The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1918-09-07
EARNING PROFITS
ON LOW PRICES
English Government Kitch-
ems Are Underselling the
Private Conceri,s
SCHEME TO AVERT
PUBLIC HARDSHIP
Kitchens Prepare Food for Household
ers at Nominal Charge While Restau-
rants also Government Controlled
Cater to Other Classes.

Cater to Other Glasses.
WASHINGTON, ID. C., Sept. 6.-Na
tional kitchens and national restaurants
established in England this year by the
British food ministry to avert public
hardship and provide food at reasonable
cost, are underselling privately operated
eating houses, and still are earning big
profits. Meals in the restaurants cost
less than in the average American eating T
place, despite the fact that England must
import most of its food and has under
gone three more years of war.
The kitchens are to prepare food for |
hoilseholdeTs, and in few instances only |
are arrangements made for consuming |
food on the premises. The restaurant
caters only to the latter A good sub
stantial lunch can be obtained at the
restaurant for 81 cents, according to
| Philip b. Kennedy, commercial, attache
at London of the bureau of foreign and
| domestic commerce.
| Food rationing has been established
successfully this year, Mr.. Kennedy in
forms the bureau, but food regulations
resulted in hotel and restaurant owners
reducing the quantity and quality OF
food without any reduction in price. In
some instances prices were increased
Seeing that this situation was likely
to become an actual hardship, the food
ministry took steps To assist the public.
writes Mr.. Kennedy. The first action
was establishment of national kitchens.
A thousand were established from Feb
lruary to August, with only three or
four under direct management of the
food ministry the others being controlled
by local authorities. Necessary capital
may be obtained from the government,
but return payment must be made in
10 years. The kitchens are said to have
helped materially in relieving the food
difficulties
A further step was necessary, Mr.. Ken
:, needy reports, because hotel and restau-
rant patrons found the food regulations
to be hardship. As an experiment, the
| food ministry opened its first national
restaurant ON June 26 last, near the
newspaper district in Fleet street, and
| il has proved SO successful that Others
are to be opened in London and other
!. cities.
g The original payment for rent and
: equipment amounted to sSl2 100" writes
e Mr. Kennedy. The management of thu
e restaurant is in the charge of the direc
tor of the national kitchen, who hopes
to be able to repay the original. treasury
investment within a year from profits
Q earned There has been some idea thai
y the restaurant has been subsidized BY
+ the government but the director de
clarcs that the food is purchased in tn.
), open market in competition with others
. and that all money advanced by tn,
! government viii be fully repaid.
! .'In this initial restaurant the stat
I numbers about 30 persons. The kitchen
. and dining room are very clean and at
/ traetive. and the service appears to b.
: very efficient. The system in vogue i,
c what is sometimes known in the United
States as the eafetaria plan-the Gus
e toners wait en- themselves. The dining
{ room has a seating capacity for 10 per
It sens at one sitting. 1t is estimated tina
e about 1000 meals are served from l.3I
e a. M to p M One of the most profit
I. able features of the restaurant is tn
4 serving of afternoon tea. which has beer
very well patronized. The principle o.
lie which the restaurant is run is to serv
# food which IS most easily procurable. a
$ the time. This makes possible the sers
n ing of liberal portions at REASONABLE
prices. As an indication of the prices
"a the following will give those in effect o
n July ,, 1918:
1. |. Soup. two pence portion; fish, fou
20 to six pence; roast meat, four to 81
i pence; two meat entrees. four To s.
n pence; vegetables, two pence portion
N bread, one half pence; sweets, three an
!, four pence; coffee, two pence a cup ties
one pence a cup
i. An arrangement has been worked O
whereby six vouchers will be exchange
for one meat coupon, each voucher ent
ting the holder to meat meal of nc
: less than two ounces. In this way it
- Possible to procure six meat meals t,
az one meat coupon. A good substanti;
ne lunch can be produced for charge {
NJ ono shilling, six pence approximately 3
w eentsl
rs. THE national restaurant is very popl
fg lar with the shop workers, clerks an
RI business men III the vicinity of File,
II street. the newspaper center of Londoi
esj A queue starts forming half hour b,
ed fere the doors open. and it was necessar
en- TO remain in line about A. minutes b.
ne fore being served. This is the only incol
ii vtnienee attached to the scheme. an
he perhaps this may be overcome when mol
in restaurants are established.
&C. his first national restaurant has r.
nv eeved a great deal of public attentio
n The newspapers containa full account
,ol a visit paid by the wife of the prin
,ta minister, Mrs, Lloyd George; the wife
~ the minister of munitions. Mrs ChurcI
- i'll, and the wifeso the food controle
- Mrs. Clynes, who took luncheon at, II
restaurant and expressed great comme
-, dation of the food and service The rus
OF patronage and the public attentis
given to this restaurant have indicat,
very clearly that there is need for maj
LOT these restaurants to be established
ny L. ndon and other cities of the Unit
liy Kingdom
zen Already hotels and restaurants .ha
lat naturally been considerably alarmed
eel this development. The ministry of fo
received a deputation of these Interest