The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1941-02-06
The Common-tater
-By Chuck Rattle
Pete and Mabel Put
An Idea To Work.
BIZ Chuck Rattle


Wen come to that later. 1t is an idea that Pete
dismissed origin for modestly, with anyone in the
fix would have seen It," You see, in
October, 1899 the trains that hit this town between
eleven and twelve o'clock divorced from their
dinete service by the Great Northern Discovery of
this singular fact set them to thinking. Why not
meet the trains with beakers of coffee scads Of sand
witches? Might work. Pete hoped on the train
for Alexandria day. talked to his good friend,
conductor John Needham oldest on the line. Need
ham said the idea would work. Then a subsequent
flutter Of correspondence, the ultimate lease.
Now with their reversed cafeteria" year old,
Pete and Mabel admit they could do 1t "in their
Sleep.
Pete and Mabel-the contraction of which spells
the Of their little eatery the FANFARE other
wise and with more formaty Mr.. and Mrs. Lee
Dobbs, who now offer to two noon trains luncheon
service. And right the It a bit
of trial when they first started. They got in one
another's way They weren't too fast. They didn't
have all the answers to a lot Of questions They
ran short of foodstuffs. little brown box in which
Pete logged coffee didn't look too-well dignified.
And he admits freely that he worried no end.
Nervous embarrassed with the sudden newness
of the thing. they kept at it.
The fine point to which they have worked their
system would rival the chartings of efficiency
expert. Conductors Jim Cumby and John Needham
and Mr.. and Mrs Dobbs say they have been in
valuable aids-send through messages from Albany
and Alexandria from each train. The message tells
how many the train Sometimes how many
will be eating. That message reaches them about
1915. But at ten o'clock they laying out carved
loaves of bread, sliced ham, and the like. The
sandwiches made up. At 1890 goes the
coffee water. In twenty minutes it's boiling merrily
By lilo slightly the coffee is done Then
basket of sandwiches. Lee with his coffee, cream,
milk, sugar and cups. If there are twenty people
the train, fifteen of them will eat. The sand
witches offer limited variety of ham, cheese, liver
wurst often some others, doughnuts, candy bars.
Mrs. Dobbs goes ahead, calls out the orders.
She asks all the questions necessary. Pete fills
do with his hands at any given time. They have
served high CO. And believe it or not, under
pressure, they serve from to patrons In
minute.
They have had suggestions. They have had let
tiers. Frankly, but not without consideration, they
have disregarded them all. Presumably the theory
that their mistakes will indelby impress and that
anticipated contingencies the best teachers die
tcian from Fargo who saw their service one day,
wrote to suggest they wrap their sandwiches In
paper napkins that could then the double and
obvious purpose Of cleaning up the served ones
fingers. That idea didn't get to first base. They
wrap them in waxed paper In the first place
they can what the sandwich looks like in the
waxed paper. It keeps them fresher. In addition
they furnish paper napkin which extends the out
lines of their service.
They are rather proud of the fact that often
they have served rather prominent folk the train
Most Of them have been railroad people. There was
Ralph Budd, now president of the Burlington road
Hes a fine fellow" said Pete. There the wife
of the president of the Union Pacific. And Repre-
sentative Harold Knutson. Pete admits that his
wife catches these personalities. She will notice
this fur coat that lady had other per-
sonality. But Pete said my mind was on that box"
THAT box" is the acme of arrangement and
system. Painted white is the basket that
his wife carries ahead it's first curious point is
a notch at one side. The notch is where Pete puts
Sugar and spoons have their spot. Bottles of milk
have theirs In his other hand he carries the larger
cauldron of creamed coffee. Loaded the box
weighs something like IS pounds
They are always Johnny on the spot the train
wheezes in They are given ample time to
I'VE have never been put off yet" he said. We dis
cerned that Pete has a secret horror of splitting
coffee someone. Mainly because 1t Is so darned
hot and secondly because it would disrupt things
for spell. II never spilled anyone-but once.
Then the customer reached out too quickly"
She has her end and he his. She takes of the
drinker of coffee but there Is family touch in the
fact that he makes his pots of brew after a recipe
taught him by his father, the late Irv Dobbs. =.
It's a strange little sight. These two people
picking up their business walking the tracks
and waiting for the trains CARRIED in white aprons
white caps, they swing aboard with their steaming
wares, their wrapped foods. 1t has been lot
Of fun they say. . It Is good business. 1t was
no stroke of genius but a simple business deal. But
1t Is bit different. They have found this out
dressed, the somebody's" the easiest to serve
They lavish with compliments stinting with fault
finding But it's those Of no prominence who will
do the kicking.
We said that history repeats. And it does
We suppose that thirty years more ago you could
have seen similar situation. TALL youngsh man
would be trotting the platform at that same depot
with basket Of sandwiches. The man was
George OGara. A basket of sandwiches finally ex-
banded into going business that he pursued along
commentary that the business swings back to its
nceptive stage. You know, 1t has its drawbacks
though Pete says. Six days a week he has to shave
every day. Just were leaving, young son Joey
piped up. daddy want a cheese sandwich" Got
dime?" queried Dad. II don't need one, we live
here"
mage and loss of ..,.v &3