Oh Waiter!

Fans of Anthony Bourdain will enjoy Waiter Rant by Steve Dubanica. It has that same cynical, sardonic, just tell-it-as-it-is style, only this time its from the waiter's perspective. Dubanica offers some tips on how to be a valued customer, and also advises about some things that really annoy waiters, and how they get their revenge. Spitting in your food is the least of it. Restaurants keep much more information stored on their computers than you think; they keep records on troublesome customers as well as the ones who warrant special treatment. Don't even think of claiming you are a friend of the owner! The book details power struggles over prime shifts and tables, the paranoia of restaurant owners, and how a waiter can tell within seconds of seating you what kind of tipper you will be, amongst other interesting tidbits. This is an interesting eye opener for foodies, spiced with amusing anecdotes like what happened when Russell Crowe came to the restaurant.

"The front-of-the-house version of Kitchen Confidential; a painfully funny, excruciatingly true-life account of the waiter's life. As useful as it is entertaining." Anthony Bourdain