The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1913-02-22
WHITE Way GRAFT
Huge Profits Made in Broad
ways Glittering Restaurants.
Revelation Of New York Steward
Asserts Patrons Don't Believe
They Are Getting the Best I'm
less They Are overcharged.

New York--Walking up Broadway
the other day. my companion pointed
to one Of the big gaudy restaurants
on Long Acre square. wagged his head
and said:
Il don't see how those restaurant
fellows make any money. Take that
place. pointing again-"the rent
must be enormous. and think of what
he must have to pay for the service.
walters. coat boys and that sort of
thing. People say his prices are high.
but you can bet they're not high
enough to keep him out of deep wa
ter"
Foolish friend! His is the popular
view Of the restaurant business. AS
matter Of fact, the prices charged
by the restaurant he designated are
high enough to permit the proprietor
to keep two motor cars, which trans
lated into dollars means that his in
come must be about $4,000 a year.
says writer. And 1t is to show how
such incomes are possible, how the
restauranteurs manipulate their scales
In prices and service that I am writ
ing this article. Were l to tell you
my name 1t would mean nothing to
you. Were to tell you the restau-
rant whose steward / have been for
years you would recognize it instant
ly.
Broadly. the first of the facts have
to present Is that on every dish the
successful restauranteur sells he
makes profit OF from rs to 800 per
cent.
The second is that the item of serv-
Ice. the common excuse for his high
prices. does not cost him one cent.
Instead 1t Is source of revenue.
But before ! take up these two
broad divisions let us see why It is
that such restaurants are possible. As
you know. there are more gaudy res.
taurants in New York than in any
city Of the world except Paris. The
New York restaurant is decidedly an
Its reputation has spread
the country, which / be-
1890 ~ w OA0 VI SAQ 0lIOuk00S lG6-
sons for its success financially.
In nearly every village. town and
city," they declared. ARE men and
women. especially women, who hope
some day to 60 to New York and
among other things to dine in the lob
tier palaces. where they may watch
he crowd. its dress. its actions and
Suppose that the dinner hour ia at
land and you 60 to one of the lobster
palaces. Imagine am beside you dis
'ecting the menu card item by item.
Beginning at the top, we see the |
words hors d'oeuvres, and we.J learn
hat for SO cents we may get a special |
Individual portion.
As steward know that the dish
|oes not cost 20 cents. My employ
II sells 1t for so, making 300 per cent
'roft.
And now let me show you how the
lement Of service instead of being
n expense that eats up the profits
n food Is source of revenue that
wells them. Let US begin with the
ead carriage starter. He opens the
DOR Of your cab. At our restaurant
70 pays the proprietor several hun
red dollars year for the privilege
( doing this
This Is an incident that occurred
wo years after we had opened. One
ay the representative of a taxicab
ompany came to us and offered to
ay liberal yearly rental If we would
i've over that section of the street
ist outside of the restaurant to his
axicabs exclusively. An agreement
Tas reached. 80 you see we receiver
n income from the street that is sup
osed to belong to the city and the
axpayer.
The hat and coat and wash rooms
re another source of income. About
he same time that the deal was made
18th the taxicab company a man came
long with a proposition to pay us
5000 year for our courtroom and
ashroom privileges.
Two years later we found that the
'ust was collecting about $4,000 a
ear from tips received by its boys.
The walters. contrary to general
psnion. do not cost US a penny.
And there 1t is-the crowd Listen
} what my employer once told me.
Certainly our prices are robbery"
2 grinned. when ! wondered how he
ared charge so. IF didn't charge
cavity wouldn't get the crowd.
hey'd think l was failing and cut
ng prices to save myself They'd /,
lit this place as rats leave a sinking