THE DELICATESSEN SHOP.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 116, 8 February 1908, Page 15

THE DELICATESSEN SHOP.

'A NE'W AVENUE OP MONEY-MAKING. ■ ■ For many goucrations' Amcncan women travailing abroad have-lookcdiwith, more or ■ less pity, on tho continental housewives who, from. lack, of kitchen facilities and fuel, buy tlioir.meals' or part of thorn ready prepared , fiom; : vbakeshdp3: or, 1 tiny stores in)whicli all' sorts;of cooked food aro'on-snlo. • To-day, in :' cities ->jvhei'o the-'.'servnnt-girl question is' well-nigh • unsolvablo and whero tho con-' ■ tinenta] j storo under the fascinating title of . "delicatessen shop" has boon established by an,'eySi ; ' r increasihg foreign -population'.to meet its own. needs, tho, harried housewife no ;idngeaj;smiles, pityingly; but. ■ appreciatively.: •i /Dnfllcipfdsbht*'.. 'conditioiis : iof s ';small apart-''. . aoiits - houses, high rents; cxpensivo . ■ tueljvanil incompetent servants, tho houjscwifo forced to appeal lo tlio delicatessen this affords,the woman of. good. . '-iusiniisS-.ability and cookery . and. fibitrkotiiig . a new' opening . .for her energies'. ii . ; "Doljcatesson" means literally "delicato .-eatables," and tho woman who enters this , particular lino of trade > should bear this • literal.-.';translation m mind. . Delicacy of food.? iramaculalo service,. attention»to "tho, - lieetlj,.ind tastes of her. customers—tlieso phrases: should form her motto;. ; .i, ...'.lni?New .York', (says a writer, in tho '■'AVomen's American Home Companion") theideal;ulelicutesson 'shops -, are agleani with whitq ,paint, mirrors, white or bluo and " white; chiEa,' glass -/receptacles ; and "shiiiiug: ; .utjcnsils.;; J?ood is protected from, dust and germsj!.and all coverings aro of glass, which is. kopfc 'delightfully, clean. It is m a shop ... liko - this that. tho best igoods arc served, - thn rbest. customers attracted and tho best prices-received. _ ' •-A- fully equipped v .delicatessen , shop can supply,t on a minute's notice':'preparetf food for a-courso dinner. All tho purchaser nceds'ito do is to ..-warm it .up tin her -oven, oycrt.';her. gas stove or. in ' her chafing dish. Soups,•:-:liame made or canned, all sorts of 'i;;^bast>s^spld;in an/ portion desired, f&wl, ;de-i ? entrees, macaroni and cheese, Saratoga'chips for the ; potato course, fish cakes,w Boston baked beans, salads of all sorts,-'Vpickles, relishes in bulk or in small jars,Kpresorves, jellies, pies, Charlotte.Russe, , cakes, bread,, cheese, I 'nuts and ' thero you 'are, a complete menu ■ for anfcourse-dinner,. and a -hundred .siigges-;. tioiis' 'fa&i . .; for. : :ttfq'l'unexpected lunch'eon'guest;''" Tl)o delicatessen dealer proper offers.only ... cooked--'food;; but as customers * like to con--1 contrate their' marketing, jin: timo ho,.is a)-, most,,invariably obliged: to 'add sugar, coffee; j tea;.- soap, and other staplo groceries. :■ .:■ In fchb'.shop' the. attractive cooked food .■ is kept, ;• on-,;^^display:; while.-,'grp^o'ries^are;,'put : in-.,the. background "■ < - ' • ' J HO W GOODS AREiOBTAINED 1 AND SOLD.' In the better class ofestablishments'ithe' .eookmg. is all dono on the ground;- If the traders very large, a chef is employed, and .'. a,', 3as.: if the. 1 .- worbcd"in a. restaurant or - hotel.'«»But;->tho'' shop :.wl!ioh- 'ofteli'<pays -best returns is' run by; 'man f and,..wifo. or oftenitwo women—one • who btiys' and manages the, storo and an- : othcr'wno-.cooks and' mounts guard over -the ftilclien.i to;,prevent) waste t j Airmatenals. must bo. bought an. quantities, at wllolesale if possible; aml when a grocery stock is, added, .this-; Solves the problem of cheap supplies..', ..Care must bo taKen not to overstock f00d.;.:-:' Better, todisappoint- tono' orr. two customers than to •throw &way, quantities.