A Dictionary of Occupational Terms Based on the Classification of Occupations used in the Census of Population, 1921.
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ORDER XXVII.—PERSONS ENGAGED IN PERSONAL SERVICE (including Institutions, Clubs, Hotels, etc.)

911.—Restaurant Keepers



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bar keeper (coffee house)
see coffee house keeper.
buffet manager, buffet manageress
manages buffet or refreshment canteen; supervises staff, supply of provisions and sale of refreshments.
cafe proprietor
as for coffee house keeper (q.v.), but usually catering for better class of customer.
canteen steward
keeps stores, orders provisions, arranges menus, responsible for cooking and distribution of food in canteen, also for cleanliness; keeps books, supervises staff; in large canteen duties are purely supervisory; in smaller canteens, performs few or many of the tasks himself, including cooking, according to number of staff employed.
caterer
(i) buys provisions for a large household; checks prices, keeps accounts;
(ii) owns or manages business carried on for purpose of providing meals for public; buys, prepares, cooks and serves food and drink either on own premises, i.e., in hotel, restaurant, cafe, or for special occasions, e.g., balls, garden parties, on premises provided by clients; actual duties vary greatly according to size of business from purely proprietary interest to actual execution of practically all tasks.
chip potato bar keeper, chip potato shop keeper
sells chip potatoes and generally fried fish also, for consumption on and off premises; usually performs actual cooking in oil coppers.
chop house keeper
see dining room keeper.
club stewardess (golf)
provides, cooks and serves food to members on club premises; tends bar, cleans premises, sometimes arranges reading room; makes beds and tidies bedrooms if club is residential; duties vary from manual to supervisory according to size of club and number of staff employed.
coffee house, room or tavern keeper ; bar keeper (coffee house)
is manager or proprietor of coffee house, where usually only light refreshments are sold.
coffee stall keeper
prepares and sells coffee, tea and light refreshments at a stall or refreshment stand, of fixed or movable character; cleans stall, washes dishes; usually owns stall, but sometimes holds it on tenancy.
dining room keeper, cook shop keeper, eating house keeper
proprietor or manager of establishment which provides meals of a cheaper variety.
eel shop keeper
sells stewed eels and eel pies, generally in conjunction with the sale of tripe or fried fish; usually does actual cooking; proprietor or manager.
fish and chip dealer, fried fish shop keeper
prepares, fries and sells fish and chip potatoes; frequently also cooks and sells tripe, trotters, cowheels, peas, etc.
luncheon bar keeper
owns or manages establishment in which luncheons and light refreshments are provided mainly for consumption on the premises; purchases provisions, cooks and serves from counter of bar; actual duties vary with size of business and number of staff employed; in small establishments, may do all work himself; in large establishment is usually supervisor only.
mess caterer, mess contractor
undertakes to supply provisions or meals on a large scale at a fixed price, for messes of various kinds.
mess caterer, mess superintendent (army)
orders provisions from headquarters, e.g., Navy, Army and Air Force Institute; keeps stock, checks prices; supervises staff of cooks and waiters, preparing and serving meals for army officers and N.C.O.'s; sometimes serves wines; usually an officer in civil government employ; duties mainly supervisory and clerical.
oyster bar or room keeper
sells oysters, mainly for consumption on the premises, where oysters only are sold and no cooking is done.
pea shop keeper, pease-pudding shop keeper
sells cooked peas or pease pudding, with or without other food, e.g., tripe, fish, etc., for consumption on or off premises.
pleasure gardens proprietor ; tea gardens proprietor
owns a pleasure garden in which are usually sold tea and light refreshments; sometimes also provides amusements, for which a charge for admission is made.
refreshment room contractor
undertakes to supply refreshments, usually on a large scale, at a certain price or rate; staffs and runs refreshment rooms on railway stations, in place of amusement, etc.
refreshment room proprietor
owns or manages establishment, where are sold tea, coffee and light refreshments for consumption on or off the premises, which may be licensed or unlicensed.
restaurant keeper, restaurateur
owns or manages restaurant where refreshments or meals may be procured by the public, usually for consumption on the premises; for duties see caterer.
supper bar keeper
cooks and provides suppers of a cheap variety.
tea gardens proprietor
see pleasure gardens proprietor.
temperance buffet manager or manageress
as for buffet manager (q.v.), but holds no licence for sale of alcoholic liquor.
tripe shop keeper
sells tripe, usually obtained ready cooked from the tripe dresser; may re-cook tripe and serve hot with onions, etc., for consumption on or off the premises.

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From: A Dictionary of Occupational Terms Based on the Classification of Occupations used in the Census of Population, 1921,
Ministry of Labour, 1927. Digitised by Peter Christian, August, 2016.   This text is in the Public Domain.