Santarpio's Waiter Retiring After Three Decades
EAST BOSTON (CBS) -- After 30 years of working as a waiter at Santarpio's Pizza, Tony Costanzo is retiring.
"It's time," the animated, energetic waiter told WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Carl Stevens on his last day at work Tuesday. "I'm gonna be 67, and I've spent most of my life working. Now it's time for me to just start living."
He's seen generations come and go, and say's he's "absolutely" going to miss his job.
"I waited on people when they were kids. Now they're adults," Costanzo said. "Now they've got families of their own. I've seen families grow."
For many, including Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, seeing Tony has been an important part of the Santarpio's experience.
"I've been coming here since I was like, 18 years old," said Walsh. "I saw Tony many, many years, and I just thought he was a character."
"The best part of this place is the socialization," Costanzo said. "I enjoy talking to people."
And it never gets old for Costanzo, as people from around the world are constantly stopping at the famed pizza joint.
"That's why they built the airport," he jokes.
He said he's absolutely going to miss the place, which he says is a contender for the best pizza on earth.
"You've got the best pizza in the world--I mean, I like all these signs, 'Best in Boston,' but it ought to be expanded to best in the world," he said. "I think they just did a study of pizzas in the United States, Santarpio's came in at 31st. I'd love to see who the other 30 people were who rated higher than us. We had Jerry Seinfeld here one day, and I asked him, 'How do you even know about us?' and he says, 'Everybody knows about you.'
So what's next for Costanzo? Well, his wife says she has quite the "honey do" list.
"I'm gonna take it easy," Costanzo said. "Whatever my wife tells me to do, I'll be ready to do ... the over-under is six months. I guess everybody says, 'You'll be back in six months,' so we'll see. Six months from today, come back and look for me. If you see me here, then you'll know it didn't work out!"
