Arkansas State press. [volume] (Little Rock, Ark.) 1941-1959, 1949-04-15

THE NEGRO REsTAURATEUR as a general rule
does not have the business sense to say Good
Morning.. There seems to be mental pause upon
entering his place of business which makes you
uneasy to begin the task of getting something 10
eat BY the time you have had a menu and estab-
lshed contact with either the proprietor or his
servants YOU have once again discovered that the
Negro restaurant is the same wherever you 60!
The purpose of entering here some observations
made during eleven years of eating in restaurants
is not to scod attempt vengeance for all OF the
disservce of the years but rather to make the Ne
gro restaurateur conscious of his public duty IN
the operation of restaurant
The average Negro restaurant compares only
slightly better than the analogy which might De
made of HOG STOPPING AT THE TROUGH!
In feeding hogs you just pour out the sopi ana no"
your Imagination has done the rest!
Shall we talk about Cd the management "
the menu and prices and (3> the service?
Most owners and or operators OF restaurants
are either persons who qualify Cd because Of
cooking abilityand CO some money to open
business Seldom, if ever you will find one train
ed in the management of such an establishment.
Most of them Just decided to 60 into the business
In most instances there is such an acute need for
such an establishment that unconsciously the ope-
rator believes he has been Godsend to the Negro
patron So this brings us to the arrogance and APP
parent independence which make us so uneom-
Portable when go to eat.
Just the other day in vain attempt to get the
service for which l willing to pays an owner
of restaurant told me in the presence Of his hired
hand that you're wrong. This owner has not been
saturated with the number one step in the operation
of a successful business THE CusIoMEh ID
ALWAYS RIGHT" Since Negroes is some sections
of our country have had the privilege of eating
in first class white restaurants, it has been help-
full to see the business principles which are SHOWN
in the type of service given the patron In most Oh
the large eating houses, the management employs
one to do nothing more than to get the patron 10
the dinner table and to see that the patron is COM
fortably seated and placed. Such person Is called
steward or a hostess somebody to make you
feel az though Won are at home Despite the in
adequacy in finance or volume of business, the idea
ebould he ever present for the diner The manage
ment of Negro restaurants would do we'll to dispel
whatever gloom hovers about them which makes
them not say Good Morning or "Howdy' or we
are glad to have you!' AT breakfast this morning
sat and watched the owner who was reading
newspaper! Not once any attention PAID to pa
irons coming into the place the only attention
given was accept payment of checks and to utter
a meaningless Thank You! There are SO very
many small things which good manager can 90
to insure continued patronage. Newcomers or WIS.,
itors should receive such treatment as VIII make
them want to return regular patrons should at all
times be given such consideration as will help to
make them comfortable and to service their appe-
ttes Some managers bubble over portion OF
vegetables and at the end of the day most of the
chow goes into the slop An extra portion to a
customer makes the diner feel that you want his
business FREE DOSAGE OF CHEER AND PLEN-
Try ICE WATER AND FOOD WILL DO YOU
WELL. More next week on the Negro restauratuer
CONSTRUCTION UNDERWATER with the old
bricks removed from West Second Avenue near
Yancey.s Radio Shop and hauled to the Townsend
t,arLt Tho hricks will probaby be used in building