In "A Chorus Line" Cassie refers to waiting tables
as does Paul who says that without an education he had to take a job as a
waiter. Many people work their way through college waiting on tables and in
today's economy people are turning to restaurants to bring in 'extra' money.
There are people who think waitresses are just working to buy a dress for a
party, not raising a family on what she is making and that's one of the reasons
waiters make more money, as a rule than waitresses do.

Though many think it is easy waiting tables the
majority who have the job aren't suited to it. You may not think so but most
customers think their waiter/waitress is their own personal servant, there to
just make them happy, to put them first and forget anyone else the
waiter/waitress might have to wait on because they, too, think the
waiter/waitress is their servant.

As I stated before I
love(d) being a waiter. I met people  from all over the world, learned what
their countries were like, told them about South Florida, where to go and what
to do. I learned the difference between sea and bay scallops and how to 'read'
people. I discovered that a lousy waiter would make the same money an excellent
waiter would.

You don't want to sit with a fat waiter/waitress
because they will eat something off your
plate--shhhh--don't tell anyone but
the antipasto came with 2 pieces of salami, not one as I delivered it. See that
scoop of ice cream you are eating--well, the fat waiter/waitress, using their
finger, scooped some out every time they walked into the kitchen.

Ironically I saved money
for the first time working for Piccolo's as Flo insisted I turn my paycheck over
to her every week. At $2.50 a shift believe me that even getting a paycheck
every two weeks it didn't come to much but Flo opened a bank account in my name
without telling me until much later when I really needed money.

Piccolo's was a dream job for a kid in his 20s who
wanted to make fast money, go out to the bars all night, hit the beach in the
morning, get some sleep before waking up and going  to work to start the routine
all over again. The major mistake I made was not honestly declaring what I was
making in tips--if I had my social security would be a lot more now. It wasn't
until I was in my 50s that I declared at least 15% in tips but when you are
young  you want money in your pocket so you could spend it all.

My first couple of months
at Piccolo's I learned so much about food and service that it would see me
through working in all sorts of restaurants from coffee shops to 5 star ones.
Many years later when I started to work for corporate owned restaurant chains I
already knew most of the rules they were presenting as 'new'--the welcoming a
party within two minutes of their being seated, checking back after serving a
course to make sure it is okay, do 'suggestive' selling, always apologize when a
mistake is made whether it is yours or the kitchen, always suggest the right
drink with the right course, offer dessert, put the check down at an appropriate
time and make sure the customer doesn't have to wait to pay it or get their
change.

Between Sam, Dorothy, Vincent and Don Piccolo I
learned about food, people, life, and, most important, when and how to ask for
help which very few people know how to do.

Next part: Piccolo's always bailing me out, the good
old days and, yes, finally, my most embarrassing moment as a waiter which
happened very early in my career.