Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1913-01-03

sell. You and your wife occupied e table
laid for four: but you had II to yourselves.
Fhat Is just the same as If you and your
wife could occupy two c,oss-seats In a
c.0wded street car. isn't it?'
ON. come protested the srouchy man.
That wohn't do. The head waiter would
ave seated another couple there If he'd
needed the ROOM
We'll. why didn't me need the room?"
smiled the manager. Because. knowing
that our patrons wouldn't like an ar
ranYelTent of that sort. we have provided
twice the seating capacity ordinarily nee
essary. That means doubled table room,
doubled equipment and a double force Of
walters: for the walters are assigned to a
certain number of seats. not to a fixed
number of patrons. 1T would be m0:e eco
nomfcal to run a few long tahles the
length and breadth OF the room. and seat
the diners an they came In order, but they
wouldn't like it. More privacy is obtained
by setting out little tables, each lad for
four people. but this privacy also disap-
pears If We lave to seat two strange
couples together. And as most patrons
dine In couples. we have to provide twice
as many OF these little tables as the
actual lumber of patrons really calls for,
on the average. This Is an added con-
venience: it is also an added expense to
SuC CINiSc. 1911 tIldt 6O.
'Ok. there may be something i'm what
you say" admitted the grouchy man.
Now. let's see what else the service
consisted of" resumed the manager. THE
table was spread with a cloth which cost
us SIS. There wasn't a crock or a brack
In 1t. nor in the napkins. You may not
have noticed that detail, but your wife
did Linen wears out faster in a hotel
than anywhere else, for the reason that
every lime a mpo1 iS Sarvn1 ,,unu ~ t. t,
gathered UP at once and sent to the wash
and the laundering expense is another
big item you mustn't forget. The renewal
bill for our laundry alone is $4,000 a year
roughly, more thar $40 a day
II suppose that ought to be figured in,'
said the grouchy man.
Another thing you didn't notice. and
would have missed the manager went on
was the flowers at your table. Those
are changed as soon as they show the
least sign of w~ilting-at least once a day,
and sometimes oftener. Over your head
was q chandelier with 30 electric lights.
on the walls were a dozen more of the
bulbs, and in addition you had an indi-
vidual light at your elbow. You were
cooled by 20 electric fans. Your cutlery
was the finest silver plate, renewed once
a year, and more frequently IL it shows
signs of wear. You had five changes of
plates and your wife the same number.
every one of which went into the wash
Ing machine at once, together with the
dozen or so of other dishes that you each
used. A busboy, whose only duty is to
take away the dishes promptly. carried
them out Of you sight. You had the UNI
divided attention of the waiter. He had
a captain watching him to see that the
service was satisfactory, while a head
waiter was In charge of he room to keep
things going smoothly, and a house head
waiter was over all, seeing that the serv-
Ice In your particular dining room wasn't
delayed by the calls of the two other res
taurants in the house or by the dinner
parties and %banquets upstairs.
II you dropped a napkin you got a
clean one: II you spilled anything the
tablecloth was replaced. Your orders
were individually inspected at the door
by q checker: but even 80. IL the food
was not satisfactory for any reason you
had another order without question or
additional expense. There wasn't an odor
Of cooking food in the room: there wasn't
the chatter OF a dish. And while you were
dining at YOU ease, on one of the best
business corners In Washington. sur
rounded by the fragrance of flowers
soothed by soft music. with your feet
resting On one Of the finest carpets in the
city, your sense Of color effects satisfied
by hangings and decorations hich were
III oOCAA 8VONA S00Sc IIlbS yOU never Iu0URnt
Of their cost. you were quickly and polite
~ served with food, the quality of which
the hotel had X every pains to make
sure was unsurpassed anywhere. and the
cooking OF which was beyond reproach.
Your dinner proceeded 30 smoothly and
pleasantly that It seemed as IL no effort
Whatsoever was involved in it's prepara-
ton: and that is the triumph Of hotel
management. It is also the basis of your
objection: for the very fact that there
was such harmony between all the ele-
ments which went to maxi up the pleas
ure OF your meal has led you to lose sight
Of the elements themselves. But IL any
Il there had been any hitch or jar, you
would nave noticed that very quickly.
Isn't that SOP"
The Grouchy man WAS beginning to look
more thouEhtful q grouchy.