New-York tribune., 1922-07-30
RestallrateulrS
To Have Their
Dictator, Too
Decide to Follow Lead of
Film Men and Theaters
and Pick Some Big Man
as a S'Shock Absorber"
''Life Is One Long Kick
New y orkers Plugging for
W. H. Hirst; Leader To
Be Named i'm October

The army of national industries seek
ing personal evangelists to guide them
through the maze of complexities aris-
ing out of the modern passion for gov
ernmental regulation of private affairs
gained new recruit yesterday. Now
it is the Society of Restaurateurs,
which is going to adopt Moses of it's
very own.
The restaurant men say they have
been harder hit by what they call fool
laws of one kind or another than al
most any industry in the country. OBJ
serving the success which has attended
the efforts Of Kenesaw Mountain
Landis, the high commissioner of base
ball; the subsequent furor which the
film men made when they persuaded
Will Hays to take over the job of
chaperoning the pictures, and finally
the enthusiasm with which Augustus
Thomas has been hailed as the savior
of the theater, the restaurant folk have
decided to follow suit in trumps.
MIR. Henlsel Explains
The announcement of the new move
was made yesterday by Paul Henkel,
of Keen's Chop House. Mr.. Henkel
explained that the idea had been dis
cussed for some time, and that it had
been definitely decided at a general
meeting Of the New York society that
now was the propitious moment. Mr..
Henkel added that the matter would
bo prominently before the national
convention of the society at Washing
ton in October, and that a decision
would probably be made then.
New. York restaurant men are plug
ging for William H. Hirst, the law
yer, who has been connected with the
legal affairs of the society and of it's
individual members for many years
His friends here believe that as the
official Poo-Bah of the where too dine
ambulance business Attorney Hirst
would be an unqualified success, and
they will go to Washington prepared
to advocate his candidacy for the job,
If he wants it, against all comers.
Long Succession of Kicks
owe need him, or somebody like him,
all right" Mr.. Henkel said yesterday.
"The movies and the theaters are all
up in the air at the mere threat of
thing to worry about. The restaurants
and private agencies for more years
than l care to think of. These days
the life of restaurateur is one long
succession of kicks. Uncle Sam kicks
if he doesn't do this; old New York
State kicks if he doesn't do something
else; the Police Department kicks if he
attempts certain business boosting
schemes, the reformers are always at
his throat; and as always happens in
such circumstances the restaurant that
makes the most earnest effort to COM
ply with all the rules and regulations,
or at least tries to know that they eX-
list, is the restaurant that gets all the
worst of it. Even our friends, the
hotel men, give us a poke in the ribs
once in a while, and I'm sure we de-
serve better of them than that
Needs Shock Absorber
"What the restaurant business needs
is q shock absorber, some big man who
will be O point of contact between the
harassed restaurant owner and the
agencies which harass him. A sort Of
a clearing house for kickers. where
they can exercise their antagonistic in
stincts without running an entire in
dustry. We are ready to meet every
body half way. The trouble is that as
things are now the first time we hear
of some of these objections to US is
when somebody serves us with war
rant. That's too late for friendly dis
cussion."
Mr.. Henkel limited that not the least
important of the duties of the new
Restaurant Commissioner would be to
establish some sort of liaison between
the restaurant men and the various
organizations which are working for a
modification of the Volstead act which
would permit the sale of light wines
and beer with meals. He considered
this the most important issue affecting
the restaurant business at this time,