One of our reporters, Ray Lane, overheard the producers and me talking and Ray suggested we go to a little restaurant on Capitol Hill called "Glo's."
We called Glo's...Glo's said yes...and we were ready to go!

We arrived around 9:30 one morning and I was introduced to the allegedly camera-shy Megan, a waitress at Glo's. Megan, I'd been told, was the world's nicest human and she was willing to help out...to be my guide. Julie, one of the restaurant owners, was surprised Megan was willing to be the point-person because, again, Megan was supposedly shy.

Well, when KING 5 photographer, Ken Jones, started shooting, Megan didn't even blink an eye. She was a pro. A camera pointed at her, a light on her...and she just started showing me the ropes of waiting tables.

At first, the whole thing seemed like it was going to be simple. Glo's -- if you haven't been -- is tiny. If you have been, you know it's super-tiny. Thirteen tables, a great bunch of regular customers, a couple of really cool guys doing the cooking and the also incredibly nice Julie overseeing everything (and doing about 10 different jobs at once). With Megan's help, this was going to be a breeze.

(See my report.)

And it was. For about 10 minutes. That's when the tables started filling up. That's when I sort of said "uh-oh" to myself and thought: this is real. These peeps are here to eat and I -- me, the happy-go-lucky reporter, the guy who likes to do fun stories -- I was the one who was supposed to take care of these paying customers.

Well, lucky for me, Megan basically held my hand throughout the entire exercise and, also lucky, the customers were really great. I mean, I've done enough stories to know that there are plenty of people out there who run the other way when a t.v. camera comes around. But every Glo's customer -- with the exception of one nice lady -- just took it all in stride.

As the restaurant got busier and busier (remember: they have just 13 tables...but I think at one point, there must have been 500 customers in there) I just started to realize that I was nowhere near capable of doing a good job. Waiting tables is hard! All I could do, really, was continue to follow Megan's lead while I relied on my smart-mouth and what my mother calls "charm" to keep on everyone's good side. But in terms of "delivering the goods"...Megan did it, not me.

There was no way I could keep up with all the customers' needs. Needs, I should point out, which keep coming at you...at different times...all the time. Megan kept a great attitude (I think she was enjoying watching me squirm) and she made sure that things got done.

To me, the hardest thing about waiting tables is that each table is at a different point in their meal. The guy over there wants more coffee. The woman over here is ready to order. That one back in the corner is still waiting for a menu. Blam, blam, blam, blam. You better keep up!

After what seemed like three hours, I turned in my apron. I looked at the clock: we'd only been shooting about one hour! My mind was tired from just trying to keep up with everything.

Thanks to Ken's great shooting, Megan's great attitude, the whole Glo's crew and their sweet patience -- and the customers' indulgence -- we got lots of great stuff on tape. When I got back to the t.v. station to review the tape, I saw what I'd been feeling: a great little restaurant humming along through another successful morning...and a dorky reporter trying to keep up.

My advice after "being a waiter" -- tip big! Those people deserve it!