Woman of the Week, Mrs. Dorothy Frost, Evening Telegram, 1946, September 7, p.9
Mrs. Dorothy Frost, who has made a going concern of the popular “Snack Bar”, attributes the success of the venture to her staff. “We couldn’t possibly do it without a good staff,” she says. “The girls are smart and willing and are interested in their jobs.” The snack bar employs a staff of ten, six of whom are waitresses, while four girls work in the kitchen.
Mrs. Frost says she has always nursed an ambition to cater to the public. She enjoyed her first taste of this during the war, when she supervised the catering at the Y. W.C.A. [Red Triangle]
“The work was definitely hard,” she recalls, “but pleasant. The volunteer women were simply grand. Newfoundland knows little of the hard work and sacrifices of its women during those difficult days. No matter when called upon, those volunteer women were right on the spot, ready to help. Eighteen hours a day were punched in more than once. The worst was in the year 1942-3. Although, 7000 survivors passed through our hands, and we catered to one and a quarter million servicemen in all.”
Mrs. Frost had sixteen paid workers under her in those days, and there were 350 volunteer women to help out when need arose, as it did continually. The women had always to be prepared, as they never knew when a crowd of survivors might land, seeking help in many ways.
Mrs. Frost determined that after the war, she would have tearooms of her own, and continue the work in which he had become so absorbed. She has operated the Snack Bar since March 1945. She loves cooking, and says she could spend all her time in the kitchen.
“After all,” she says, “you can’t expect to make a success of any work unless you love it and are willing to put all you have into it. If you like what you’re doing, you’re bound to put your best into it.”
Mrs. Frost took a trip to New York recently, hoping to pick up some smart tips.
“I came back,” she said, “feeling more content with our general order of cleanliness and service. The courtesy of our waitresses here is unsurpassed anywhere. I nosed around a lot of restaurants while I was in New York, and in my opinion, we’re streets ahead in the tearoom business, right here in Newfoundland. A great many American tourists have visited us here and have complimented us on the comfort and service and the excellent food we serve. We aim to give our foods the “home flavour.”
Mrs. Frost believes that Newfoundlanders like tasty food, a fact with which they will agree. “I’ve tried all sorts of different, new dishes,” she says, “and they’ve been well liked.”
Asked if business was any slower since the exodus of the serviceman, Mrs. Frost says, “not at all. In fact, July and August of this year was even better than last year. We try to give people what they want, and how they want it, at the most remarkable price we can.”
“The hours are long,” she went on, “when you’re in the restaurant business you are open to cater to the public and must be prepared to spend long hours on the job.”
Bright, sunny, and tastefully decorated, the Snack Bar has been a popular resort ever since it was first set up. Mrs. Frost finds the Juke Box a problem, however.
“The older customers don’t like it” she says, “and the younger ones insist on having it. We try to keep a quiet atmosphere during the lunch periods, but when the young crowd filters in after the shows, we give them the music.”
At that, Mrs. Frost is probably one of the few who succeed in pleasing all the people all of the time.