D. is the nickname for a guy who works at an upscale restaurant in the West Village. He's Vietnamese, and probably in his mid forties. Plus, he's married which makes him a bit different from the average waiter.

His restaurant mostly caters to people in the publishing industry along with a smattering of artists and business types. It's a pretty chilled spot that is cool without being too hip. I met him there one night and interviewed him at a coffee shop down on 6th Ave.

This is a small section of the interview where he explains how he got started and one interesting restaurant he worked at that was run by the mob.

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I started as a busboy. I went to school for awhile and then I dropped out. I actually became a waiter briefly, very quickly. Not like becoming a bartender which might take forever. This was 1977. And I got married and we both made a lot of money. But as what happens when you get married, we get divorced

I had some money saved and I went to Florida to try and do something for myself. But the thing didn't work out, and I came back to New York. It's no good in Florida. You can't open a restaurant down there. So I started over again in New York.

You remember in the 1990's when the stock market crashed and we had the recession? I had a good job then. I was a manager and buying for restaurant. I worked hard and made a lot of money. I tried to save a lot of money to try and do something with the owner.

I thought maybe he would back me up and one day I could open my own restaurant in New York. But the market crashed and he went bankrupt. So then I had no job. I had money saved and I could live comfortably without working.

I almost went to France because I wanted to study about wine and later sell. Try to work for one of the importer people. But I had a personal problem back home, with my family, so I cancelled my trip. My family is back in Vietnam. So I cancelled my trip and began to look for work.

I didn't have a hard time finding another job. I found another bartending job on the Upper West Side and I make a lot of money again, because it was a hot restaurant, very hard to get into. I had the insider, because a lot of people I was doing business with in the past, in the wine business put me in with the owner, so he picked me. I got in and made money, but the restaurant was crazy.

I think they borrowed money from, not a loan shark, but the mob. Crazy, huh? And so they changed hands. One day this guy shows up, "Hi, my name is P___. I'm the new owner."

Shit! Who is this?

Then with the new boss, they changed managers, but they liked me 'cause I was good for them. I work hard and I had a lot of follower-clientele. And then not even a year later, they changed to a new manager who said he was a partner. It made me really uncomfortable.

I'm very good with other employees. I have a good relationship with them and I saw the way this guy treated waiters and the busboys, and I didn't like it. I quit.

I'm very picky about my job. I'm capable so I choose who I work for. I won't work for just anybody.

12:36:29 AM     comment []