I have been obese for most of my life. In HS and college I spent some time working in a sandwich shop - which isn't a restaurant, but I was making and serving food and running around on my feet all day. I burned some serious calories doing all that. I came home from college one summer and in 3 months I dropped nearly 60 pounds and I wasn't dieting really - just working and playing tennis. The calorie burn between those two must have been immense. Being on your feet all day, running around making food....that burns more than you think. You have a hard job.