Transcript for the Piece Audio version of StoryCorps: Joe Spano and Joe Spano Jr.

JS: When we opened a restaurant, we really didn't know what we were doing. We had some pots and pans from the house. And I never cooked anything until we opened that restaurant. I said to myself, "my gosh, I don't know how to cook, do I?" But, I did. And I didn't even realize I knew. I learned by watching my grandmother and my mother. And, now you're doing it.

JS Jr.: Now we're feeding a thousand people a week. (Laughter)

JS: Yeah, it's amazing isn't it. It's a lot of pasta.

JS Jr.: I never realized before I started working with you. You sure know how to drew the line between son and employee. And I can remember when I was the first dishwasher at Spano's wondering, why do I have to be the dishwasher?

JS: Yeah, I'm the son. I'm supposed to be the executive.

JS Jr.: Right, I didn't think I was supposed to be the dishwasher. But I was...

JS: You wanted to be President.

JS Jr.: Right, I did. I wanted to walk in. I wanted to wear a shirt and tie the first day on the job.

JS: But you also saw your dad washing dishes too, at that same sink.

JS Jr.: I don't know if you knew early on that I was going to want to do this forever. I don't know if that was part of it and you were trying to teach me.

JS: No.

JS Jr.: Or if you were doing it because that's the way it was supposed to be.

JS: We were trying to teach you a work ethic. Whether you were in the restaurant business or not I think we did a heck of a job.

JS Jr.: Right, but it wasn't until I started doing it for myself that I realized, okay, this is why they did it the way they did it.

JS: Yeah, well, you know they say, the older you get the smarter your parents get. (Laughter)

JS Jr.: Yeah, I'm realizing that. Yeah, now I know. Just this past Friday night, my dishwasher got sick. The guys in the kitchen were busy and I took my coat off and I took my tie off, and I put an apron on and I started scrubbing dishes. And I mean the guys in the kitchen, they were amazed. I guess they'd never seen the owner scrubbing dishes before.

JS: (Laughter) What do you like about the restaurant business? It's not easy, is it?

JS Jr.: No. But, if I hit the lottery tomorrow and never had to work another day in my life I would not close the restaurant down.

JS: Mm-hmm.

JS Jr.: Because you can have all the money in the world, but if you don't do something that has any meaning, I mean, what's the point? When somebody's plate completely empty, that's instant gratification...or they were starving to death, one of the two. And that makes it all worth while. There's no other job like that. You know, at least every day I can make somebody happy.