MY WAITER BEGINNINGS!

When I was a kid, my mom made me get a job in high school to have extra money.
I tried to get a job at BlockBuster Video b/c what kid didn't want to work in a place where he could watch movies his whole shift & talk about movies?!? I especially did since I knew I was going to be an actor (yes and waiter --- ba dum dum!). Well what happened...I didn't even hear back from them and wound up working where pray tell?!? MICKEY D'S!!!! WOOOOO!!!! I think Morgan Spurlock covered most of it with SUPER SIZE ME but I will say I had some weird managers for sure...
One time a busload of football players came in with 5 minutes left before we closed. EVERYTHING was shut off and done. He had us toast the meat in the BIG MAC BUN TOASTER...hey I guess ya gotta do what ya gotta do..
So then I went off for the best 4 years of my life : COLLEGE
I trekked up from Long Island to Buffalo. A state school was in range even though I wanted to go to a school KNOWN for theatre such as a Northwestern or UCLA ...(well I wanted to go to one of these schools also b/c I had a HUGE crush on an older girl who went to one...but I digress..).
I had a good time and then it was over...time to come home and hit the pavement..the streets of NYC!
First Audition got me a callback for THEATRE OF THE NEW CITY but no job...although I would do a play there about 6 years later -- guess that's what they mean by "We'll Keep you in mind and on file!". I played a SQUIRREL:

Want to email somebody a link to this photo?

Yea that's me.... Scurry the Squirrel! A PUPPET!

Well forget going all the way ahead to 2006...

It was around Late Winter or Early Spring of 2001 that I finally caved...did what I said I would never do --- lasted an entire year without doing so....but THE WAITER job happened.
Now I NEVER thought I'd be waiting tables there for more than a few months..but months turned into a year & a half.
This first place was a franchise that specializes in Pizza in Queens. It wasn't awful but it was NOT a moneymaker. I thought if I worked on a Saturday from 5pm-2am and made $120-$160...I was doing well. I realized that the place was just too cheap as far as the menu AND customers went. People tended to tip 15% normally -- many double the taxers at this place. It was worse when I first started & had to OPEN.

Between setting up the restaurant side stations myself and having to serve people this CHEAP lunches which had two or three courses ---- making salads/soups and desserts myself....
All for maybe..MAYBE a whopping $5 tip if I was lucky....

1 word = SCREAM OUT LOUD (or inside)

Funny thing was --- one of my managers from McDonald's from 5 years earlier came in for lunch one day with a group of guys. They looked all business-like and I remember this guy being 150% ANAL RETENTIVE. It seems there are a lot of MANAGERS out there like that. . .
They give you a HARD time, are VERY selfish and refuse to every pay you a kind word ever.
Scummy worms that just like having power & control over you --- to yell at you whenever they'd like! I don't forget faces but I happened to forget his name & where I knew him from.
I think he knew right away but I finally got it...and think he didn't want me to mention McDonald's...
So what did I do..."Hey, you were my manager at McDonald's! You still doing that? (which I knew he wasn't but whatever...payback/karma is a BIATCH)"
He looked at his co-workers and turned all red -- embarrassed and said "Yea that's right and no, no I'm not". I forget what the bill came out to or the tip...I think it was standard.

---I will say WOMEN seem to have been my weakness throughout my 20's... I fell for ones WAY TOO EASY..I guess it started way back with the NorthWestern Girl and I continued on a trend for awhile. I finally realized that whether you know the girl you're obsessed with or not...whether you are very close or barely talk --- Nobody deserves to be on a pedestal nor should anyone have to measure up to something you think they are.. -----

Currently I am still single and am focused on my career as an actor among other things!

Ahh to beginnings! As you may notice - I like to jump around and hit the next memory that pops into my head as I type. Que sera, sera . . .

Hmmm, got a very good feeling: I think I'm gonna like it here!

Who does the waiter or waitress have to tip out? Weird?!?

It definitely is a foreign concept to those who have never worked in a restaurant before but there are many employees that rely MAINLY on tips besides waiters.
These usually include busboys, food runners, bartenders, and sommeliers. In some establishments, waiters have to tip out other people including hosts, matre d's, managers, chefs, back waiters, etc.
A waiter already starts each new table in the hole and in the red. I personally have to tip out 5 percent of my NET sales (before taxes). That means for every 20 percent tip I receive, I actually only get 15 percent in my pocket. If I want to make 20 percent, I need to average 25 percent from ALL my tables. Usually in any given shifts, tips are all over the map ranging from absolutely 0 to upwards of 100 percent. Those two are more rare and it's more like 8 percent to 30 percent.
The next time you're thinking of adding one, two or even three more dollars to the tip, it definitely helps!

Tipping Your Waiter

20 Percent is considered a great tip while anything less can be semi insulting for great service and anything more is much appreciated!
It's best to tip out on the total check which means the waiter is getting more like 23 or 24 percent. This is all assuming that you've had nothing but the BEST service.
Some people are picky and many are cheap but the waiter does many things for your table that most will ALWAYS be unaware of.
The waiter does not get to keep ALL of his or her tip that you have left because they themselves have people to tip out in the restaurant. Other employees who work around them!