Why Restaurant People Are Always Broke
There is one universal truth about life in the restaurant business: No matter how many shifts we work, we’ll never have enough money. Most of us pray that there are thirty-one days this month because...
View ArticleThe Waiter’s Bill of Rights
Waiters are always taught to put the needs of guests above our own. It’s the most basic tenet of the service industry and it comes at a heavy psychological cost. Hospitality professionals are...
View ArticleThe Hidden Cost of Hospitality
When restaurant people have grouchy fits about bad tables, our complaints usually fall on deaf ears. Everyone loves to remind us that we shouldn’t complain because taking care of people—even if they...
View ArticleWhy Waiting on Waiters is Annoying
There’s an unwritten code among restaurant folk, when someone from another restaurant comes to our house, we do our best to treat them like family. We refill their wine glasses without their asking,...
View ArticleThe Pretty Face At The Door
With gender inequality under scrutiny, the restaurant industry has been forced to take a long, uncomfortable look at itself in the mirror. The reflection hasn’t been very flattering. Despite all of...
View ArticleBe a Hero. Tip the Kitchen.
In a moderately upscale Yakitori restaurant in Tokyo, a thick plexiglass divider stood between me and the chefs like the bulletproof windows that protect bank tellers from robbery. I watched as the...
View ArticleGoodbye, Uncle Tony
The outpouring of emotion within the restaurant community in the wake of Anthony Bourdain’s death last month is a sobering reminder of the familial aspect of restaurant work. His unexpected passing hit...
View ArticleWell Done But Juicy
On an otherwise smooth night, a guest summoned me to his table in a panic because he was disappointed with the Filet Mignon he had ordered well done. His complaint, easily foretold, was that the steak...
View ArticleWe Have a Restaurant Fetish
In an episode of “Ugly Delicious,” chef David Chang and comedian Ali Wong are having a conversation at Din Tai Fung Restaurant where they refer to the liquid that squirts out of a soup dumpling as...
View ArticlePlease Wait To Be Seated
No matter how much people love dining out, they never like waiting for their table. Seating guests promptly is consistently one the most stressful parts of working in a restaurant. Hosts and maitre’ds...
View ArticleWhy Abusive Restaurant Culture Will Never Go Away
2018 was a momentous year in the restaurant world. It will go down in history as a precipice—when the world finally learned how fucked up we are. The shameful skeletons amassed in our closets had...
View ArticleThe Secret Conspiracy to Turn Your Table
Every time you set foot in a busy restaurant there is a secret conspiracy going on behind closed doors, a synchronized and covert operation, designed to encourage you to finish your meal as soon as...
View ArticleIt’s Time to Retire These Waiter-isms
The San Francisco Chronicle’s new restaurant critic, Soleil Ho, wrote a wonderful essay recently citing a melange of words she vows never to use in her restaurant reviews. This got us thinking about...
View ArticleReconsidering Unconditional Hospitality: The Myth of Salvation Through Service
In her episode of Chef’s Table, Asma Khan, reflecting upon her success as a restaurateur, sums up her philosophies about hospitality by saying that “a guest is an incarnation of God.” She envisions her...
View ArticleWhy The CNBC “Tipping Hack” Guy Made The Internet Go Apeshit
A viral video advertising a nifty “hack” to save money on tipping caused a stir last week on social media. Instead of calculating a percentage of the total bill, the video by CNBC reporter Zack Guzman...
View ArticleTheft in Restaurants is More Common Than You Think
At a former restaurant job, we used an antique ashtray and a vintage sterling silver jewelry case to present the check. The shape of each resembled the logo of the restaurant and guests were always...
View ArticleStop Storyboarding Your Restaurant Meals
“May I offer any recommendations on the menu?” the waiter asks cheerfully. “No,” the guest answers, ”We already knew what we wanted before we sat down.” That’s strange, the waiter thought, I haven’t...
View ArticleYour Restaurant Meals Are Getting Shorter and There’s Nothing You Can Do...
You’ve barely even glanced at the cocktail menu before an anxious server approaches the table and asks if you have any questions. “Could you give us a minute?” “Sure, sure… take your time.” Moments...
View ArticleGood Food Isn’t Good Enough Anymore
I met a friend for dinner recently at a new Italian restaurant that was getting a lot of buzz. When we arrived for an early reservation, the bar was full and the decor was predictably minimalist and...
View ArticleWhy You Should Never Order White Truffles in Restaurants
The excitement of white truffle season at the end of the year is infectious. But there are some troublesome realities about the white truffles you’re being served that should make you think twice the...
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