Bimbo's 365 Club faces Columbus Avenue, but the action takes place on a side alley, behind a window that has bars on the outside and shutters on the inside. This is where Michael Cerchiai, 50, sits in the wood-paneled office that was his grandfather's - the place where he books acts and greets entertainers for this Old World nightclub in North Beach.
Q: Does anybody pronounce your last name correctly?
A: Only if you are Italian or if you studied Italian.
Q: How is it done?
A: My father on his business card had a chair, a key and an eye. 'Chair-key-eye.' If you say it the Italian way, you have to roll the r.
Q: What will be happening here tomorrow night?
A: New Year's Eve is very traditional, very classic. It's black-tie optional. We've got Lavay Smith, the queen of classic jazz and blues in the authentic style of the '40s and '50s. The girl in the fishbowl will be here.
Q: What is "the girl in the fishbowl"?
A: The girl in the fishbowl has been around since the '50s. My grandfather came up with the idea of having a girl swimming in a fish tank. Basically, she lies down on a turntable and her image is projected onto two mirrors, and the whole thing rotates so it looks like she's actually swimming in a fishbowl behind the bar. She's about 6 inches long.
Q: Latest project?
A: 2011 will mark the 80th anniversary of Bimbo's. We're kicking things off at New Year's, and we're going to be celebrating it all year long.
Q: What is the root of Bimbo's 365 Club?
A: That was the name of the original club at 365 Market St. My grandfather's name was Agostino Giuntoli. Back in those days, if you were Italian, everybody had a nickname. Bimbo is short for Bambino, which means 'little boy' in Italian. It moved here in 1951.
Q: How did you end up running it?
A: I've worked here all my life. In 1987, I walked into his office and asked if I could have a moment with him. I told him I was committing to the club. I said, 'There is just one thing. When I do my shows, I call the shots.' He says, 'You've got a deal,' and he shook my hand.
Q: How many family members work here?
A: My father, Graziano, at 80, still shows up every day unless he's duck hunting, and my younger brother Gino. One of us is here for every event.
Q: You have a favorite show here?
