Evening star., 1943-03-24
Restaurant Orders
OF Meat Expected
To Average 30unces
But Large Steaks Could Be
Obtoined at Places
Charging Foncy Prices
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
What happens-after meat ra-
tioning starts Monday-to the lad
who likes his steaks rare. and big,
and plenty of 'em?
The Government order limiting
Americans, after March 20, to l6
ration points a week a person for
meat-and butter and cheese and
cooking fats-will slow down the
steak eater If he eats at home.
since popular cuts are points
pound.
But If he uses those two pounds
at home, he can go to a restaurant
to MI that ache for filet mignon-
II there's any left. A lot of other
persons might be having the same
idea at the same time.
May Cut Portions.
Here's the picture:
Restaurants are rationed only on
the amount Of meat they can pur-
chase, not on the amount they sell
to customer.
On one side a restaurant may do
this:
Get its allotted amount of meat
ana other rationed food, then ration
that food to the customers by cut
ting down each portion served.
A restaurant wishing to remain
open every day would have to ration
Its customers in order to make its
meat supply last.
But there is no ceiling on the price
restaurants may charge for food.
so suppose this happened:
A restaurant which has been SELL
ing steak dinners at $2.75-with the
steak weighing maybe ~ pounds
could jump the price to $3.50, or to
any figure that traffic would bear
and still sell the same poundage.
Alternative Programs.
To get those prices. of course
would require clientele with a fat
pocketbood, but those pocketbooks
are plentiful.
1t also would mean that same
restaurant-rationed like any other
on the amount of meat 1t could OBJ
tain legally-wouldnt be able to
Keep on selling IL pounds of steak
to each customer day after day
during any single ration period.
But suppose the restaurant man
ager decided it was more profitable
TO clean out his supplies in three
DAYS at high figure, then shut
down for the rest of the week, than
to stay open all week, cut portions
ana serve a greater number of |
people.
That sort Of dealing, however, is
suggested only as what could hap |
pen at this time when there is no |
limitation on restaurant portions.
The Agriculture Department report
edly has been working on a limita-
ton order, but it has not appeared
yet.
Actually, however, meat portions
IN restaurants probably will average
around 8 ounces customer at any
one meal, this in addition to pro-
portionately reduced helpings of
butter and canned foods.
OPA oficials say they are anxious
tnat restaurants-in this country
there are about 500 900, including
hotels, greasy spoon joints and even
dining cars-get fair treatment un-
Ger rationing since they perform
q vital service.
Restaurants are rationed this wav:
Iney register. then are given |
their allotments. based on the num-
per OF persons they served in De-
cember. plus b factor which the OPA
explains Is = percentage figure cal
culated on current supplies.
For instance: If two weeks from
now the available supplies were bet
ter than next week an adjustment
could be made.
But diners-out and restaurants
alike will have to do some figuring
when 1t comes to rationing meat to
restaurant patrons.
AS an example: Perhaps restau-
rant decides to allow each customer
only 3 ounces of steak. That cal
culation most likely would be based
on the weight of the meat before
cooking. ''
A rare steak will weigh slightly
more than a well-done steak. A
hungry customer who liked his steak
well done might then prefer it rare
so he'd get more of If