In preparing an article of this character it is almost impossible to eliminate the time-worn race question, especially if one has decided views on the subject. It is only fair, however, to differentiate between the American of foreign birth who is a good citizen and the foreigner who is a detriment to his adopted country, and to give to each his due. "Americanism" is a popular word today, and rightly so, as the present industrial situation demonstrates; for a slow but mighty struggle is going on to determine whether American principles or radical foreign theory shall prevail.

Americanism in this sense is not directed at race, creed, or the so-called hyphenates, but at the destructive or anti-progressive forces. It is these forces, not nationality, which the country wishes to eliminate. Accordingly, in this and succeeding articles we shall endeavor to present to the reader an unprejudiced view of the nationalities in the restaurant field, setting aside the race question and airing the good and the bad as we find them, without fear or favor.

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A history of the Greek in the American restaurant field would be a history of the Greek people in America, for the history of Greek-Americans and the history of Greek-American restaurants are almost identical. Of the Americans of Greek birth or extraction in this country over 75 per cent are in some kind of food business, and the question naturally arises, Why? Is it racial tendency, instinct, natural ability, or what?

It is hardly racial tendency, for the average Greek immigrant to the United States was either a farmer or a shepherd in his native land. If it were instinct, we think that it would certainly have manifested itself before his arrival in this country. As to natural ability, there is no evidence to show that the Greek has any finer "food-sense" than other foreign-born Americans. What then is the reason for his unique success in the restaurant business?

For an answer let us look into a city where approximately 3,000 restaurants and about 1,500 confectionery stores which serve lunch are operated by Americans of Greek birth or extraction. The city is Chicago, and we believe that it illustrates practically all the conditions, good, bad, and indifferent, 3which prevail throughout the country.

In order better to understand the reasons for this large number of Greek restaurants, it is necessary to go back about as far as the year 1885, when, according to our investigators, the Greeks began to arrive in Chicago. Unlike other aliens, the Greek did not seek work on the railroads, the popular job for immigrants in those days, nor did he attach himself to any other form of day labor. As far as we have been able to learn, he avoided all heavy work and used his brains instead. We first find him associated with Italian merchants as helper in a fruit store or a market, and, because he was thrifty, industrious, and quick to learn, it was not long before he was peddling produce on his own account.

The success of several of Chicago's wealthiest Americans of Greek birth has been traced to these early days, and this success was due to their being at the market with their wagons just a little earlier than their competitors, and consequently reaching the trade before their less diligent rivals appeared.

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From peddling they turned to fruit stores, and from fruit stores to confectioneries. About 1900 they made their first serious ventures in restaurant-keeping. It was a crude attempt at first, but the method proved both successful to the owner and satisfactory to the patron. The lunch wagon was the means, and the factory worker's patronage was the end.

At that time the dinner pail was the emblem of the American workingman, and it seemed likely to continue to be so, because no one had thought of the idea of creating a restaurant to serve this man. Then the Greek came. He drove his lunch wagon at the noon hour to the factory district, and was popular from the start. Later he opened restaurants close to the factories, serving food at prices which appealed to the laborers, and eventually he won a reputation for himself.

In 1912 the Greek restaurant was first felt as a factor in Chicago. To-day, Greeks operate 35 per cent of the restaurants in Chicago, and about 15 per cent of these are in the Loop, the central business district. Ninety per cent of these Greek restaurant-owners are naturalized citizens or have declared their 5intention of becoming citizens. The daily business of these men, in Chicago alone, averages half a million dollars, and the business of all the Greek restaurant-keepers in the country is ten times this amount. Their investments in this city exceed $8,000,000.

Our investigators were sent out to find out the facts regarding the so-called Greek restaurant. One thousand five hundred and three restaurants were inspected. We are listing the questions asked by the inspectors and the information gathered by them:

1. Does the Greek use another name than his own for his restaurant because he has reasons for hiding his identity, because he is ashamed of his name, or for some other reason?

Two hundred and seventeen Greek-American restaurant-owners were interviewed who do not use their own names on their restaurants. The answers in all cases 6are practically the same. Their names are long and impossible to pronounce or to remember; in most cases they contain from seventeen to thirty letters, and one name contains forty. Not only do the Greeks find it awkward to do business under their own names, but good business practice impels them to localize their restaurants by giving them neighborhood names, such as motion-picture houses and theaters have.

2. Does the Greek pay low wages, employ only Greeks, and use un-American methods?

Five hundred and fifty Greek restaurant-owners were interviewed on this subject. Our investigators were told that Greeks had been accused of bringing boys from Greece to America, paying their passage and making them work out the debt in their restaurants. This is so palpable a falsehood that it requires no refutation. Not one Greek immigrant has come to America in the last five years.