- of food ;tifiat ; will mot: keep till.-the-'inorrorf.". AiuMctfmo addvtliatf the,-, delicatessen dealer must' bo?-inostvrtffe-ful,about serving only freshly prepared food: A.case of ptomaino ; -poisoning;',' among.her. : customers which;might.bo"tVaoed to 'of .stalo., or tainted food* V!Wdnld : t' _ runi -her.' trade.' \ - ',-.'J : y;; ::,o ' 'I'lie, newcomer in this .field, slionld tako as. her- watchword, '.'pure food," which ; 'is cookery cry of tho present .day.3flll» slid' •. serves only fine e.rta f pi;ep£)red a she. - will attract tho customers, who demand fruits ~ and that' come iir glass jars, not in. tin, cans. She will have .no call for grocery "seconds.?/-'''?; 5-fro .womdn', irr.this liusiness .who (leparts far: / from tho bargaincounter idea"ovciltually makes' money. She . must, educato her . public, '*but : as soon as housewives -find-that-they :can buy prepared ■ food that tastes as if it had been cooked ill their own o.yens/andj.perhaps- a .littlo .better}-, they, will, bo'iwjjlingf:to'pay for itV,i K ' Goods aro 'sold «m small -'-quantities,' ; aml . hereinrlies^t^ie ..profit.to,.the-vpropnetor -of' : the shop who prepares them iii large quantities. .To the dolicatessen v :.sKop.i.: goes '.the, , -.youngywifo or bachelor/imaid . couple of: furnished rooms.Sho : buys butter. by. the-half pound, beans in-a tiny tin'pan, enough .baked macaroni: and,i cheeso for j jiist one-niealj- a coupln l of picklbs/'or a cliiclcen , log. . ;And the chicken which is sold -in por-. tions to-individual customers, the' proprietor's purse nearly double what a whole chicken would {represent. ?", , s , The costibf .delivering delicatessen goods to" , cuatomers.is about tho .same as groceries If - .'tin or,porcelain receptacles are'sent, out'with' the'goods, their cost 'is added to the bill, with;tho right have the price refunded on return-of the receptacle. But nearly all moist. • dchcatosseii food , is . delivered , quickly or ::■ taken: hbine by tlis ' marketer, and is there-'' .fore:,placed first m fibre dishes or pails, then wrapped in paper. PRICED CHARGED FOR,' PREPARED • FOOD' lhci .prices, thaiged in, if,delicatessen shop ■ are the same. gr K .a.-..ti'ifle.:-.lower.-than,.:thoso. which prevail nil a'reasonable-priced unt. Like the mmiagei of the restauiant, tho/fdolicatessonidealor must" tiay.:-reiit>'pro-ride fuel, - Iho lvoman y."iio -. w 111 . -succeed' as - prov pnetress|of a jtelicateKenSshopjistlie;.dn>S who; combines with'; df .lioiise-.: f ookitig JbusiiiessiXhe shiftless, easygoing' nom.ur will never succeed Jf slip intends } to givo her attention to tho kitchen ,ahd tho' cooking, bho . ;! fannlv;6ivaii :; interested partner to take cliarge of thesbop' - and: deal'iwith ;: isportant, :;becaus6- "'only, by : studying what -.. pleases—or. displeases—her customers can alie establish herself on a firm basis- Good' ;:; ]udgment:t;is .necessary,- also. You must '''^"^..Touristockr^of' prepared food to the locality in which -you 1 two?ways-;of;, starting in the ' ,business; Ono with capital, and one without. -: TheiTWoman withj a fow hundred dollars can afford to oixiii her own shop at onco. The • ' woman vvith only a few dollars at her coni- '' mand ; and.;a comfortable home kitchen must iil a .mnch.ihumbler way. • , the .woman with capital may ' select one of two.ways.to start; Either 'she rents a part of "a store 'froraSS-', successful grocer, or she opens, a small, either case she sno.uldi.select a .Btrect,, not'' too far from, the vfcsidentiaDdis-* , . trict. . 5' -,: y' l ',,-" Sho _must hav ( q amplo.sholf and,.show-case . room, tor her .attractive'stock;:.a- place.-:, to' : ooolc,- and;proper receptacles,' 1 -such as'refrigerators; stone heavy china and glass jars; etc.'' ; ', - v.. xi' '■