But the modernised side has outdoor tables, placed on a plaza full of cranes and new buildings.

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On the other side, the tables are neatly set for the lunchtime crowd that is beginning to trickle in.

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Alex Gregg, a waiter at Paola's on the Upper East Side who's waited tables for more than 40 years, says he's morphed into a tech whiz manning the sophisticated POS system, taking reservations on OpenTable, checking customer preferences on databases, even Googling patrons when he can't match a name to a face.

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We stacked our armchairs on one side of the room and arranged another set of chairs around folding tables.

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Walk into El Maguey y La Tuna, a Mexican restaurant on Manhattan's Lower East Side, on a weekend afternoon, and chances are you'll find tables full of red-eyed 20- and 30-somethings face-first in bowls of a fiery-hot soup called pancita.

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And they can take advantage of wood fold-down airline-like tray tables, a large center console that includes a closed storage compartment and side window shades should they feel the need to get some work accomplished while en route.

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On a recent Saturday night, when the Upper West Side yuppie contingent made up a majority of the patrons, there were strollers parked beside the white marble tables, and a waitress cheerfully accommodated a party that wanted to crowd in extra seats.

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