Evening journal., 1912-10-03
OBJECT TO
PAYING HOTELS
FOR BREAD

NEW YORK, Oct. S.-Tho Hotel
Association Of New York City. which
includes in its membership most OF
the New York hote.s, has decreed
that in future bread and butter.
formerly served free with all meals.
shall cost ten cents for each person
served.
This latest scheme for boosting
the cost Of living will, Il Is estimated,
put about S30,0O0,000 a year ON the
credit side of the hotel mems ledgers.
The hotel men woke up to the fnct
that they We're giving something
away about ten days ago Immediate.
action was taken. Frederick A. Rec.
proprietor of the Park Avenue Hotel
and President OF the Hotel Mems AS
sociation, called a meeting of the
proprietors.
AT this meeting said Mr.. Reed
to, I'VE voted TO put the new charge
in effect on Oct. l. Flour is SO a
barrel and butter Al cents a pound.
We had to stop giving it away. We
are doing now what every hotel in
Europe does They do Il in Boston,
in the Philadelphia clubs and In the
Manhattan and Union League clubs
lere."
This practice. prevalent in Europe
as Mr.. Reed said, is known abroad
as the Convert charge" When the
table Is set bread and butter Is placed
upon t. For this the charge in
Paris Is twenty-five centimes, OF Ave
cents At the Cafe de Paris (paris's
smartest restaurant the convert
charge Is a franc. which is the high
est the economical French will stand
for Here the hotel men estimate
that there are 250,00O people living
in hotels.
$500 Day.
Charging these people ten GEMS
each for bread and butter at hree
meals daily will net the hotel men
$4,000 a day. They feel that this is
coming to them despi the fact that
the public pretty generally feels that
I the prices prevalent e our large
hosteries ought to include bread and
butter and any number Of other ex-
/ tras md still leave a profit. But
mine host, is there with the argument.
Explcining the little 'BB-10c. at
the top OF the luncheon check. W. II.
Marshall. manager o. the Hotel Van
derb. {. said yesterday:
THE restaurants at The frs class
hotels do not pay, and we had to dc
someth.-g to even things up. They
are rur at a loss. generally sp-ahnn
for the convenience Of g1"sts. IL if
only fair that we should charge for
bread and butter, and the public and
the wspare-s ought to lick US uT
and hip us out"
At the Hotel st. Regis the manage
ment said that il costs from S75 Z,
500 a day TO supply bread and but
ter. Managers, assistant managerl
and head walters all )ok turn at ex
planning the new charge.
People who come to a hotel lik
this was II gist Of their comment
don't realize that they have TO pa.
for their surroundings as we'll al
their food. II is only right that the.
should. This is nothing new. II hal
always been done in Europe, hut w
have finally been forced to IL herr
by the high prices.
| All You Want for n Dime
There's no limit, however. 70 tn
amount OF bread and butter you &c
for that one dime. You crn Orde
and go right on doing so, and vel
keep up the supply and not ad H. d
the price. We've heard a few kicks
but not many"
AT the Hotel Astor, William G
Munschenheim. the proprietor. object
ed to the statement that / cent
was the 1uvert charge.
The charge of ten cents is fo
the BUTTER he declared. Butter i
unbelievably expensive, and every
thing else is high, Like other peopl,
in business We must be allowed {,
make some charge that viii allow VI
a profit"
At the Gotham the Plaza. the Wal
dorf. the Cafe Louis Martin and othei
places the same story was told
But James b. Regan, proprietor o.
the Hotel Knickerbocker. has fatl,
refused to make the charge.