Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Real People - Real Place - Real Treat, 10 Sep 2008
Chronicling six years in the life of a New York City waiter, "Waiter Rant" is one of those rare treats that breaks new ground in originality. Taken from the `blog' of an `anonymous' waiter, tales run the gamut from the hilarious to the sublime. I was stunned and amused to read about the escapades, characters and events that most of us `civilians' rarely see. Stories are deftly told about the complexities of being a `servant' that adds a nice balance from the absolutely absurd incidences to the passionately poetic insights. Of course, the workers (on all levels) are the real stars here and the range of personalities and background is humorously (and endearingly) fleshed out. From sweet `waiter' observations of couples both young and old to the self-entitled manic behavior of rude customers, `Waiter Rant' will have you crying and howling. The "Bistro" may seem like a well run upscale restaurant, but the behind the scenes shenanigans is jaw-dropping.
The author begins his journey as a beginning waiter out of desperation for a job. Soon, he becomes an accomplished professional with amazing skills at handling multiple tables, fast turnovers and the tact of a saint. The author also notes in humorous detail all the tools and insights needed to handle anything from an unrelenting and paranoid management to dining room emergencies and the psychological handlings of all of the above. It is no small feat and his previous employment background in the seminary and a psychiatric hospital prove invaluable in everyday situations at the restaurant.
A lot of territory is covered here and the general public truly has no idea the kind of lifestyle this industry attracts or creates. It is a world unto itself and "the waiter" proves to be an enjoyable read at all levels. To cap it all off, the book ends with a hilarious (but mandatory) list of "do's and don'ts". An emotional roller-coaster with humor and human insight en masse, this book is a real joy. It screams HBO special all over the place.
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6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
THIS WEEK'S SPECIAL, 16 Aug 2008
Aptly titled Waiter Rant
Is a book many can't
Bear to put down once begun
As it's true and great fun.
Why couldn't I put Waiter Rant down after reading a few pages? Because he started by serving great dish - although economists say that the restaurant business is a bellwether of the nation's economic health. Our author sees it differently: "... I think it's a bellwether of America's mental health as well. And let me tell you, 20 percent of the American dining public are socially maladjusted psychopaths. We should start putting Prozac in the Perrier."
Unfortunately for this waiter (Steve Dublanica who is no longer anonymous thanks to book tours) much of that 20 percentile found its way to his tables. It's more than entertaining to discover how he handled or mishandled the grouses, the souses, and the patently dishonest.
But, how did a nice guy find himself in such a fix? He started out to become a priest. After attending a college seminary, he became disenchanted by "an imperfect system." Following college graduation with a major in psychiatry he worked for a drug-rehabilitation facility where he again met disillusionment when all the bugs in the health care system were discovered - insurance fraud, restraining patients against their will, etc. What to do to pay the rent and buy groceries? His brother worked as a waiter and found a job for Steve. Thus, it all began.
As time passed he realized that what he witnessed each day as customers dined and drank were snapshots of their lives - either pretty or ugly but always revealing. Steve began to write about what he saw each day on his blog waiterrant.net. The blog eventually garnered a huge audience, won the 2006 "Best Writing in a Weblog" Bloggie award, and caught the attention of book publishers.
Of course, this didn't happen overnight. What Steve thought was a stop gap job turned into 7 years at the Bistro, owned by Fluvio, an irrational dictator so ruled by paranoid anxiety that he installed hidden cameras in order to keep an eye on his staff in the dining room, kitchen, front sidewalk, and even the back alley where they went for a smoke.
Steve's recollections of his customers are priceless, both heart warming and hilarious. His revelations about what goes on in a restaurant's kitchen aren't always appetizing. What goes on in a restaurant's rest room? Totally shocking!
Waiter Rant is this year's special. Enjoy and be very, very kind to your waiters.
Highly recommended.
- Gail Cooke
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1 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A look inside the thoughts of a waiter., 17 Jul 2008
I am sure we all like to eat and it is nice to go out to a restaurant as well. Well if you do go out, you may just want to read this memoir that will give you an insight on your restaurant staff and especially waiters. Now before I received this book I must admit that I had never heard of the blog WaiterRant by The Waiter. But when I saw this book, I went to the blog and read only the last two posts and knew that the book would at least flow and be a fast read. And to my pleasant surprise, that assumption was correct.
The author, known only as The Waiter, gives us a brief introduction on his college life in Seminary and how he earned his degree is psychology. And then over a set of circumstances outside of his control ends up working as a waiter for the first time at a restaurant called Amici's, where his brother the waiter gets him the job. In this restaurant we are introduced to a dysfunctional manager and owner, his fellow waiters, and the kitchen staff. He is inducted into the hallow halls of the restaurant business in a very cutthroat environment where he learns fast how to survive and keep his job...for a while.
We start to pick up the tips one would like to learn from The Waiters work at The Bistro as Head Waiter for years. He learn how he handles the everyday stress of working at a upper mid-range restaurant where he waits on people from a couple who cannot really afford to eat there but are nice to celebrities and those he even drives out regardless of the potential tips he forgoes. And on top of waiting tables he has to be the buffer between the explosive owner Fluvio who has a way of going into spontaneous rants with anyone, staff or customer, and a video camera system set up to watch the staff and not aid them in providing better service.
The author not only explains how waiters look at the different customers, but the categories they place them in and how they tip. He also shares some of the secrets on how waiters get bigger tips out of customers. I do not know how much of the book is from his blog postings, but I enjoyed the book. And having worked a couple years in this industry I can tell you he is right on the mark. Especially when he states that a restaurant may be a business, but money is not always the bottom line. If you are rich and obnoxious you will find a harder and harder time fining a table at fine restaurants.
The book is filled with a lot of useful tips, like gentleman you should be aware that your date my judge you by watching how you compensate your waiter, of course this is an easy dilemma to avoid, but you should not have to. Your waiter services are his job and he or she should be compensated for them. The author has also added appendices on how to be a better customer, on how to tell you're at a bad restaurant, and tips for waiters. It was a fast and fun read.
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