New-York tribune., 1918-03-10
Iradeless Day Set
For 81 Violators
OF Meatless Day
Proprietors of Restaurants
Agree to Close Tuesday
as Penance for Sins
Governor at Hearing
Beef Items on One Woman's
Menu Called Merely Lure
for Business

Fifty-seven restaurants and lunch
rooms in New York City that dis
obeyed the food regulations by serv-
ing beef and pork last Tuesday must
close their doors all day next Tues
day and display this sign:
"Closed for the day for violation
of the regulations of the United
States food administration"
1t is not "by order of the food ad.
ministration." The self f-inflicted pun
ishment is voluntary, more or less.
When the restaurant proprietors ap-
peared before Food Administrator
Williams yesterday he suggested that
to close next Tuesday would be nice
way to make amends. When some pro-
tested that this would cost them money
he smiled.
"Of course" he said, ''it's intended
to. If you want formal hearing you
can have 1t, but # you are found guilty
the food board must cut off your sup
plies, and then you may be closed for
long, long time"
Only eleven of the sixty-eight asked
for a formal hearing.
The board has no authority to order
restaurants to close. But when it
wants anything done it waves to and
fro its two little clubs, the power
to revoke licenses and the power to
cut off supplies The threat worked
very we'll with sugar and flour prof
iteers. and Mr.. Williams said last night
he was sure it would be equally sue
oessful with the restaurants. His rec
ommendation for the closing was tele-
graphed 10 Herbert Hoover.
Governor an Observer
Governor Whitman visited Mr.. Will
Jams while the latter was busy with the
restaurant proprietors. and afterward
Michael Pfefer. who runs a cafe and
lunch counter at GIG Sixth Ave-
nue., showed the Governor photo
graph of his soldier son to show how
loyal he was.
Pfeffer mad sold nothing but ham
sandwiches and frankfurters = and
surely they were not meat" Mr..
Williams ruled that they were.
Isadore Rubin, a delicatessen pro-
prietor of Gal Sixth Avenue, told the
Governor without blush that he had
sold beef, PORK, hams, corned beef and
every other kind Of food on Tuesday.
His mistake was that he thought the
food boards function was educational,
not regulative. He learned that meat
less days were compulsory, and will
do penance with the others on Tuesday.
A Mrs. Chernopky, whose Tuesday
menu showed twelve meat items, denied
fatty that she had sold meat on Tues
day. The menu was trick, drawing
card, she declared. Restaurants near
by were selling meat, and she had to
advertise meat to draw customers. But
once she got them into the restaurant
she told them all meats were off the
card, for she simply wouldn't serve
meat on Tuesday. Then she burst
into tears. She was one of the eleven
who demanded formal hearing.
The Tuesday menu of Rudolph Otte,
owner of cafe and lunch counter at
135 Reade Street, was: "Pork chops,
steak, roast pork, roast beef, goulash,
corned beef"
Never Heard of Mcatless Days
Otte confessed that he had never
that this country was trying to save
foodstuffs Cor the men at the front.
What paper do you read?" asked
Mr.. Williams
''The German Herold,'" replied Otte.
"The German Herold' prints the reg
ulations," said Mr.. Williams. Next"
One offender complained that his
business was wholly delicatessen one
Yes" said Mr.. Williams, "and we
have found that delicatessen shops are
the worst offenders"
By this time the restaurant men were
being heard in patches of skies and
sevens. The hearing began at 9:3O and
all fifty-seven cases had been disposed
Of by 2 o'clock Toward the end it
was merely a matter of asking, "Are
you willing to close next Tuesday ?"
Every one Of the ffty-seven, Mr.. Will
Jams said, had received warning some
time before that the food regulations
would be enforced
looms which offended last Tuesday
would be allowed 10 remain open Tues
day for the sale of liquor only, the
lunch counters being closed for the
day. Delicatessen stores must close
every department, however. The dis
tinction is made because the board has
no control over the sale of liquor.
List of Those Who Close
The list Of the restaurants which will
close follows:
Boston Lunch. 318 Eighth Avenue;
Reusser's Lunch, 288 Eighth Avenue;
Jacks Restaurant, 394 Eighth Avenue; !;
o X. Lunch, 33s Eighth Avenue; Ed
ward Long Lunch, 324 Eighth Avenue;
saloon, Park Row and Frankfort Street;
J. L. Lunch, S73 Columbus Avenue !;
Rudolph Otte, 1876 Reade Street: Hud-
son Street; John Umland, grocer, 1913
Hudson Street; John Johnson, 81 Hud-
sen Street; II. Peragatto, 81 Dcsbros-
ses Street; u. X. Smith, Harvard Lunch,
% Desbrosses Street; c. Hencke,
bakery, 4l6 Greenwich Street
William Selfrin, 2O3 Chambers
Street; George Burns. 324 Greenwich
Street; G. Danish, $50 West Street:
II. K. Fricks, s52 Greenwich Street;
G. W. Prelle, % Desbrosses Street;
Wulfer's. 264 West Street: j. Muller,
A14 Warrington Street; D. Schnaars,
Az Greenwich Street; r. Linsky, 4O8
Greenwich Street; Bothing & Bishof
234 West Street; II. Ostendorf, 2l6
Wea. Street: II. Winterberg. 3e4 Green
wien Street: f. j. Daganhardt, 3s9
Greenwich Street; A. D. Matteo, 259
West Street; II. Grothen, grocer, 446
Washington Street: J. G. Eekebrecht,
grocer. AS Washington Street: j. Dub
bern. grocer. 4Is Greenwich Street; B.
Ashkenas, 278 West Street; A. Fuerst
258 West Street; r. Weinstein, 221
West Street; Harlem Lunch, 1853 East
7 a ..