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MISCELLANEOUS OCCUPATIONS
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RESTAURANTS AND TEA SHOPS
Restaurant keeping forms one of the most important occupations in
the district as it provides employment opportunities to various persons. The total number of restaurants and tea shops in the two towns was 168 (60 in Satara and 108 in Karad). They employed 364 persons out of whom 216 were paid employees.
Most of the establishments in Satara were situated in Ward Nos. III, V, VI, VII and VIII and in Karad in Guruwar, Shukrawar and Raviwar peths. In Satara, the total employment in these shops was 238
including 144 paid employees, in Karad it was 126 including 72 paid employees.
Eight establishments, three each in Satara and Karad and two in Phaltan were surveyed. Two establishments in Satara were started in 1950 and 1954, those in Karad by about 1951 and in Phaltan in 1940 and 1954. The principal occupation of these shops was catering tea and snacks, which provided them employment throughout the year. They raised their initial capital from their own resources.
The restaurants had to spend a considerable amount on purchasing equipment which consisted of cooking utensils, vessels, glass-ware, crockery, cupboards, chairs, tables, ice-cream pots, cash boxes etc. Two establishments in Karad and one in Satara had radio sets and electric fans. One in Karad had a telephone. The cost of equipment ranged from Rs. 500 to Rs. 7,000.
All establishments in the sample except one in Satara were situated in rented premises. Rent of each varied from Rs. 20 to Rs. 50 per month. Besides rent, they had to incur expenses on water, electricity, municipal licence fee etc. The total expenditure on all these items per establishment varied from Rs. 15 to Rs. 60 per month in the three towns.
The materials required for preparing tea and eatables included sugar, milk, tea, rice, wheat, edible oil, ghee, spices, vegetables, gram flour etc. They were purchased from local market. The amount spent every month on all these items varied between Rs. 300 and Rs. 1,000 per month in the three towns.
The total employment in these shops was 65, out of whom 45 were paid employees. In Karad, these persons were employed on daily wages which varied from 50 nP. to Re. 1.50 per day. In Satara and Phaltan they were employed on monthly wages which varied from
Rs. 15 to Rs. 45. Besides wages, each employee was served with food twice a day. The total hours of work in the establishments were 8 to 9 per day.
These establishments sold hot drinks like tea, coffee, cold drinks like soda, lemon etc., and snacks like bliaji, puri, shoe, chicada, papadi, batatawada and sweets like ladu, pedha, barfi, gulab jamb etc. The monthly cash collection of these establishments varied from season to season. In the brisk season, which was usually winter and summer, it amounted to Rs. 120 to Rs. 2,000 per month and in the slack season from Rs. 50 to Rs. 300 per month. These establishments in Karad and Satara had a hotel keepers' association.
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