My first job in
the restaurant business was in 1956 and I started at Piccolo's in Miami
Beach on Collins Avenue. I have written a couple of blogs about this place and how
lucky I was to get my start there as Sam Piccolo insisted that I work in
every department and it was from that experience that I made the
decision to become a professional waiter.

 Forty six years
later, May 2002, I retired from the restaurant business, after working
2-3 years at Big Louie's restaurant in Fort Lauderdale and it was one of the
easiest, and financially rewarding, jobs I ever had. I've worked in
coffee shops, delis, 5 star restaurants, Mexican restaurants, joints,
seafood houses and the whole spectrum of restaurants but the two Italian
restaurants were the best jobs.

Big Louie's is one of the very few
restaurants that I have gone back to eat after I had left the job. It is
a spot that I always take out of town visitors to plus will dine there
6-8 times a year. It had been a few months since I had been there when
John and I went to eat there after the movies last week.

A couple of events happened a few years ago
that caused Big Louie's to close. There was hurricane Katrina and then a
short time after that a car had crashed through the front of the
restaurant. It took awhile but  a complete remodeling job was done and
when I had gone there to eat I was very disappointed. It had now become a
modern place with very high prices. This was no longer the neighborhood
pizza Italian joint, with the word joint  being a compliment. It had
been a place to relax, get large portions of food at reasonable prices,
plus good old fashioned pizza. It still had the large portions, good
pizza but the atmosphere was gone and the prices way too high.

My first surprise, when we walked in, was to
see Sheila waiting tables. She is/was the manager when I worked there
and is/was a hard worker who knows how to do her job. The second
surprise was seeing Sergio. He was the man behind the original menu at
Big Louie's when it first opened. He had gone on to buy two of the
stores and now had bought this location. We talked for awhile and he
said he had been shocked when he saw the prices and that was the first
thing he was working on, by lowering them.

With Sheila working the floor, and Sergio
working the kitchen, though there may not be much he can do about the
remodeled place, except making it more the 'Italian Pizzeria', I am
willing to bet that Big Louie's will again be the best neighborhood
Italian restaurant to go to for comfort food, accompanied by big salads,
great garlic rolls, pizzas like they should be made and tastes like a
pizza should taste.

John
and I had a large 5 topping pizza and a family salad. I felt like I was
at 'home' again and next time will get my 'usuals'--either linguine with clam sauce or
sausage and peppers with rigatoni, a salad with blue cheese dressing and
a half a dozen garlic rolls---okay, maybe not for $8 and change like in
the 'old days', but still at a reasonable price!

I must admit I now and then miss being a
waiter but I don't miss having to work!