Duncan Hines: How a Traveling Salesman Became the Most Trusted Name in Food

Chapter Twelve: The War Years

12 THE WAR YEARS As Americans adjusted to a war economy a few short months after the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, Hines published the 1942 edition of Adventures in Good Eating. With the nation in domestic chaos, he was not sure how well the book would do financially. He expected the worst. What happened at first, however, surprised him. All three books sold more copies during April and May 1942 than they had the entire previous year. "No doubt," Hines observed, this was "brought about by the fact that defense workers and their families are now using my books when they are on the move from one part of the country to the other." More interestingly, for the first time Adventures in Good Cooking was outselling Lodgingfor a Night.401 Nevertheless, the Second World War made matters difficult for Hines's business, but not in the way one might expect. Between 1942 and 1944 America had to cope with gas and tire rationing, a move which curtailed all nonessential automobile driving. However, Americans could accumulate rationed gasoline coupons. Ifthey saved enough ofthem, they could take a trip to a nearby city or across the continent. While Hines's business suffered during this time, it did not fare as poorly as he initially feared; people had to travel, and therefore they continued to buy his books. As the nation THE WAR YEARS 141 mobilized for war, millions of Americans were transported back and forth across the country, usually via train. During the course of their travels many transients found themselves in unfamiliar cities. Because they often found themselves in strange locales and were thus unaware of good places to eat and sleep, many men and women bought his guidebooks to locate them.402 Indeed, for many servicemen a Duncan Hines guidebook was a required possession, particularly when they were on leave. Likewise, Americans not in uniform also found the books useful, particularly on those occasions when they visited their loved ones in the armed services.403 Although gasoline rationing hampered Hines's ability to investigate potential dining and lodging facilities, which annoyed him, he nevertheless tried to travel as much as he could. But in the early days of the war, most of his time was spent dealing with a restaurant industry thrown into confusion. Confident that America would win the war, even early on, he saw it as his mission to raise the morale of the nation's restaurateurs until the storm passed. He dealt with all sorts. Some restaurant owners were nervous over the uncertain turmoil that gas and food rationing would have on their businesses. Some restaurants had more business than they could handle; others had virtually no customers at all, particularly if they were located miles from a metropolitan area, where most soldiers tended to be stationed. To boost their confidence and to help them analyze the current state of affairs, Hines held several regional meetings for his "family" members.404 It was during this time that politicians began to seek his advice. Before the Ohio State Health Commissioners' Conference in September 1942, Hines testified he would grade restaurants, scoring them according to cleanliness. ((I'd like to see letters six inches high on the entrance door," he told them, ((and front display windows showing the grade of the restaurant, and if I operated a restaurant, I would add under the grade Our Kitchen Is Open For Inspection By Our Guests. And then I would add another sign: No Pets Allowed In Kitchens Or Dining Rooms Regardless Of Who They Belong To." 142 DUNCAN HINES As noted earlier, Hines had no patience with people who had failed in life. Ifthey failed at one career, they would probably fail at another; he told the commission he did not want these individuals to enter the restaurant profession, because they would undoubtedly fail again-and at the customer's expense: It seems to me that the American public has suffered enough from food being prepared by people who have failed in previous occupations and possess no knowledge of the proper preparation of food, its cooking or the importance of maintaining cleanliness in all departments. I believe there isn't any profession that requires more artistry and talent than the careful preparation and cooking of good food. I believe no license or permit for operating a public eating place should be issued unless the owner can...