The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-09-14
SERVICE OF THE GREAT.
Head Waiter Tells Experiences With
Eminent Public Men.
w York Tribune.)

THE service of the great has its spec
ial interests and its emoiuments, and
sometimes its interests without emoiu-
ments," said Joseph F. P. Vitalone, the
other day, VINO, as head waiter in some
OF New York's noted hotels, has served
many of the great ones OF the earth IN
the last twenty-seven years when l
first came to New York, young man
of 23" he said. trained to wait in the
royal households of Italy by my father,
who was head waiter in the palace OF
Victor Emmanuel, / naturally turned to
waiting as my profession, and entered
the Hotel Brunswick. which was then in
Fifth avenue where the Brunswick office
building now stands. l quickly became
head waiter there, and had opportunities
of serving many people of note who WIS.,
tied New York
President Hayes never drank anything
except water with his dinner, and plain
CrOtOn seemed to satisfy him. He was
never liberal, either in his orders or his
pourbOires. His orders were ample, but
no more, and it is noticeable fact that
people who come from Washington are
not as a rule, liberal in pOurboires. The
great are absent minded rather than I'M
generous. I have noticed that.
"A marked exception to this rule was
President Harrison. He was one of the
incest men to serve ] have ever seen. He
always had a smile and pleasant word
for everybody. and was always consider
ate and anxious not to give trouble He
talked more than any other president
whom / ever served, and he was very
fond Of brOiled SQUAD for supper,
II remember Grant better than most of
our presidents. for the reason that he was
a frequent patron of the Brunswick. He
would find quiet, secluded spot, select
ing a table where he would not be no
ticed He smoked all the time, and, al
though he had no special dishes, he never
drank any champagne except the extra
dry, of which he would order a good
deal.
James G. Blaine was always smiling,
pleasant, easy to serve and with no spec
ial fancies He would tuck his hat under
when the waiter would offer to take it.
'Mr. Mckinley. too, often came to the
Brunswick and the WaldOrf-Where | aft
erward served as head waiter. He was
talked little at the table.
president Cleveland was one OF our
most exclusive guests. He always took
his meals in private and was silent and
eral water He never had any special
dishes; one appeared as welcome as an
other to him, and he was no trouble to
serve.
''Vice President Hobart was one of the
greatest favOrites in the Waldorf dining
room. He had one of the most intelli-
gent boys l ever saw in my life. The
little fellow would come down in the
morning and order breakfast for the fam
lily. He would have ten newspapers on
the table every morning. and he would
sit there reading them through just like
little old man. He talked intelligently
upon all subjects that interested him
One day he asked President Mckinley to
give him entire charge of all the cleo
trical apparatus in the White House. The
president was embarrassed to refuse his
request without hurting the boys feel
ings, for he was so greatly in earnest
about il
zone of the most difficult men to serve
and one of the most interesting | ever
met was Senator Roscoe Conkling. He
was whimsical to the last degree about
his dishes and wanted things lust So
One of his fancies was to eat oatmeal
for breakfast with red pepper and with
out sugar or milk. He did not like either
milk or sugar. and never had milk upon
the table for himself He was very SEN
stive to cold I recall one cold day.
seeing him walk into the dining room
with 2 brightly striped carriage robe
wrapped around his overcoat So digni-
fled was his carriage that this unusual
addition to his apparel did not appear
in the least absurd.
Mark Twain was a man we loved to
see come around. He was so Jolly and
always had a joke and pleasant word for
us. the same as Father Ducey. Outside
the Brunswick. and, later, the Waldorf
the poor would collect as soon as Father
Ducey was seen to enter. He always got
a number of bills changed, and when he
went out he would distribute this money
among the expectant crowd. Every man
went away with the price of his bed and
supper at least.
'I think Senator Mark Hanna was the
closest man I ever served. Mrs. Hanna
on the contrary, was one of the most
generous women who ever dined at the
Brunswick or Waldorf
There was another one. Wilson the
oieomargarine king He often ordered
dinners costing $50 or $40 and would never