In the restaurants examined we found that the wages received by employees are 7practically equal to those paid by other restaurants for the same kind of service. Waiters receive $20 a week, dishwashers $12, cooks $30 to $35, and cashiers $14. In all cases the restaurant-owner provides the employee's meals in addition to these wages. Almost every nationality is represented on the pay rolls.

In Chicago there are 25,000 Greeks, of whom 7,000 are women. Of the 18,000 men more than 10,000 are businessmen who own their establishments. This leaves 8,000 Greek men to be employed for wages. But the 3,000 Greek-American restaurants have on their pay rolls 20,000 employees, so that if all the 8,000 employable Greeks worked in restaurants, 12,000 more employees would be required. In all places investigated in Chicago we found that the Greek pays standard wages and observes legal requirements as to hours of labor. The environment and the working conditions of employees were, on the average, as good as those in other restaurants visited, and there was a noticeable effort on the part of the owners to educate the employees in the finer points of cleanliness and sanitation.

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3. Is the kitchen of the Greek-American restaurant less clean than that of other restaurants?

To get the answer to this question, we examined carefully the records of the Chicago Health Department. We found no more complaints against Greek-American restaurants than against restaurants in general, irrespective of ownership. In this connection we quote a letter dated October 10, signed by the Health Commissioner of Chicago:

"On the subject of the sanitary conditions of restaurants under Greek management in the City of Chicago we have to say that the Department has no record of Greek restaurants segregated from the records of restaurants operated by all nationalities, but the experience of the Department of Inspection is such that the claim could not be made that Greek restaurants were different in rank as regards sanitation and methods from any other restaurants.

"John Dill Robertson.

"Commissioner of Health."

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4. Do Greeks hoard their money to send it abroad, or do they spend it in America?

Prominent bankers of Chicago were interviewed. Totals which our investigators were able to gather from our own statistics showed that Greeks had $8,000,000 invested in Chicago alone. Bankers expressed the opinion that the Greek is a good bond customer, a thrifty man who always endeavors to keep his money working. He is inclined to invest his funds in real estate.

5. What kind of establishment does the Greek operate?

A careful examination of more than a thousand Greek restaurants shows that the average investment is from three to five thousand dollars. The best fixtures, furniture, and equipment are purchased. Interviews among the supply houses indicate that the Greeks are progressive, do everything possible to improve the appearance of their places of business, and are reasonably prompt in payment.

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6. What is the quality of food served by Greeks?

A careful check was made of this matter, and in only a few cases could our investigators find that inferior food was purchased by Greeks. Meat is bought from such concerns as Armour, Swift, Morris, and Wilson, canned goods from the leading wholesale grocers, and vegetables from reputable firms on South Water Street. The only places where we found that foodstuffs of second quality were used were restaurants in the poorer quarters of the city where the clientele could not afford to pay for first-class food. We found one case of a Greek-American who owned nineteen restaurants,and had twice failed in business because he served food of first quality in a poor neighborhood, where he could not get the requisite price for it. Yet he would not accept the alternative of serving second-rate food.

7. Are Greeks naturalized American citizens?

Our investigators found that of the 3,000 so-called Greek restaurants in Chicago 90 per cent were operated by American citizens of Greek extraction.

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They have an association, the platform of which we hereby quote, in part. The association pledges itself to:

"The development of friendly relations between the native American and the American of Greek birth;

"Loyalty to our adopted country;

"Conformity to the ways and the institutions of our adopted country;

"Active participation in the commercial, fraternal, political, and social development of the place in which we live and prosper; "Opposition to unscrupulous imitators who sell substitutes and make illegitimate use of the names of honest merchants and merchandise;

"The maintenance of sanitary conditions, and co-operation with the Health Department; and

"The establishment of better business relations with the people of this commonwealth, and the endeavor to make America greater and better."

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In investigating the private lives of Greeks we found that they send their children to the public schools and take an active part in neighborhood development. There is nothing to indicate that they are not good citizens.

The Greek-American is a successful restaurateur in Chicago, and we find by observation that he is meeting competition squarely. It is strange but true that he has never gone in for attractions such as cabarets, orchestras, and dancing, but is maintaining prosperous and popular restaurants in the heart of the districts where cabarets abound. There must be a reason for his success. Is it food, price, service, or what? We have found that he uses standard and nationally-advertised foods just as his competitors do, and that in the preparation of food he apparently does not excel his neighbors. His prices, perhaps, are a trifle lower than those of other restaurants, but his overhead and maintenance expenses are approximately the same. If he gives better service than others, we have not noted any great difference; he pays to his employees the standard wage paid by his competitors.

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The fact is that the Greek-American is a good businessman; he is industrious, and he has vision and foresight. His rise in Chicago is due solely to these faculties, which after all are the foundation of nearly every American's success, regardless of race or nationality.