
portunity to view the lunchroom business
! from another angle.
All the time she was working in this tea
room she kept her eyes open to what was
GOING on abor' her and was always eager
10 help in every way she could. Thus she
gained an insight into the problems OF
ordering and buying. account keeping etc,
and when her stay In the city was over, she
knew moi only all the ins and outs OF the
business OF the lunch room where she had
been working, but she could have given the
proprietor who had employed her many
money saving suggestion. Frequent visits
10 other tea rooms in the city supplemented
this apprenticeship and finally made the
ntting up Of her own tea room thing TO
he accomplished at the lowest possible ng-
ures.
The r.cold OF tho hrst summer season !