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13th out of 261 books
—
180 voters
Waiter Rant: Thanks for the Tip-Confessions of a Cynical Waiter
According to The Waiter, eighty percent of customers are nice people just looking for something to eat. The remaining twenty percent, however, are socially maladjusted psychopaths. Waiter Rant offers the server's unique point of view, replete with tales of customer stupidity, arrogant misbehavior, and unseen bits of human grace transpiring in the most unlikely places. Thro...more
Hardcover, 302 pages
Published
July 29th 2008
by Ecco Press
(first published July 28th 2008)
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Don't get me wrong- this book seemed like it would be right up my alley. I like cynicism, I like bitchy people... and if you're funny I'll listen to you complain all day and night. The Waiter was just whiny. Half the time he was trying to link a boring story into some grander theme (like wanting to be a firefighter when you're a kid- WTF?) and the other half of the time he was wistfully talking about how writing this book was going to save him from his woeful life of being a waiter.
Also, while...more
Also, while...more
Aug 18, 2008
Joshua
rated it
2 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Any one who has never been to a restaurant before and wonders what they are
The buzz surrounding this book likens it as a front of the house version of Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential . While superfically, they both concern themselves with working in a restaurant, that is where the similarities end. While Bourdain uses his mystery-noir style writing to tell a gripping tale of working as a chef, "The Waiter" is a competant writer at best. Bourdain's work is scathing and the mesmerizing. This author is a waiter trying to be a writer. I know this book used to be a...more
13 likes · like · see review
My family and I eat out at least two times a week, so reading Waiter Rant was definitely an interesting experience. I'm almost convinced that if I tip under 15% that my waiter is going to hate me for the rest of their lives. Hm.
Anyway, Waiter Rant was filled with meaningful anecdotes - some of them were emotionally driven and powerful, others were more on the cynical and disturbing side. The book managed to hold my interest, and the writing was good but not superb. Recommended for people who are...more
Anyway, Waiter Rant was filled with meaningful anecdotes - some of them were emotionally driven and powerful, others were more on the cynical and disturbing side. The book managed to hold my interest, and the writing was good but not superb. Recommended for people who are...more
6 likes · like · see review
Although this is ostensibly a collection of a waiter's experiences on the job, I hesitate to shelve it in non-fiction. Dublanica so clearly takes artistic licenses that very little rings true. There are a few sections that seem real, but the majority of this book is either Dublanica talking about how he's so much smarter than all other waiters&customers or psychoanalyzing himself. Not even half of the book actually concerns actually waiting tables. In every one of those stories, customers ar...more
7 likes · like · see review
Too much waffle. Where it wasn't waffling on in the body of the book or in the appendices that padded it out, about how you should behave as a customer in a restaurant it was a good, if light read, more brunch than dinner. But, EXCUSE ME - I'm the one paying, you don't tell me how to behave, or that I can't request a table change when you seat me by the toilets or complain the food is undercooked, or tell me how much I should tip, you should be giving me good service because that is your job.
Yo...more
Yo...more
8 likes · like · see review
If you ever waited tables at a fine dining restaurant, this is amazing. It so happens that's me. If that isn't you, I might guess you would rate it more like 3 stars. Anyhow, I'm giving it five and i could not put it down.
6 likes · like · see review
A painfully funny look at the other side of the restaurant industry. There have been plenty of books about life in the back of the house and now an account of what your waiter really thinks of you.
4 likes · like · see review
Having been a waiter for a while, I knew that I wanted to read this one when I heard about it. The anonymous author first caught the bug of pseudo-fame with his blog of the same name. Basically, the book (and the blog, too) share the waiter's experiences of becoming a server and his history in the field over the course of 10 years. Each chapter is a short essay focusing on different aspects of the job from the unique interaction between the servers and the kitchen staff to the challenges of havi...more
5 likes · like · see review
I read the Waiter's blog a few summers ago, I think he was just about to publish this book, I was hooked for a couple of weeks and then everything went into oblivion. Meanwhile, he kept writing his blog, he stopped waiting tables (I think! I need to catch up with his entries) and wrote another book.
