MISCELLANEOUS OCCUPATIONS

RESTAURANTS.

The hotel industry has been one of the most important industries in the city. In 1926, there were 126 tea shops and 21 hotels and a total of 178 persons were employed in them. Round about 1947, there were 188 restaurants and 53 boarding and lodging houses in the city. The total number of restaurants, khanavalis and residential hotels at the time of survey was 300 employing 1,169 persons out of whom 260 including 35 females and 118 children were members of owners' families and others paid servants. Restaurants and tea shops were located in almost all the wards, residential hotels mostly in C ward and khanavalis in C and E wards.

There were 248 tea shops and restaurants at the time of survey. They employed 829 persons out of whom 630 were paid employees and the remaining members of owners' families. Out of 248 shops, 98 were located in C ward, 48 in E ward, 40 in A ward, 39 in D ward and 23 in B ward. Only six establishments of different sizes were surveyed in the sample. The shops in the sample were started between 1942 and 1952. Catering of tea and other eatables was the principal occupation in these shops. Five shops were situated in rented premises and one in the owned premise of the proprietor.

The initial capital required for starting the establishment was provided by the owners from their own capital. The capital investment in the six units varied from Rs. 800 to Rs. 10,000. The owner of the biggest unit had invested Rs. 10,000 in the establishment, the owner of medium sized unit about Rs. 3,000 and the capital investment in the smallest unit was about Rs. 800.

The equipment required for tea shops was furniture like chairs, tables, cupboards etc., and few utensils for cooking, crockery, and mirrors for decoration. Two establishments, small and big sized, had equipment worth Rs. 400 and Rs. 1,200 respectively. Durability of each piece of furniture was said to be between five years and 10 years. A few pieces of crockery were replaced every month. Annual expenditure for repairing the equipment of each establishment varied from Rs. 15 to Rs. 100.

The total employment in all the above six units was 58 out of whom 11 persons including one child, were members of employers' families. The remaining 47 persons were paid employees including eight children. These employees were paid monthly wages and provided with daily food. One establishment was also giving them clothes. The other one was only paying wages and not serving daily food. Five units in the sample paid them wages along with food. Wages of a waiter in each of the five units varied from Rs. 20 to Rs. 40. Two establishments employed cooks, who were paid Rs. 50 each.

Other items of expenditure were rent of the premises, water and electricity charges, municipal licence fee and advertisement. Rent of the premises of the smallest establishment was Rs. 18 and in the case of the remaining four it varied from Rs. 60 to Rs. 125 per month. The total expenditure on all other items excluding rent, advertisement and wages of three establishments in the sample was between Rs. 40 and Rs. 45 per month and of remaining two Rs. 10 and Rs. 110 respectively. Only one establishment was spending Rs. 180 per year on advertisement. This item of expenditure on advertisement was not included in the items of expenditure quoted above.

Raw materials required were wheat flour, gram flour, edible and hydrogenated oil, tea, sugar, milk and vegetables like onions, potatoes. All these items were purchased from local market. Two establishments consumed raw materials worth Rs. 140 and 185, the other two Rs. 256 and Rs. 380 and the remaining two Rs. 437 and Rs. 1,320 per month.

Main items served to customers were bhaji, wada, chiwada, dosa, and a few sweet dishes like ladoo, shira, etc. A plate of bhaji or chiwada or wada or a cup of tea was sold at an anna each. Sweet dishes like shira, ladoo, etc. were sold at annas two each. A plate of dosa was sold at annas 2. Daily sales of these six establishments were between Rs. 10 to Rs. 70.

The business in these establishments was more or less steady throughout the year. Daily sales depended upon the quality of the dishes served and cleanliness maintained in the premises. The margin of profit in one of the six establishments was fairly big, while in the other five it was low.

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