Grand Forks herald., 1918-08-29
MEALS CHEAP
IN NATIONAL
RESTAURANTS
Privately Owned Eating
Places in London Losing !.
Much Business.


b1tish food ministry to avert public
hardship and provide food at reason
able cost, are underselling privately
operated eating houses. and still are
earning big profits. Meals In the res
taurants cost less than in the aver
age American eating place, despite the
fact that England must import much
more years OF war.
The kitchens are to prepare food for
househohers. and in few instances
only are arrangements made for con-
suming food on the premises. The
restaurant caters only to the latter.
A good substantial lunch can be OBJ
tatned at the restaurants for IS
cents, according to Phillip B. Ken
nedy. commercial attache at London
OF the bureau Of foreign and domestic
commerce.
Food rationing has been established
successfully this year, Mr.. Kennedy
informs the bureau, but food regula-
tions 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 estab-
ltshed from February to August. with
only three or four under the direct
management of the food ministry, the
others being controlled by local au-
thorities, but return payment must be
said to have helped materially in re-
lieying the food diff1cu1fiea
A further. step was necessary, Mr..
Kennedy reports. because hotel and
restaurant patrons found the food
regulations to be hardship. AS an
experiment, the food ministry opened
its first national restaurant on June
rs, last, near the newspaper district
in Fleet street, and 1t has proved so
successful that others are to be opp
ened in London and other cities.
"The original payment for rent and
equipment amounted to $12.160,"
writes Mr.. Kennedy. '"The manage
inert of the restaurant is in the charge
of the director Of the national kitch-
ems, who hopes to be able to repay
the original treasury investment
within a year from profits earned.
There has been some idea that this
restaurant has been subsidized by the
government, but the director declares
that the food is purchased in the open
market in competition with others,
and that all money advanced by the
government will be fully repaid.
'In this initial restaurant the staff.
numbers about thirty persons. The
kitchen and dining room are very
clean and attractive, and the service
appears to be very efficient. The sys->
tenn in vogue is what is sometimes
known in the United States as the
cafeteria plan-the customers wait
on themselves. The dining room has
one sitting. It is estimated that about
1000 meals are served from 11:aO a.
m. to p. m. One of the most profit
able features Of the restaurant is the
serving Of afternoon tea, which has
been very we'll patronized. The prin-
ciple on which the restaurant is run
is to serve food which Is most easily
procurable at the time. This makes
possible the serving Of liberal portions
ton Of the prices the following will
give those in effect on July 2, 1918:
Soup, 2 pence a portion; fish, 4 to,
6 pence; roast meat, 4 to 6 pence; two
meat entrees, a to pence; vegea
tables, 2 pence portion; bread, one
half pence: sweets, 3 and pence;
coffee, 2 pence cup tea, one pence
a cup.
"An arrangement has been worked
out whereby six vouchers will be ex-
changed for one meat coupon, each
voucher emitting the holder to a meat
meal of not less than two ounces. In
this way it is possible to procure six
meat meals for one meat coupon. A
good substantial lunch can be pro-
duced for a charge of one shilling, six
pence approximately 35 cents).
'"The national restaurant Is very
popular with the shop workers, clerks
and business men in the vicinity of
Fleet street, the newspaper center of
half hour before the doors open, and
it was necessary to remain in line
about As minutes before being served.
This is the only Inconvenience at
tached to the scheme, and perhaps
when more restaurants are established
this may be overcome.
This fiIst national restaurant has
received great deal of public atten-
ton. The newspapers contain full
the prime minister, Mrs. Lloyd
George; the wife Of the minister of
munitions, Mrs. Churchill, and the
wife of the food controller, Mira
Clynes, who took luncheon at the res
taurant and expressed great COM
mendation Of the food and service.
The rush of patronage and the public
attention given to this restaurant
have indicated very clearly, that there
to be established in London and other
cities of the United Kingdom.
ALREADY hotels and restaurants
have naturally been considerably
alarmed by this development. The
ministry OF food received, "a deputation
of these interests, but found that they
Fhs1 no definite program. The object
OF the ministry of food is to procure
the cooperation Of private hotels and
restaurants which they would like to
have adopt their methods. Although
there has been some protest Of the
entry OF the government into private
business. 1t does not appear likely
that this. will amount to enough to-
check the movement. The other al
ternative is that the private .estab-
lishments will have to meet the ma
tional restaurant in quality Of food.
and prices. and In this the food min
tstry stands ready to lend them all
the announcement and give them
suits. 1t probably will be the greatest
advantage to be derived from this
government undertaking.
.The food ministry. however, 10 go
,ingy ahead with the establishment Of
more restaurants Immediately The
director Of national Kitchens OF the
ministry bf food. G. r. Spencer. has
already made definite arrangements to
establish four similar restaurants IN
London AND one in Leeds, Glasgow,
Manchester. Newcastle y on Tyne,
Brighton, Cardin, Birmingham. ana
Bristol. Many appeals have also bean
received from different parts Of the
country for the starting Of Similar