Waiter Rant: Behind the Scenes of Eating Out
The Book of the Popular Blog by an Anonymous New York Waiter
Where Anthony Bourdain’s popular Kitchen Confidential (Harper Perennial, 2001) took readers inside the machinations of a restaurant kitchen, Waiter Rant (John Murray, 2008) brings the story to the “front-of-house” dining areas. Dealing with fractious customers and hot-tempered staff, the waiter is the buffer between the kitchen and the customer.
Waiter Rant Blog
The Waiter began his blog Waiter Rant in 2004 as a means of sharing his experiences in the restaurant service industry with the wider public. Although both the blog and the book are published anonymously, the New York Post identified the author as Steve Dublanica in an interview in July 2008.
Originally the blog contained short vignettes about customers, staff and incidents that caught the author’s attention. The subject matter as well as Dublanica’s writing style saw the blog gain in popularity, winning the Bloggie award in 2006 for “Best Writing in a Weblog”. In 2008 it was listed in Observer Magazine’s Top 50 Most Powerful Blogs.
Beyond the Internet – Waiter Rant in Print
While many books based on popular blogs are merely reprinting the best entries that can be easily found on-line, Waiter Rant raises the bar. The book flows seamlessly between anecdotes and tips, and has a traditional story arc which follows the author’s life in the years from first gaining employment as a new waiter through to becoming the restaurant manager in charge of the front-of-house staff.
Presented as a memoir, an early chapter of Waiter Rant traces the author’s path into the service industry. Originally planning on entering the priesthood, Dublanica spent several years in a seminary. Eventually disillusioned with his chosen vocation, he left to pursue a career as a psychologist and then health care marketer. Waiting on tables was meant to only be a stop-gap occupation until he found his next true career path.
Luckily for Dublanica’s readers, his passion for writing is equalled with his fascination with the restaurant service industry. He manages to be sharp and witty in his caricatures of diners and fellow employees, while still giving the stories a feeling of intimacy by relaying his own emotional reaction to the situations surrounding him.
Tips and Advice for Restaurant Patrons
Dublanica’s observations on the people around him during his time as a waiter are a helpful guide to diners wondering how to get great service or whether they are tipping enough in a high-quality restaurant. In addition, the end of the book contains three appendixes that offer tips for both customers and waiters, including:
- 40 Tips on How to Be a Good Customer
- 50 Ways to Tell You’re Working in a Bad Restaurant
- Items a Waiter Should Carry at All Times
Dublanica has recently announced on his blog that Waiter Rant has been optioned for development as a TV series.
Waiter Rant: Behind the Scenes of Eating Out [ISBN: 978 1 84854 007 1, 304 pages]
Waiter Rant by A. Waiter
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