"We were extremely pleased by the quality of the applicants," said Paul Flaherty, manager of Davio's at Patriot Place.

"At Davio's," notes General Manager Paul Flaherty, "we value the relationships we've built through collaborations with organizations, such as FPAC, throughout our community.

As the Patriots played their 10 home games, the Davio's team led by general manager Paul Flaherty learned a thing or two about some fans and their sporting caps: they aren't soon parted. Flaherty asks them to remove their hats as it is part of their dress code. Most do it willingly. But a few don't, and they are belligerent. One man told him that if he could give him one good reason why, he would. Imagine! Flaherty tried to keep things light and said that his cap clashed with the color of Davio's tablecloths. "Not good enough," the man said. At that point I think I would have asked the man to get his mother on the phone to settle things, but Flaherty is far more diplomatic. Eventually the man relented. At some point here, Davio's owner Steve DiFillippo saw the unhappy, hatless man and asked Flaherty what the problem was. The very concept of having such an unhappy guest made Flaherty and DiFillippo reconsider the hat policy. People are supposed to be happy and have fun when they are at Davio's, Flaherty said. So they changed the rule for Patriot game days. But that doesn't mean others don't push. Flaherty said one night he had a diner eating with his wife and wearing a hat. He asked him to remove his hat in the dining room. He complained that he'd have "hat hair" and didn't want to comply. The disgruntled patron then added, "You wouldn't make a football player take off his hat" - at which point Flaherty pointed out Patriot Matt Light sitting at a corner table with his cap hung off his knee under the table. For the record, Light didn't have to be asked to remove his hat. Beyond the hat issue, Flaherty talked about the chaos that happens when more than 300 seats are filled for a meal before a game and then all empty at the same time.

Paul Flaherty, General Manager 236 Patriot Place, Foxboro, MA 02035 350 4 85 • 508-339-4810 • Fax: 508-772-7730 paulflaherty@davios.com • davios.com

While the in person interview sessions drew close on Tuesday, any interested in job opportunities are asked to visit www.davios.com and resumes may be forwarded to Paul Flaherty at PaulFlaherty@davios.com.