Today, I did something I have never done before. Something that was fun but challenging, something that gave me a new respect for those who have done it before me – and something that earned my $95 – I was a waiter at Bon Appetit.

Guido’s two waitresses, Olga and Giselle, are both away on different out-of-state trips. So with a party of twelve and a party of six scheduled to come in today, he needed staff, and asked me to help out. Since I would do anything for Guido and Maryann, I donned a shirt and tie for the first time since I left the TLC over a month ago, biked over to Bon Appetit – and waited tables from 1:00pm to 8:30pm – and I loved every minute of it.

I have eaten at hundreds of restaurants throughout the course of my life, and have been served by probably close to a thousand waiters and waitresses. Some of them I was friendly to, some of them I admittedly ignored and treated simply as a server – and some I refused to tip because they either were rude to me or gave me bad service. But now that I was the one serving the food today instead of ordering it – I see waiters and waitresses in a whole new light.

When you are ordering food in a restaurant, all you have to do is place the order and wait for it to be brought to you. And as you eat your order, you do not have to worry about anything but enjoying your meal, because it is cooked for you, brought to you – and cleaned up after you leave. But when you are the one doing the bringing and the cleaning – you get a whole different perspective on what goes into getting that meal to you after you order it.

When I arrived at the restaurant, the tables were bare and had to be set – all fifteen of them. Then, I had to write down the daily specials, and prepare to host our first party, which was a party of twelve. From the drinks to the appetizers to the salads to the main courses to the desserts, waiters work very hard, having to constantly keep an eye on their tables without bothering the customers or interfering in their dining experience. Basically, you have to make sure that their water glasses are full, their orders are brought out on time – and that their every need is attended to. In addition, you have to know when it is time to clear their plates, bring out their next course – or suggest another bottle of wine – again without seeming intrusive. And no other work performance in my opinion is judged more than a waiter’s. Your every move, action and reaction could mean the difference between a really good tip – or a really bad one. I made five bucks from a woman in that party of twelve because I kept filling her water glass, kept her leftovers warm – and simply offered her a few friendly smiles as I brought her meal to her. And at the end of the dinner – which was $494 – they tipped me and the other waiter $100 – not bad for three hours work.

At the end of the day, our tips totaled $211, of which I got $90 after the split between the other waiter and the kitchen staff. There were times I hung out at Bon Appetit until they closed and offered to help, never making a dime. Grabbing $95 between the general tips and the special $5 tip from the woman in the party of twelve was a great way to spend the day learning what waiters and waitresses go through – and having lots of fun while doing it.

The next time I go to a restaurant, which based on the size of my stomach lately should be relatively soon, I will look at the person serving me in a whole new light. I will appreciate them and the work they do more than ever before – and thanks to working as a waiter today, I will give them more attention, a better attitude – and certainly a bigger tip.

“A bottle of white, a bottle of red,
perhaps a bottle of Rose instead.
We’ll get a table near the street,
in our old familiar place.
You and I, face to face.
A bottle of red, a bottle of white,
it all depends upon your appetite.
I’ll meet you any time you want,
in our Italian Restaurant.”
Billy Joel – Scenes From An Italian Restaurant