The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1921-05-25
sToop Loss ~ sueAR


week at present although they worked
for si5 and $50 per month before the
war Girl mattresses are paid SIS for
SIX eight hour days against the 81 and
IS a week wage they received in 1915
one waiter viii average fifty customers
q day at present which is half of the
amount Of work he did a year or SO ago,
and because of this the cost Of service,
Including kitchen labor, is l. cents per
patron.
The restaurant keepers said that the
foodstuds that have dropped IN price
10 the greatest oxtents are -four, sugar
and potatoes
Bread. potatoes and sugar are served
free with all orders it was stated.
During the war when -four, sugar
and potatoes went TO unheard Of prices
we did not increase our prices proper
tionately." said Peter Brahos. This
was due to the stiff competition in Ham
mond. The volume of business was so
great, however. that we all made a prof
II but there wasn't a restaurant keeper
in Hammond who got rich. If we had
gone UP in price In the same ratio as
the cost of food we could have made big
reductions after the war and the public
would have ben satisfied
you Will remember that Hammond
was one city where the restaurants did
not charge ten cents a cup for coffee,
the past few years We gave sugar
away when it was rs cents a pound ana
we are still giving # away with a cup
of coffee for five cents"
PRICE COMPARISON
The restaurant keepers made the fol
lowing comparison of cost prices in 1915
and 1921:
1915 1921
chops, 10 and 1zc. Chops, % cents
Loin (steaks) Loln (steaks)
16 and 18c Sc and S3c.
Coffee, Is cents Coffee, 81 cents.
Cream, 50 cents Cream, $40.
C'ucumbers- Cucumbers,-
cents apiece IS cents apiece
Tomatoes Tomatoes
II cents a lb 3S and 4oc ID
Mix. s1.35 a can Mix. $500 a can.
Restaurant prices are less than for
ty per cent. higher than they were N
1916" stated Mr.. Brahos. who acted as
spokesman for the restaurant keepers.
"On the other hand oul overhead IS
sixty-fve or seventy per cent. higher.
With an investment of from 5000 to
$4,000 the restaurant owner Is making
a profit of from 5000 to s400 a month
and working from twelve TO eighteen
hours himself Some Of the men pres
ent tell me they are losing money.
We are willing 10 cut prices if our
ov erh cad expense can be reduced. The l
greater item of all is the labor We
have an agreement with the unions
" hich elapses in September and if the /
unions can be persuaded To accept (
reasonable adjustment Of the scale we !
VIII be in a position to lower prices.
You cannot judge our profit by com
pairing the wholesale cost Of eggs with /
The price we charge. During the war
there was no profit in serving eggs. At 1
times there was a loss. Vow there is 4
profit but it is not as great as the I
public imagines Although the farmer .
only receives II and is cents a dozen .
for eggs We pay from IS 10 81 cents.
We cannot buy wholesale. The whole
sale houses forces us to buy of the loc-
al retailer"
Those present at the meeting Of res
taurant keepers were Peter Brahos.
Hammond cafe: Fred Dohovan Koffoe
ILup: S. D. Joreilis. American rcstau-
rant: James Dixon, Blue Bird; Frank l..
Young, Elko; William Miller, Union;
Charles Makris, Monon Lunch; Theo-
dorerGuscoff Hammond Hotel; James
Bereolos. Main