Talking fine-dining service with waiter Jim Miller

Late in the evening on Dec. 27, waiter Jim Miller turned toward a camera in the Fountain Restaurant kitchen and could not quite muster a smile. The lobster paella in his hand was one of the last dinner plates this iconic Philadelphia restaurant would ever serve. It was the end of an era for the Four Seasons (to close in June and relocate). But it was also a moment for Miller, who helped open the luxury hotel in 1983 and became one of the city's most respected servers. Now 63 and contemplating his future, Miller took a moment to reflect on 40 years in restaurant service, the fate of fine dining, the politics of tipping, and whether he'll ever be able to eat anywhere else again.

You're a "waiter," not "server"?

When I began decades ago, that's what we were called, so I'm a hold-out. But "server" is the correct word now.

How did it all start?

I've worked as a waiter since I was 21 at the Treadway Resort Inn [now Eden Resort] in Lancaster - where, after three days on the job, I spilled a drink down a girl's green velvet dress. The girl took it well, but the parents didn't. We bought her a new dress. . . . I'd just come back from a year studying in France, but there was a bad recession. I loved the speed, the energy and the people in this business. . . . So I stayed. I also liked the evening hours. When I came to Philadelphia and started working at the new Stouffer's on top of Center Square in 1975, we'd go out dancing every night until 4 a.m.

After 31 years at the Fountain, were you surprised when its closing was finally announced?

We knew it was coming but just didn't know when. We were slow for the first five years and slow for the last five years. But the 20 in the middle we were on automatic pilot - we just rolled. We'd execute to the best of our ability. Our restaurant was organized from day one. And the waiters held that standard to the end.

Is it a referendum on the future of fine dining?

Well, it's just not what the public seems to want right now. This is a direction that's been given by the guest. They want casual, and they don't want to be forced to dress elegantly.

Do I like it? No. I think there should be a reason for a coat and tie, a restaurant that's so special that you want to go there because it raises your standard up and lifts you to something better and exciting.

But I do think it will come back - because people just love it.

Being a server is so much harder than it looks, right?

People don't realize how much we're doing within a minute or two: take a cocktail order, someone else signals, I notice a glass of wine or water is low at another table, someone else signals, and I have to get that cocktail back within a four-minute window.

A minute to us is like 10 to the guest. There's a thousand things to replace, replenish and restore. I can tell you quite honestly [an entire evening] could go by and I'd think it was an hour. Bathroom breaks? Impossible.

I'm guessing you've witnessed a lot of life moments good and bad?

I've had a lot of diamonds in my hands over the years. Guys would ask me to bring it under a cloche and I'm thinking: "You're giving this to me?"

Most of the time it went well. But I've seen a few "no's." I also saw a terrible divorce once at someone's anniversary meal. That was awkward.

With the trappings of fine dining disappearing, do you think service has been affected?

People aren't doing all the little things that I did, exactly, but attentiveness and courtesy are the most important things, and I'm often impressed when I go out.

Do today's servers talk too much to guests at a table?

I don't think waiters are entertainers. They should be pros taking care of guests' needs. And there can be too much information. That does happen. But they're actually trained to double-check, and it's standard to do it within two minutes. Otherwise, I've had guests finish their entire lamb and say, "I didn't like that." And I'm, like, "But you ate it all!"

Essential server skill today?

Waiters should always be improving their wine knowledge. But now, it's also beer knowledge, and mine's not yet what it needs to be . . . I'm learning about beer now.

On the flip side, do big-tipping diners get better service?

I stopped looking at gratuities a long time ago. We were so busy. I'm not saying I didn't see a big one or a small one. Those I register. I'd look at a bad tip mainly to reconsider if I did something incorrect - those would weigh on me the most.

What about doing away with tips? The Euro model of including gratuity and just paying servers a higher salary is a hot topic.

Tips are still the incentive for the work we do, and Americans aren't going to stop tipping overnight. And what is a "living wage," $12 an hour? A good waiter makes a lot more money than that. And it's exciting to do well.

Was the Fountain one of the best paying server gigs in Philadelphia?

I made a very steady and predictable living with a 401(k) and health benefits included. So, yes, this was a very good living and I'd have a hard time replacing it. I can't imagine working in another restaurant.

Also, the food was so amazing - I can't find anything that measures up. I've been (coordinating) the art installations at the hotel, in the restaurant and lobby and lounge. I like dealing with fine art, and am hoping to find some new experiences there.

When that final picture was taken, what were you thinking?

I was starting to feel a little sad about it all. The reason I stayed the past year and a half is because I didn't know how to leave. It was too much a part of my life. I made a lot of friends and worked with so many amazingly talented, hard-working people. It's very stressful work, it's true. But we all should be thankful there are such talented people willing to do it.