Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-05-19
Various Schemes of Wily
Grafters of Their Meals

a popular restaurants in New York
fingered over his cheese and coffee
and talked about the arts of the willy
meal CRATER
1.-THE man who expects to make money
in the New York restaurant game will
find that. just as important as artistic
surroundings, a capable chef and that
indefinable atmosphere of prosperity and
good fellowship which the New Yorker
demands, is a member of his staff who
can spot and outwit meal CRATER. And
the smarter his establi shment the greater
the need for cannon. AS the result of my
first few seasons in the business | have
an interesting collection of worthless
checks, some of them signed by men
whose names you would recognize in
stantly, and no end of phony' iewelry.
Today it takes a smooth one to get past
me.
only the other day one of my keenest
captains let q CRATER turn a clever trick.
1t happened during the luncheon hour
on a day when our most popular room
was crowded with men and women. At a
table near the door sat couple who had
nearly finished an elaborate meal, in
Guiding cocktails and wine. Suddenly
they fell into a dispute, not noisy. but
just keen enough to attract the attention
Of neighbors and walters.
Apparently the discussion put an end
to their desire to eat. They merely toyed
with their dessert. Finally the woman
leaned across the table, said something
In cutting undertone. rose abruptly.
grabbed her furS and almost ran from
the room.
THE man looked after her bIankly
then dropped his head. Everybody in the
vicinity, including my worthy captain,
turned sympathetic. Any one hates wom-
an to make scene in public.
X X
For few minutes the chap sat per-
fectly still, one hand in his pocket, the
other turning the menu card over and
over. Then an expression of determine
ton settled on his face. He pulled him
self together, sprang to his feet. squared
his shoulders, and moved swiftly toward
the door. Some of my regular patrons
told me later that then and there they
laid wagers as to whether he would bring
her back or send her packing in cab.
Now, in my cafe, one waiter serves
two, II not three tables. The boy who
had been serving this couple had gone
to the kitchen to I'LL another order before
bringing their hngerbowls and check. On
his return the vacant table struck terror
get the best of him loses the amount of
the check. This boy fairly flung himself
at the captain, who woke up to the hide
Gus financial possibilities of the situation.
Both of them dashed into the corridor,
only to learn that the man had checked
his hat on the floor below, had redeemed
1t with a nickel and had vanished. A
clever bit of acting by those two had
earned them an eight-seyenty-hve lunch
con for five cents.
Then one evening a man whom almost
any New Yorker would tag a sub
stantial out-of-town business man, with
money to burn on Manhattan friends,
three good-lookins women at
my expense They were all in evening
clothes, apparently bound for the play
after dinner. The check ran a trifie
over $50, and the man offered the waiter
in settlement hundred-dollar bill. Just
as he laid 1t on the silver tray he bent
over and glanced at ii sharply.
by jove,' he said to one OF his guests.