I'm a sucker for dining out, restaurant business, cooking and food & wine basically. I've never tried waiting, though I would have liked to, but one thing's for sure: I rant about waiters, their m...more
I'm a sucker for dining out, restaurant business, cooking and food & wine basically. I've never tried waiting, though I would have liked to, but one thing's for sure: I rant about waiters, their m...more
I agree with everyone else who thought the Waiter comes across as an insufferable, pompous know-it-all. He speaks Arabic to the busboys, Spanish to the kitchen staff, lectures co-workers on finances and immigration, lectures customers on food, performs the Heimlich maneuver on one customer, is ready to perform first-aid on another who has a stroke, mediates relations between front and back of house and owner, presents himself as a kind manager who helps "his" employees when they need it, and cla...more
I honestly can't bring myself to finish this book. What a terrible, self-indulgent, boring, unfunny rant.
The whole book is formatted like "I don't normally hate _________, but _____ really gets my goat" or "I'm not racist, but [race] are the worst people ever" or "I don't hate homosexuals but I will readily engage in a homophobic slur contest with the despicable [race]." He prefaces every statement with a prior statement that tries to make him look like a great person. I don't doubt he is - I j...more
The whole book is formatted like "I don't normally hate _________, but _____ really gets my goat" or "I'm not racist, but [race] are the worst people ever" or "I don't hate homosexuals but I will readily engage in a homophobic slur contest with the despicable [race]." He prefaces every statement with a prior statement that tries to make him look like a great person. I don't doubt he is - I j...more
2 likes · like · see review
I had a couple of problems with this book...
1. The Waiter isn't a particularly good writer.
2. He could at times be a little condescending, which kind of pisses me off.
So in regards to numero uno...this wasn't necessarily a deal-breaker. I don't think Waiter thinks he's writing epic literature here, so his less than stellar writing didn't ruin my life or anything. It read like a blog - I suppose because it is a blog - so really, just like with any blog, I was hoping just to get a few laughs and...more
1. The Waiter isn't a particularly good writer.
2. He could at times be a little condescending, which kind of pisses me off.
So in regards to numero uno...this wasn't necessarily a deal-breaker. I don't think Waiter thinks he's writing epic literature here, so his less than stellar writing didn't ruin my life or anything. It read like a blog - I suppose because it is a blog - so really, just like with any blog, I was hoping just to get a few laughs and...more
The guy's a pretty good writer & I enjoyed the book. It did contain some of the same stories he's blogged about, and some new ones, too.
It is slightly irritating in as much as the author (ironically) seems to feel entitled to a 20% tip and a public who understands the restaurant business; interesting, considering his 'ranting' is often targeted at the entitled attitudes of others. I get that people can be, and are, jerks, and that this is often amplified when they deal with those in customer...more
It is slightly irritating in as much as the author (ironically) seems to feel entitled to a 20% tip and a public who understands the restaurant business; interesting, considering his 'ranting' is often targeted at the entitled attitudes of others. I get that people can be, and are, jerks, and that this is often amplified when they deal with those in customer...more
1 like · like · see review
Mar 17, 2009
Rose
added it
I loved the blog, but if I read one more memoir about how somebody became a writer I'm gonna scream. If only there were some way to find out about people in other professions who actually are those professions, and not just a writer pretending to be that profession or somebody who's disappointment with said profession leads them to become a writer. I guess I need to read more ethnography and less memoirs, will I ever learn?
3 likes · like · see review
Waiter Rant is a quick and breezy read. If you eat out fairly often, it won't tell you anything you don't already know or suspect about the restaurant trade, but it will probably confirm some of your most cynical suspicions. It's a little heavy on stories about how customers can be such self absorbed, insensitive and demanding shits. The Rant drips with resentment. But then, the author proudly brands himself a "cynical waiter," so what else would you expect?
The Waiter is an OK writer, but he co...more
The Waiter is an OK writer, but he co...more
This book was awesome, gives a good insight into how "normal" people act like idiots in restaurants (whether they realize it or not), and also teaches everyone to be nice to your server. Let me explain...
I am a server, and have been for five years. To those of you who don't work in the industry, it really is a fun environment to work in, but it is also a pain in the ass most days. If you've seen the movies Waiting or the Slammin Salmon, they also reflect this industry as well as this book.
The be...more
I am a server, and have been for five years. To those of you who don't work in the industry, it really is a fun environment to work in, but it is also a pain in the ass most days. If you've seen the movies Waiting or the Slammin Salmon, they also reflect this industry as well as this book.
