New-York tribune., 1919-07-19
Cover Charge of ST. Heads
Price List and Things to
Eat Make Check as High
as i'm Days That Were Wet
Whiskey $1.25 Per Drink
One Restaurant Maintains
Room Where Patrons
Can Have Favorite Kick

The white light restaurateur has
found a way of making up the deficit
that came with prohibition.
By multiplying the price of soft
drinks by three, four, and even five,
and ornamenting them with tinkling
names, it was agreed yesterday that
he was doing very nicely.
Food prices, too, have scared. The
boosts have been applied to salads,
vegetables, pastries and other inciden-
tails, rather than to meat orders. This
method of increasing the size Of a
dinner check, one waiter explained,
left the patron with the idea that he
had ordered a more generous meal
than usual, rather than that his iavo-
rite cut of beef or fowl had gone up
with the increasing cost of living.
Milk and Vichy go Cents
At one of the best known cabaret
palaces on Broadway, where such o
drink as milk and vichy formerly sold
for Is cents, a charge Of 60 cents now
is being made. At the same place a
glass of "half and half" milk and
cream, is to be obtained for so cents
Across the street from this rcstau-
rant iced coffee brings 80 cents. The
same small pot of coffee formerly was
served for IS cents. Lemonade, which
never was popular where the lights
are white, does not appear to be in
much greater favor to-day. 1t has
seen an increase in price of only 20
cents over the Accent charge formerly
made.
But the big item in most of the
checks of those who still crave strong
drink is ginger ale, and as a conse-
ton for the highball has risen from
25 cents to 81. The secret of this
phenomenal rise lies in the fact that
the farseeing diner to-day carries a
pocket flask from which he "pours his
own" The waiter serves the ginger
ale and permits the diner to do his
own mixing. But the restaurateur
charges the added price for permitting
the patron to usurp his functions.
At virtually all Of the big hotels it
was found that nobody interfered with
the man or woman who carried his or
her own pocket ccllarette. In some
instances cocktail glasses, empty, are
placed at the elbow of the diner. They
appear on the check later in this way:
"Bar, so cents"
Drinks for the Elect
1t is not always necessary to carry
ones own supply of liquid refreshment
to obtain the pre-war kick. One of
the best known cabaret restaurants up
town, above the theatre district, has
set aside a dining room where those
who are known are admitted after
passing the inspection of the head
waiter. There, without further qucs-
ton, they are served with straight
whiskey for the modest price Of $1.25
a drink Mixed drinks bring higher
prices, but SO far as could be learned
about the price list. The waiter ap-
peared to gauge his prices according
to the apparent thirst or Willingness
of the patron to pay.
Another place served rye high balls
to known patrons at $3.50 drink.
A waiter who has served drinks in
Broadway restaurants for thirty years
explained the method of price boosting
and it's probable results during the
afternoon.
"You see, man can't drink as many
soft drinks as he can the real thing
he said. "If we continued to sell
claret lemonade milk and such drinks
at the SINE old prices party would
sit through the evening and spend
probably dollar or two. Of course,
this on any such basis as that. If the
average check of a party of four was
around SIS during the open days be-
fore prohibition came in, we have got
to get that amount now for the soft
drinks. If they won't drink as many
soft drinks we have to get it for fewer
drinks. 1t is a simple problem that
has been worked out carefully to make
it possible for US to keep going"
Cover Charge Scars
been added to the regular charges at
virtually all of the Broadway places
the man who was delighted to witness
the death Of Demon Rum on the the
ory that he would save money is
doomed to disappointment Two per
sons who visited a modest appearing
Broadway restaurant yesterday con-
sumed two equally modest appearing
glasses Of grape juice. When the
check arrived it showed total of 81.
"That can't be correct" protested
the man member Of the party.
OTIS quite correct, sir" was the re-
ply. "Thc drinks are 81 each. the
cover charge 81 each"
The chief objection Of those who
make such places profitable is that the
caburcts which hitherto have given
the excuse for the cover charges cithe,
have been dispensed with or cut down
to very. modest proportions.