All You Can Eat; Bread Line; Prix Fixe; Hamburger, Pizza, Gelati & more (...

[James A. Landau]

In a message dated 8/30/02 5:31:34 AM Eastern Daylight Time, Bapopik at AOL.COM
writes:

>    31 May 1908, NEW YORK TIMES, pg. 8:
>        _THE "BREAD LINE."_
>     The building owned by Grace Church on the northeast corner of Broadway
> and
>  Tenth Street, before which for thirty-two years the historic "bread line"
> has
>  been nightly formed, will this week be torn down, and thereafter the line
>  will form in front of a building leased for the purpose a lock further up
>  Broadway.  Mr. OTTO F. FLEISCHMANN, whose beneficence has so long insured a
>  loaf to the hungry, is still convinced of the efficacy of his plan. (...)

The following story is told of the origin of the term "bread line".  I have
no idea whether it is accurate or etymythology or what.

<begin story>
The Fleischmann family (presumably the Otto F. Fleischmann referenced above)
before they went into the yeast business ran a bakery.  They advertised of
how fresh their baked goods were and to prove the point, announced that
anything not sold by the time they closed each evening would be given away
free.  Hence hungry people would line up outside the bakery before it closed,
wiating for the bread about to be given away free.  This was the original
"bread line".
</story>

         - Jim Landau