A FLOURISHING BUSINESS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXXII, Issue 15717, 9 September 1911, Page 13

A FLOURISHING BUSINESS.

GROWTH OF THE C ADEN A TEA ROOMS. It is three years ago this month since tho Misses Trent established in Cashel btreet the Cadena • Tea Rooms, and they at once sprang into immense popularity. The business continued to grow at such a rate that tho proprietors were hard put to it often to find room fop all their patrons. Eventually tho popular tea rooms became far too small and out of date for tho business, and recently the energetic young ladies decided to take new premises. These were secured further along Cashel Street, next door to tho old “Press’' office, and they are now open for the dispensing of “the cup that cheers’’ and tlioso dainty cakes and other viands for which tho “ Cadena ” has become locally famous. Yesterday morning a reporter was shown over tho new building by Miss Trent, and everywhere there was evidence of tho care and skill that has been brought to bear on tho place to make it thoroughly modern and comfortable. Approacned by a wido staircase, tho new tea room is a spacious and well lighted room. Tables covered with snowy cloths are dotted about in profusion and spring flowers lend a further note of artistic refinement to tho rooms. Tho lighting is from large plateglass windows on Cashel Street and a “lantern” roof, which gives the maximum of ventilation, and the roof is pure white. Features of tho rooms aro a wido and very restful-looking alcove, box seats in tho windows and eosv corners, wliilo a daintily-arranged inglenook gives promise of many confidential chats. Along one side of tho room there is a long counter simply heaped with good things, and opening off the main room there is a smaller room which may be used for supper parties. Then at tho back there is a large “working pantry,” where the trays aro made up, and in which a number of deft waitresses were flitting about arranging tempting meals. Further back there is a capacious kitchen, in which there are cavernous ovens in gas stoves, that look like tho ovens used by the bad giants in tho fairy tales. The kitchen is essentially modem in every particular, and from an electric wliisk for beating up cakes downwards everything makes lor cleanliness and the saving of labour. Tho tea room is not tho only portion of the firm’s business by any means. Miss Trent informed the reporter that she was one of tho largest importers of American sweets in the dominion, and also spoke somewhat modestly about tho catering done by her staff. “We use 200 dozen eggs a week,” she said in an offhand way, “ besides 2cwt of butter.” There are now live branches of the Cadena Tea Rooms, at Sumner, tho Domain, Armstrong’s shop in High Street, tho Olvmpia Rink and His Majesty’s Theatre. Most of tho leading functions are now catered for by the firm, which keeps a large casual staff always in readiness for banquets and dinners. The tea and cakes to which the visitor was treated proved of a most delicious nature, and he left convinced that a firm which could provide so attractive a repast had no need to wonder why it had become so firmly established in tho public favour. 8170