Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-03-12
ARSENAL LUNCH
PLACE LARGEST
NOW OPERATING
Cafeteria Covering Plat 100 by 800
Feet Has Capacity to Serve
1882 at Once.
PRICES LOWEST POss
Employees Flock to Place at Noon
Hour to Secure Meals-AIso
Conduct Stores.

know that within three miles OF
their residences at the extreme
western portion Of the city there
Is located the largest and most up
to-date cafeteria in the world?
That question was asked a rep
resentative of The Argus who de-
cided to find out how true the
statement was and he found that it
HAS a fact. At Rock Island ar
sena1 there is today the largest and
probably the finest cafeteria in the
entire world. At least Rock Island
officers who have Investigated
similar institutions throughout the
country, have been able to find no
better.
Between the hour of 11:45 in the
morning and 12:45 in the after
noon every day an average of 1900
Rock Island arsenal workers are
served warm dinners and at prices
unequaled in the tri-cities or prob
ably any city in either Illinois or
Iowa.
Here's the prices set before the
arsenal workers for their MONDAY
meal:
Meats or salads 10 cents
Anything else ........5 cents
The highest priced items on the
menu are 10 cents each. Meat
and salad, both served in large por-
tons, sell for that amount, while
bread, potatoes, pie, ice cream, bis
cults, soup or anything else costs
SQnly cents and there is no profit
made.
Management Of the cafeteria is
under the direction Of C. P. Schaef-
fer, Davenport restaurant owner,
and W. G. Sanford, treasurer Of
the Davenport Manufacturing
company, and a former cafeteria
manager. They are working the
arsenal cafeteria on commission
basis and excessive profits are pre-
vented In a manner suggested by
the government-thsy are stopped
as soon as they are started-by re-
ducing the prices and by giving
large portions Of food to the pat
rons.
The mems side of the cafeteria
building, which covers a plat of
ground 100 feet by 300 feet, has a
seating capacity of 1900 feet. The
woman's room at the west end of
the building will seat 400 at a time.
Ninety-two can be accommodated in
the officers dining room, which is
utilized by officers and shop direc-
tors as a meeting place.
Use Stagger System.
A stagger method is used in the
cafeteria in order to accommodate
all of the patrons in the shortest
possible time. Each Is minutes
during the noon hour finds GER
tain number of workers on hand
for their meals. The girls are the
last ones served and their noon
hours are arranged accordingly.
In the kitchen, which covers a
space so by 70 feet, can be found
the most up-to-date and most sani-
tary conveniences possible. There
are four modern ranges and ovens,
automatic dish washers, two So
gallon and one 50-galIon soup watts,
six vegetable steamers, hash max
ing machine and meat slicers most
OF which are operated by electric
tty.
The cafeteria has its own FIVE
ton refrigerating plant and three
storage ice boxes, each having
capacity Of q carload of material.
Have Stores.
In connection with the cafeteria,
a store is operated where cigars,
candy, fruit and tobacco is sold
Wholesale dealers of the tri-cities
assert that the store uses more of
these products than any other
store In the tri-cities. The aver
age noon-hour sales total more
than 500. A store is kept in both
the mems and women's DEPART
The Rock Island arsenal cafe
terra was started at the suggestion
of the late Colonel Leroy T. Hill
man, who before the signing of the
armistice, was arsenal comman-
dant. He requested such a project
for the welfare OF the arsenal work
ers with the end in view that a
warm dinner and the exercise
gained in walking to the eating
place was better, not only for the
worker, but for the government
Arrangements were first made
when the cafeteria was started on
Jan. to provide for night and day
business, the night shift at that
time being worked on the island
However, night work lasted but
four weeks after the opening date
and only the one meal is now being
served, and that at noon.
DAVENPORT FIVE