The Madding Crowd

A lot of people think waiters are poster boys for bad behavior. The archetype of the arrogant French waiter is a perfect example. We’re often characterized as mean, patronizing, vindictive, food inseminating malcontents. Well, sometimes that may be true – but it...

The Sour and The Cheap

“The computer’s not working,” Arlene informs me. Ugh. Our state of the art POS system has froze up again. I go over to the touch screen and tap the glass gingerly. NO INPUT SIGNAL the screen flashes woefully. “Open the pod bay doors Hal,” I mutter aloud. NO INPUT...

Vertigo

Larry Mullen, the drummer from the band U2, is a regular at my bistro. Unassuming, polite, and a good tipper, he comes in with his family whenever he’s in the States. They’re completely normal nice people. We have a good policy regarding celebrities at the Bistro. We...

Social Darwinist Dead Enders

I don’t like to talk about politics on my blog. When you’re a waiter you don’t alienate customers (and reduce your tips) by saying you like or dislike any particular political party. My bistro is a bi-partisan affair. The only political figures we like to talk about...

CNN

A reader wrote telling me Waiter Rant was mentioned on CNN. It turns out that Jeanne Moos did a story entitled “Wrath of the Waiters” for her program “Making the Moost of It.” She mentioned my website by name and showed a screen shot of the title banner. The funniest...

The Heimlich Position

Sex is part of the restaurant business. Think about it. Eating and sex are both activities physically linked to the emotion governing limbic system of the brain. How often have you heard someone describe the taste of food as “orgasmic?” Enjoyment of food often leads...

Man Down!

It’s Saturday night and I’m up front chatting with the new hostess. Whenever she bends down to grab a menu I catch a glimpse of a tattoo stenciled above the cleavage of her rather nice backside. I’m wondering how I’m going to see the rest that tattoo when I hear a...

Numa Numa!

his post has nothing to do with waiting tables but bear with me….. Today I read a NY Times article about Gary Brolsma, a nineteen year old kid from New Jersey, who posted a video of himself singing an obscure Romanian pop song called “Numa Numa” on the internet. I...

Amputee

A new two top is seated in my section. The girl is pretty. The boy is tall and quiet. They look young. If they order alcohol I’ll have to see ID. I pat my breast pocket to make sure I have my reading glasses. I need them to read the small print of a license. Time and...

Viva La Revolucion!

Well, it seems more people in the food service industry are jumping on the blogging bandwagon. Here are two blogs I’ve noticed recently; Cook Rant (Hmmmmm, sounds familiar) – stories of woe from a line cook. Manhattan Waitress – tales of a waitroness...