The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-10-24

lomacy is a Eve- lihood and who have the art of tact down to their fingertips.
 was talking the other night to Albert Bergman, who is pass ing his fortieth year as a head waiter. The rather baldish, but still dapper Bergman began his career as an assistant cashier at the Eastern Hotel, which was an elegant hostelry downtown near the Bowery., It took Albert 40 years to do what the subway does in ten minutes-ynoy some four miles uptown. He now presides over the Paradise Restaurant.
 But it's been pleasant journey for him, packed with some grand memories. He wasn't always 8 greeter after the hotel experience He once owned a place of his own. That was the Parody Club. He never opened place of his own afterward.,
 The Parody opened for business on the fatal evening of October 29, 1929; the day the stock mar ket smashed millions of bright hopes and ambitions Bergman says you could have cut the gloom in the club that night with the knives his chefs used to pre- pare salads. ~ HAS TEMPERAMENT AND ADMITS IT .s The life of a headwaiter some times is a curious one. The credo is that he must come from long line of servitors. and have at least a few butler forbears in his all- cestry. But that isn't always true. Berryman was born in England, the son of 8 London sea captain. This accounts for his own sea mania which expresses itself in his annual ocean jaunts and one of his few hobbies eS-the navigation | of a 60-foot sloop. He was raised in Belgium and went to school in Antwerp.
 He finished his schooling in Paris and emerged with a mastery of four languages. A headwaiter who is not a linguist is not good headwaiter. For any maitFe d'hotel copes with a cosmopolitan crowd.
 He is temperamental. Bergman does not deny it. Most practition- CTS of his craft are. he insists, al- though the patron never sees any but the more engaging side of his personality. He flies off the handle when things go awry and his staff of walters is accustomed to occasional tongue-lashings at 6 discreet distance from the table | But his staff remains impress sively loyal, some having been under his charge for two decades There's a reason for turbulent headwaiter's success with his staff. For he regards his help with almost paternal interest, ob- serving their birthdays and anni- versaries, attending the weddings of their children .(and grandchil- dren), and other celebrations.
 TIPS NOT WHAT
 THEY USED TO BE
 Another manner in which 6 headwaiter can be considerate toward his staff is in the rotation of choice table assignments. Ger tain locations are better thar others; their occupants tip more lavishly. Bergman, for example maintains no favoriteS. Each oi his staff has g chance to serve the wealthy and generous patrons l Speaking of tipping. Berrymar confides that things are not wha' they used to be. He remember the party at Reisenweber's wher Earl Dodge of the Remington Arms clan spent over $10,000 1T one evening. There was a reason Dodge, an A. E. F. captain, wa. sailing for France the next day The headwaiter,s tip that nigh was a crisp one thousand dollal bill.
 And he adds the name of Vim cent Bendix, the Detroit million aire, to the roster of fabulou tippers.
 Bergman, who showed him t his table often, is candid abou the lavish legend which sur rounded Diamond Jim Brady. II his opinion, Brady was a kindl, gentleman and quite generous but he was no where the tippe that exaggerated tradition regard him. For hat-check girls he lief dimeSl .. fr ea#
 What does a ieadwaiter do fo
 relaxation, when he is free iron
 lowing, ushering folk to table
 and exercising tact and discre
 ton? Well, the Berrymans ar movie fans. Once a week, hi
 night off, he and his wife take il
 two or three films the same eve ming. Then sandwich at a quie
 grill-where there is no head
 H.A -