Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1920-09-17
CAFE MEN HERE
KEEP PRICES UP
DESPITE COSTS
(continucd From Page one.)

gin upon which the Bamboo Inn oper-
istes when it charges 35 cents for the
dish, 81 $40 cents, or S21 per cent.
OF course there is the labor and the
orchestra and other overhead to be met
out ef that S21 per cent margin.
eel PER CENT. Is
PRETTY PAIR" EEARGIN.
Few business men would fear for the
future if they could do business on S21
per cent.
81 gratin potatoes at this res
taurant and the addition of a ittls
cheese viii increase the cost to 40 cents.
At practically all of the prominent
hotel cafes, excepting that Of the Hotel
English, potato prices range from % to
81 cents. English's rivals some of the
cafeterias, 90 cents being the top potato
price.
Il may possibly be a surprise to learn
that the Claypool Hotel cafes highes,
potato price is q quarter.
The State Life dairy lunch and Whites
cafeteria had 'em in some humble forms
for cents per dish.
Il you want to know of a way tc
turn your money over so often and with
Sach profit that your head will swim
just glance at the prices which practi-
egIly all of the eating places are getting
for the / cent tomato.
You don't have TO cook tomatoes, so
there is no gas or cooks handling In
voIvsd
ALI you have to do is to slice up one
or two of the ons-cent beauties, slap them
on a plate and hand them over the coun-
ter of the cafeteria, or carry them out
TO the snowy linen in the cafe and charge
80 cents for them, as does the Lincoln, or
apparently, De bit more moderate, and
assess the patron 30 cents for couple
of them, as does the Claypool cafe and
the Bamboo Inn.
The margin still will be approximately
1000 per cent.
"ROASTIN' EARS COME
IN AS PROFIT AIDS.
The person who has parted with a
quarter for an ear of sweet cOrn-on-t the
cob at the Clsypool may be interested to
learn that the highest wholesale price for
sweet corn during the past two weeks
was 20 cents per dozen, making each ear
cost 1-24th OF a cent.
The retail price in this instance is just
twelve times the wholesale.
Most Of the cafeteries and some Of
the hotels manage to exist with charge
OF 10 or 15 cents pSr ear.
Passing over the price of sliced Gu
cumbers, which are somewhat hard to
get, one may jump arbitrarily into the
cost of peaches and End a shock therein.
Michigan Elbertas cost s4.75 per busheI
at one time within the fortnight
Since there are approximately $50
peaches to the Lushel the highest aver
age cost each was 31-6 cents.
For serving a couple Of them with a
little cream and sugar the Lincoln got
halt a dollar. while the Bamboo Inn,
TT. IT,
cafe struggled along on IS cents.
The Circle Cafe and the SEVERN Inn
got along with 80 cents and only about
$50 per cent for overhead and profit.
Selling watermelons, even with the
high wholesale cost Of so to IS cents each,
Is another way to rival Wallingford.
Commission men say that the melons
bought by restaurants and cafes seldom
II ever cost more than 50 cents and most
Of them serve sixteen persons from each
melon
TEN SERVINGS AVERAGE
TO EACH WATERMELON.
In some places, however, eight and ten
only are served from each melon, so TO
be fair a basis of ten viii be used.
This scent slice gets 80 cents at the
Lincoln cafe and Bamboo Inn and 80
cents at the Ciaypool.
The State Life Dairy Lunch was sery-
Ing NICE slice aC the old-TaSnloned
price Of 10 cents.
There apparently has. been less profit
IN cantaloupes than in other seasonsble
foods, since the average wholesale cost
lately has been around % cents each and
at most places they are being served at
25 and 30 cents per half.
Two can live as eheaply and as well as
one, provided the one eats at the higher
class cafes and the two buy closely and
eat at home.
The Better Business Bureau is sending
q special bulletin to hotels, restaurants
and lodging houses. requesting that they
refrain from any act which would bear
put the statement OF a newspaper in
another State. that Indianapolis hotels
win take advantage Of the G. A. r. ma
tional encampment next week to hold
up for call the sraffic will bear"
The Bulletin says:
The Better Business Bureau, in ap-
pealing to indianapolis business men
generally to gee that these aged men and
women are extended every courtesy,
wishes to call your attention to these IN
fair rumors and to ask your assistance
Ia seeing that there shall be no cause for
reporting a single case Of prodteering, or
charging more than usual for food"