#food-service

#food-service

Christopher T. Hewitt, a lifelong Staten Islander who fed, cared for, and quietly held up his community through decades in the food business, died suddenly at his home in Sunnyside. He was 50. Hewitt's path into food began in the produce department of the old A&P in New Dorp, where he worked as a teenager. He went on to spend years on the East Shore at Delfini's and Top Tomato, gaining the hands-on experience that shaped his career, particularly at Delfini's. In the early 2000s, he owned The Misty Lounge, a Grant City neighborhood bar he ran with friends.

They operate when students can actually work. Evening shifts end after dinner rush, not at some arbitrary closing time. Weekend mornings pay well because most people want those hours off. Tips during Friday night service can match what other jobs pay for an entire day. Working in food service teaches you things textbooks can't. When five tables need attention at once, you learn to prioritize fast.

The employee cafeteria serves all of the 2,000 employees who work here, not to mention the singers who come and the orchestra. Then, there are 13 bars spread across all of the floors. There are 3,000 people who come to see an opera on a typical night, so they disperse among the 13 bars to get a glass of champagne and a sandwich during intermission.

The U.S. alone uses over 100 million plastic utensils every day, most of which are used once and tossed into landfills where they'll persist for centuries.

The term '86' in the hospitality industry signifies refusal, indicating when an item is no longer available or a patron cannot be served.