Caterers note book
100 years ago
The very great difficulty that has arisen in the past of supplying waiters with noiseless shoes for carrying out their duties quietly has now been effectually overcome by the celebrated boot makers of St Peter's Square, Manchester, who have, after considerable trouble, succeeded in bringing out a good serviceable shoe made of durable material, which they offer in three separate fittings - broad, medium and narrow - at 7s 6d each, with 6d extra for postage.
50 years ago
Minimum rates of wages for managers, manageresses and all grades of workers in cafés and tea-shops are proposed in a notice issued by the Café Wages Board (the unlicensed Place of Refreshment Wages Board), submitted to the Minister of Labour and published this week.
It is estimated that 33,000 employers and nearly 250,000 workers in the unlicensed café trade are affected.
Main points of the proposals are a minimum wage of £5 15s for managers and £4 15s for manageresses, 21 years of age or over, who normally work for an employer in the London area not less than 36 hours per week, with special overtime rates for night and Sunday work.
10 years ago
The bill to allow restaurateurs to serve drinks with meals in the afternoon was last week faltering badly in the House of Commons.
Now the bill may be held up indefinitely at its second stage.
As Caterer & Hotelkeeper went to press, the Restaurateurs Association of Great Britain was holding an eleventh hour meeting to see how it could preserve the Licensing (Restaurant Meals) Bill which had passed successfully through the House of Lords.
The bill, to allow drinking hours in restaurants to be extended from 3pm to 5.30pm weekdays and 2pm to 7pm Sundays, was first thrown out of the Commons by an objection two weeks ago.
