ROMANCE OF THE SAVOY

Evening Star, Issue 21129, 15 June 1932, Page 10

ROMANCE OF THE SAVOY

A VISION OF YEARS REALISED Below the staid exterior ol serious business there lie many romances. Many pioneer businesses, emulation of which is being. attempted in other centres, were started in Dunedin by men with vision of extension and perfection to an unusual standard. The acme of success" lias been reached by not a low, but for romantic history few can compare with the Savoy. To make the Savoy to Dunedin residents and visitors what the Savoy Hotel is to Londoners and world tourists, yet with the difference that charges would bo on the lowest possible scale to meet all classes—that was the idea of the proprietors. Their original scheme was “ visionary,” but, like all successful undertakings, the Savoy was started in a. small way. Now, twenty years later, the dream has come true- —the dream of a luxury restaurant. Supported by people who appreciate good things—the Epicureans in culinary and connoisseurs in art and decoration—the Savoy has become famed from one end of New Zealand to the other, and even overseas, for the superior class of service and the charm of its atmosphere. In the first Savoy Tea Room in Dowling street was conceived the plan of a restaurant, typically English in every way. The Tudor and Warwick rooms are redolent of Old England. With their huge log fires, oak panelling, helardio leadlight windows, art treasures from the East and trophies of the hunt, and beautiful lighting schemes, these halls create an atmosphere of grace and refinement, inseparably associated with the Elizabethan period. In its appointments the Savoy is exquisitely beautiful. Probably the most outstanding feature from an .'esthetic point of view, and one which lias made the Savoy far renowned, is its unique lloral decorative scheme, with a complete change for every week in the year. The Savoy is a perennial bower of flowers. London visitors are always amazed at the profusion of beautiful blooms. In the Savoy, Loudon, diners who desire tabic decorations pay half a guinea for four roses.

And could there be any more appropriate setting for the best of music than the Tudor Hall and Warwick Room? Many ambitious musical programmes have been presented at the Savoy, which has earned recognition as a musical centre of thq city, the most talented of instrumentalists and vocalists reaching a wider circle than they do from the concert platform. Some idea of the size of the undertaking may bo gauged by the number of employees—from sixty to seventy, the small army including mechanics, laundry workers, gardeners, etc. The kitchens, complete with every modern and sanitary device, are under the charge of highly qualified chefs and bakers, who have been in the service almost since its inception. An inspection of the kitchens would convince any of the advantages of modern machinery, such as dish-washing machines (ensuring the complete sterilisation of every article of crockery, glassware and silverware, by means of continually boiling water), vegetable peelers, cake mixers, sandwich machines, steam and electric cookers, etc. One little imagines when enjoying a meal served in such an up-to-date restaurant how many are concerned in the preparation of the service, in addition to the amount of machinery in operation from the mechanically-fed boiler on the ground floor upwards. One' must not overlook the employment given in the country to the farmers who supply the daily needs of such products ns moat, butter, eggs, vegetables, milk, cream, fruit, etc. One can imagine the quantity of food required on rush days, when from 2,000 to 3,000 people are served. Or on other occasions three separates parties may be running, in different rooms. Big trees from little acorns grow. Like the oak, the Savoy has thrived under the test of time.