The be...more
TERRIBLE!!! Don't waste your time on this one. I tried and tried to get through this but threw in the towel after being a third of the way in. This writer thinks he is God's gift to women and all his customers have the hots for him. He tries to be the super coolest dude ever, but instead comes across as being a complete jerk. he supposedly waits tables at a very high class restaurant where customers buy $1500 bottles of wine and leave $250 to $500 tips...yet these same customers need to be dragg...more
As someone who has worked in the food and beverage service industry since the age of 15, went to college, dropped out of college, had a great job, quit the great job and went back to F&B, I can't tell you how much I:
a) really enjoyed the hilarious yet sometimes bitter truths this book shines light on (I.E. working in fine dining creates a taste for fine dining, thus the waiters that are making $300 a shift are going out after work spending beyond their means because they figure, "oh well, I'...more
a) really enjoyed the hilarious yet sometimes bitter truths this book shines light on (I.E. working in fine dining creates a taste for fine dining, thus the waiters that are making $300 a shift are going out after work spending beyond their means because they figure, "oh well, I'...more
Let me start off by saying that this book will probably only appeal to you if you've been a server of any kind. I put myself through university waiting tables, so I get it. I empathize. And Dublanica manages to voice everything that I wish I could have ever said. To anyone who hasn't experienced it, they would probably find it nothing short of whiny. I thought it was hilarious, and full of a lot of truth. The one thing that did bother me, however, was how much money this guy was making and STILL...more
Waiter Rant is a hilarious page turner. The author is a waiter in New York whose life hasn't exactly gone as he planned. I haven't read many non-fiction books like this. This is going to sound stupid but, I always thought non-fiction books were boring and only useful when doing research for a school assignment but Waiter Rant has showed me a whole new meaning to the word non-fiction. Actually, let me rephrase that. If your teacher ever asks you to choose a non-fiction book that you have to read...more
Update the list of books you must own... You must now add `Waiter Rant' (Regardless of international edition - the UK cover is far better). Break down the rules you possess regarding fiction and non fiction and look at your reasons for reading:
Is it because you want to be enlightened? Is it because you want to be informed? Is it because you want to be entertained? Is it because you want to escape your current situation?
The `Waiter' (now unmasked as... Nah, you do the Google work to find his name...more
Is it because you want to be enlightened? Is it because you want to be informed? Is it because you want to be entertained? Is it because you want to escape your current situation?
The `Waiter' (now unmasked as... Nah, you do the Google work to find his name...more
The Waiter details his beginnings at Amici's, where we meet the first of several psychopathic and dysfunctional managers, fellow waiters, and restaurant owners. He survives the baptism, and soldiers on as a manager at The Bistro for the next six odd years. He deftly handles the crucible that is The Bistro throughout a variety of situations; supervising the infamous Russell Crowe visit, deflecting Fluvio's rants and video camera spying, and handling the day to day obnoxious customers. Some of the...more
Sometimes when I'm browsing in the Nook store (which I do almost daily), I go a little crazy and just buy something because I want to read it immediately. Forget everything else on my wish list. Forget researching the title. Forget making it wait in the TBR stack to be sure. I just willy-nilly hit that "BUY NOW" button and tear into it. That's how I ended up with Waiter Rant.
Waiter Rant comes from the website of the same name. The structure takes the narrative of Dublanica's journey as a waiter...more
Waiter Rant comes from the website of the same name. The structure takes the narrative of Dublanica's journey as a waiter...more
Just when you think the world is safe from Hannibal Lecter, he gets re-incarnated into a waiter. People you seldom think have power, truly do possess the magic stick. This waiter's account on being a manager at a bistro in NY is incredible. There's tons of witty comments, ironic moments, times when you're thinking the human race could not get anymore rude and of course times where you're laughing out loud going WHAT THE FUCK! If you piss this waiter off he's not going to spit in your food he's g...more
So, yeah, this book rocked my world. I couldn't put it down. I was a fan of The Waiter from his blog, but frankly, this was so much better than what he wrote on that site. I have never worked in a restaurant as I think it's clear to everyone, including myself, that my patience with jackassery is limited and I'd have to deal with it a lot in the food industry.
