SARAH ARCHER

Ruffage

To Live and Dine in Dixie

Urban authorities worried that eating places might provide public space for acts of supposed moral degradation, especially drinking. After Atlanta’s city council ended food service in local saloons, eateries established pushbutton systems with nearby saloons so that patrons could continue to have a drink with their meals. When Jim Brown, a Greek café owner in Atlanta, wanted to order drinks for a patron, he pushed a button to contact the saloon and placed the order. Every restaurant in the city reportedly used a similar system until 1906, when the city council prohibited restaurants from serving alcohol. Officials enforced this ordinance