Waiter Rant: Thanks for the Tip--Confessions of a Cynical Waiter

Mr. Dublanica, a.k.a. The Waiter, dishes out his take on life as a professional waiter. After hitting rock bottom in his personal life and finding himself on the brink of a breakdown, he started working as a waiter so he could sort things out . Several years later, his supposedly temporary gig slowly solidified into a permanent profession. He started to write down his observations and thoughts on his blog in 2005. Soon the popularity of the blog grew, and it gave birth to the book Waiter Rant.Since Mr. Dublanica has worked in the industry for a shorter period than Mr. Bourdain, his book's contents are notably thinner than those of Kitchen Confidential.As the title suggests, Mr. Dublanica mostly rants. He rants about the dysfunctional work environment, the misfit workers, the paranoid owners, the lousy tippers, the holiday horrors, the good (or bad) money, and the madness of a waiter's life.The first half of the book is devoted to exposing the ugliness and the craziness of the restaurant industry. In his own words, waiters today are expected to be 'food allergy specialists, sommeliers, cell-phone-rule enforcers, emergency medical technicians, bouncers, receptionists, joke tellers, therapists, linguists, punch bags, psychics, protocol specialists, and amateur chefs.'As his journey progresses, Mr. Dublanica realizes that he is also supposed to know how to fix air conditioners, find a bottle of replacement wine within ten minutes, stop customers from having sex in the washroom, cut drunk patrons off, and wring tips out of cheap guests. The tales are arranged into a fictional year, from New Year's Eve to Valentine's Day and then on to Mother's Day, the 4th of July, Labour Day, and Thanksgiving.As time goes by, fewer and fewer facts are presented and more and more personal reflections are added to the mix. Money, power, alcohol, and stress gradually overtax him until Mr. Dublanica is desperate to get out of the waiter's life. Only after he quits his job as headwaiter does he realize that perhaps it is possible to find inner peace by starting all over again.

Welcome to the world of fine dining hell. This is a great read from the author of the Waiter Rant blog. Step into a world you may or may not know and spend a couple of hours with the uber-stressed, people who bring you your fois gras and pour your $200.00 wine. It's a trip worth taking.

If you ever have eaten or plan to eat in a nice restaurant (and who hasn't?) this is a book you need to read. Below is a list of key areas he covers with grace, humor and insight that any foodie will want to know.1. The differences between the crazy worlds of the kitchen staff and waiters- engagingly described as like "the Palestinians and Israelis - seperate but distinct nationalities uncomfortably sharing the same space."2. The very different breed and perspectives of Managers and Restaurant Owners.3. How to avoid having your food spat on (or worse), or to have yourself made the butt of waitstaff humor. (Plus, what they're really thinking - while they're being "oh, so polite".)4. How to get better treatment. And yes, tips are a big part of it - but that ain't nearly half of it.5. Which category of diner you fall into - in waitspeak tipping language.6. Why you don't want to be a waiter --- and what's great about being a waiter. (Think living like a gambler with great adrenaline rushes, hours the opposite of everyone else, and working with a wild cast of familial characters!)7. Added Bonuses: How to turn an anonymous blog on an everyday situation into a published novel, an interesting brush with Russell Crowe, and the crude world behind that "oh so, refined dining experience".BOTTOM LINE FOR SHORT ATTENTION SPAN FOLKS:Along with Kitchen Confidential Updated Ed: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly (P.S.), it's the behind-the-scenes tour of what's really going on while you and your guests dine that you need to know - if you want the best experience possible.While, as a self-proclaimed "waiter/wanna' be writer" the author is justifiably not as good of a writer as Bourdain - he still has a natural writing talent which makes this a thorougly enjoyable read.

I long ago gave my copy away to another member of the hospitality industry... "It's kitchen confidential for front of house."Happy when I found a used copy to save a few bucks on Amazon and even happier when it arrived packaged neatly and in near perfect condition. Gifted with happy results.

Wonderful book about life from the waiter's perspective, which is so interesting for those of us who dine out in restaurants. This is a page turner, and I really enjoyed this book.