Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1902-05-22
MEN OF DISCRETION.
THE HEAD WALTERS IN NEW Works.
FASHIONABLE RESORTS.

Difficulties of the Calling ana the
Nice Judgment Tint Must he Excr-
cised-Duties They Perform and the
Big Incomes They Command.
Every restaurant and hotel proprietor
realizes the value of head waiter who
has not only large acquaintance, but is
able to keep his old friends and make
new ones. He knows how much such a
man does toward attracting custom to his
place, and he is aware Of the extent to
which persons who are going to dine at
restaurant alone or with friends will be
Influenced by the knowledge that they
will find in this restaurant or that some
man who knows what they want and will
look after their needs and wishes with
the interest that comes from past ac-
quaintance and n knowledge that re-
ward for his interest is certainly forth
coming. 1t is not alone in his treatment
Of the old patron that the hcad waiter is
invaluable to his employer. The func-
tionary of that kind who is polite and
efficient in other ways soon learns how to
make friends for the restaurant and per-
sons who have once become accustomed
to his minstratons and like them will
|
having his particular attention.
The duties of the head waiter in
small hotel or one that has n permanent
clientele are not nearly so responsible as
those in places which have n constantly
changing public. 1t is in the latter that
the capacities of the head waiter are put
to the greatest test, and as their number
is limited there are always men enough
to meet the demand Generally the wait
ers in these places hold their employment
for long time.
The duties of the head waiter, who Is
anxious to make friends for himself and
his place of employment, may he as man
fold almost as he cares to make them.
They do not end with q polite greeting
and the selection of table. They rarely
begin there. The head waiter in case the
party to be served is in the nature Of
dinner party has probably been consulted
! In advance as to the selection Of table
II indeed he has not had the entire order
ing of the dinner. If the guests happen
to know the head waiter we'll, there is
usually no more for him to do than call
him up on the telephone. tell him the
number Of his guests and the hour they
are expected to arrive. The rest he will
leave altogether to the head waiter, pos
sibly telling him to be sure and have some
certain dish on the table, or to limit the
price to a certain figure or possibly the
extent Of the meal, as the party may be
on the way to the theater and not care TO
linger over the dinner. But. as a whole,
he puts the ordering Of the dinner into
the hands Of the head waiter that he has
confidence in and whom he also knows to
be familiar with his tastes. 1t will he
seen how responsible the position Of such
a man is and how important to the Sue
cess OF a restaurant or hotel an efficient
head waiter is.
| There are less extensive operations to
| promote the comfort Of his patrons that
are expected from the head waiter. Thus
II the guest enters the dining room for
breakfast with no appetite it is the duty
of the head waiter to suggest that cool
melon or sliced oranges on ice may put
him in frame Of mind to enjoy his piece
of crisply fried sole and his coffee. One
head waiter in the mems restaurant Of a
Fifth avenue hotel has made his particu-
lar reputation by his sympathetic sugges-
tons at breakfast, and he has n regular
following that travel in the direction Of
that hotel when they are feeling that
without his advice breakfast might be i'm
possible. He has especially pleased his
patrons in this way, but there is not a
head waiter in New York hotels who does
not know the value of making his guests
feel comfortable al breakfast time.
The duties of the head waiter in the
different city restaurants are varied in a
measure by the rules of the house, al
though he is always the one person in
charge of the rest of the walters. In one
or two of the city restaurants all Of the
orders are taken by the head waiter and
served by the walters stationed at the ia
BILE. But that is rare. In the majority of
places the head waiter takes the orders
only Of those persons who are his regular
customers and confines his attention to
strangers, to seeing that they are seated
and have waiter to look after them and
are not neglected during the meal. But it
is to the regular patron that he will de-
vote himself most, as it is only from the
regular guests that the compensations of
the head walters come. The casual pa
tron OF a restaurant never thinks of tip
ping a head waiter unless he has looked
after a large dinner for him. The re-
wards of the head waiter come from his
own clientele, and he is therefore most
solicitous OF them. His rewards are so
much larger than when they come from
the tips Of the walters that he can afford
to receive them al less frequent intervals.
The head waiter who is known to GER
tain patrons of a restaurant who do not
give dinners there, but are more or less
regular diners or come to breakfast and
are looked after by him, is not likely to
benefit from his fees to the extent of
more than $40, given at intervals of every
six months and in one case at Christmas,
when the head waiter is the functionary
in the dining room that is most literally
rewarded. 1t is the number of his clients
that makes his compensation in the end
SO large and enables him to earn an in
come that would in the case of any en-
ployce be high compensation. The best
known head waiter in this city is said to
receive annually about $1,000, although
less than half of that amount comes from
the establishment that employs him. The
rest is made up from his fees. 1t rarely
If ever happens in this city that n head
waiter shares with those under him the
tip given by guest who orders dinner
IT, for the sake of illustration, n guest
orders dinner for six persons that comes
to 500, he will probably give to the
head waiter SIS or 500 as his fee. Posi-
bly, he may think that certain share of
that is going to the walters who served
the meal, but unless he particularly tells
the head waiter to give some part of it to
them they will not receive n cent. The