THE BERGHOFF "COIN STORY"
When the Berghoff restaurant opened in 1898, several traditions followed Herman Joseph Berghoff from Germany to America. In Europe, waiters worked more as independent contractors and purchased "coins" from the restaurant at the beginning of their shift. These coins were used to purchase food and beverages from the "house". Throughout the day when they ordered food from the kitchen, they would pick up their food, and then pay the cashier with metal coins that were created by the restaurant. They used metal coins because the waiters were usually carrying large amounts of food on one arm and could reach in their aprons and count out the coins more easily. At the time, these coins were in denominations of 5 cents, 10 cents, 25 cents, and one dollar. The lower level, known as the Annex, had its own coins as well as the Main floor. This system was suspended in 1980 when The Berghoff moved to using computers to assist in serving the guest in a more efficient manner. Anyone who ever visited The Berghoff before 1980, distinctly remembers the constant "chink" of our special currency.