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Andy Knight has managed the Hamilton outlet of Di Maggio’s for just under four years. The branch is part of a family-owned group of restaurants that includes Amarone, L’Ariosto, three branches of Cafe Andaluz and six other Di Maggio’s restaurants which operate in and around Glasgow. The business was started in 1985 and the Di Maggio’s restaurants are as well known for their family-friendly approach as they are for their Italian American food.

In this Chewing the Fat interview, Andy talks about leading the front of house at his restaurant, The Krankies and his love of spicy chicken wings.

What are the most popular dishes at Di Maggio’s in Hamilton?

AK: People here seem to like their spicy food so we do a dish called Bad Ass Wings which is chicken wings in a Louisiana hot sauce. I like them as well. In fact, I like them so much that I have them for my breakfast. The customers like the wings for starters and our pizzas are also very popular.

How big is the restaurant?

We have 150 covers. The restaurant isn’t massive but it is set out very well and that maximises the people we can get in. It had a refurb about four years ago and it is still looking just as good as it did when it was first made over.

We’ve got a big mural along one of the back walls showing famous Scottish people. There’s Billy Connolly, Sean Connery, The Proclaimers, the Krankies and The Broons. It’s a talking point. When people sit down they try and name all the famous faces. Nine times out of ten they don’t get everyone.

Do people want to sit next to Sean Connery?

No but Jinky Johnstone, the old Celtic player, is up there. There are a quite a few Rangers boys up this neck of the woods and they want to sit anywhere apart from at the booth that has Jinky by it.

So what is a busy night for you?

At the weekends we do maybe 350 to 400 covers. The peak is about half seven but otherwise it’s spread out. It’s manageable. The menu is designed around numbers as well as quality.

Because you work with food all the time, does it put you off eating at the restaurant?

Not at all. The wings get cooked fresh every morning as does the bread so when you come in at the start of the day you smell the hot baking bread and the Bad Ass wings. They can be hard to resist. I can’t help myself.

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What do you like to eat on a night off? Are the Bad Ass wings the last thing on your mind?

Actually, no. My wife doesn’t like them but, even on my nights off, it has been known for me to get a delivery of them from the West End Di Maggio’s. It’s getting a wee bit scary at the moment, I think I need to go and see someone about my addiction.

Do you cook at home?

I would like to say I’m a great cook. I enjoy cooking and we love entertaining. I get a lot of ideas from the chefs in here and I do try to reproduce some of the dishes in the house. Even though I have been here for coming on four years, and, sometimes, you do get a wee bit fed up with the dishes, there are plenty that you want to try and recreate in the house. You know how much the customers enjoy them so you know that your guests probably will as well.

Is there a gadget which is essential to your working day?

Our restaurant booking system. Everything goes through that. Gone are the days of the check pad and a dodgy old diary. It all goes on the computer now. The entire business has become a lot more high tech now. When I started in this industry, some twenty or so years ago, it was check pad and pen. Now it’s all computerised tills that feed the order through to the kitchen. The only bad point, or maybe it is a good point, is that you speak to the chefs a wee bit less. There is less interaction between front of house and the kitchen.

You can have anyone in the world cook you a meal, who would it be?

My wife. She never cooks so it would be good to have a home-cooked meal for a change rather than me cooking for her.

Aside from Di Maggio’s, where do you like to eat out?

You know about my wing addiction so it has to be Nando’s. I like their chicken wings and peri-peri chicken. Also, in the West End, there’s a place called Nick’s Italian Bar and Grill on Hyndland Road. We also go to the Partners Italian Bistro on Great Western Road.

What’s the best thing about being a restaurant manager?

Every day is different. People who work nine to five know what every day will be like. Their days and weeks and months are planned out for them. When you are a restaurant manager, ever day is totally different from the one before. You have different customers and different people working with you. It’s refreshing and keeps you on your toes. I like to be in the heat of things. I like having lots of things going on.

What would you change?

Not much. I do the rota and I try to make sure that everyone gets a weekend off every month or so. Everyone else is out at the weekend so I try to make sure that the staff get a weekend now and then so they can go out with their friends or their wife or girlfriend. My weekend is Tuesday and Wednesday night and I prefer that. Everything is quieter, from the shops and banks to the bars and restaurants.

Tell us about your daftest customer complaint?

We recently started getting our burgers from Simon Howie which led to a customer complaining that the burger was too meaty and that the onion topping was too oniony and that it made her cry. What do you say to that?

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