I loved how he made the mundane, the usual, the day to day, all come clear. I loved that even though I've never been in a restaurant kitche...more
I loved how he made the mundane, the usual, the day to day, all come clear. I loved that even though I've never been in a restaurant kitche...more
A random find resulting from my habit of wandering the aisles at the library and letting things catch my eye. An upscale restaurant in New York with celebrity clientele is far removed from my kitchen experiences in podunk towns but I've read dishwasher's accounts in zines quite a bit and I wondered what a waiter might say.
The service industry is its own special place, perched on the edge of hell (customers), and the writer establishes that waiters are in their own category. There are plenty of g...more
The service industry is its own special place, perched on the edge of hell (customers), and the writer establishes that waiters are in their own category. There are plenty of g...more
(Original review http://hill-kleerup.org/blog/2008/08/...)
Another blog-to-book deal, “The Waiter” mixes autobiographical angst with an unflattering look at what life is like behind the order pad at a nice New York restaurant.
Overall: Good
Writing: Fair
Re-Readability: Good
Info: Faboo
I’m a long-time read of the Waiter Rant blog, so when The Waiter (he remains, by choice, anonymous, for obvious reasons) announced the book deal, I was right there pre-ordering on Amazon.
Info: Ever wanted to know what...more
Another blog-to-book deal, “The Waiter” mixes autobiographical angst with an unflattering look at what life is like behind the order pad at a nice New York restaurant.
Overall: Good
Writing: Fair
Re-Readability: Good
Info: Faboo
I’m a long-time read of the Waiter Rant blog, so when The Waiter (he remains, by choice, anonymous, for obvious reasons) announced the book deal, I was right there pre-ordering on Amazon.
Info: Ever wanted to know what...more
Based on the blog by the longtime L.A. waiter, this is a series of pieces highlighting some of the trials and tribulations restaurant workers face, from feuds in the back to bad tippers to wanna-be foodies who think they know how the food gets to their table to arrogant yuppies who don’t care that their fellow diner just had a heart attack, they want that window table! Dublanica also muses about the personal lives of his co-workers, dishes about managers who don’t put forth effort, reveals some...more
I picked this audiobook up because I saw that it was nominated for an Audie. I tend to like the audiobooks that were nominated for awards so I thought, "what they hey!", and it sounded interesting. The audiobook itself was good. The guy who read it made it enjoyable. Wasn't my favorite, but still good listening.
The subject content of the book was a whole different story. I thought it was OK for the most of the book. But then the author just kept annoying me. I noticed how he tried to slip in ho...more
The subject content of the book was a whole different story. I thought it was OK for the most of the book. But then the author just kept annoying me. I noticed how he tried to slip in ho...more
2 likes · like · see review
Somehow I missed the label saying that this book was in “Instant New York Times Bestseller” when I picked it up at Borders over the weekend. The author, Steve Dublanica, had been writing a blog about being a waiter for years before the book was published, so I guess he had quite a following. I still haven’t looked up the blog, which shares its name with the book, but I intend to do so.
This is a quick read that tells the restaurant story from a different side than Anthony Boudin’s Kitchen Confide...more
This is a quick read that tells the restaurant story from a different side than Anthony Boudin’s Kitchen Confide...more
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The Waiter waited his first table at age thirty-one. In 2004 the author started his wildly popular blog, www.WaiterRant.net, winning the 2006 "Best Writing in a Weblog" Bloggie Award. He is interviewed regularly by major media as the voice for many of the two million waiters in the United States. The Waiter lives in the New York metropolitan area.
More about Steve Dublanica...
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“The world's a big place. You can't do or be everything, nor should you. Life is bigger than any one man. But when you read about other people's lives, when you read their stories, you catch a glimpse of a world bigger than your own. You may never travel a hundred miles from where you were born, but if you read stories, you'll get to see the entire world.”
—
24 people liked it
“Everyone, no matter what kind of job he or she has, fantasizes about freaking out at work. How many corporate drones, stuck in a boring staff meeting, have had the sudden urge to jump on top of the conference table and start screaming obscenities? Strip off their clothes? Kiss the woman or man next to them? We all have. How many employees joke about shooting the boss or blowing the place up? I’m not suggesting we do any of these things, mind you, but let’s not kid ourselves; we all have a little murder in our heart.”
—
10 people liked it
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Say whaaat? Nowhere in this review did I sa...more
May 05, 2013 08:42pm
Say whaaat? Nowhere in this re...more
updated May 13, 2013 10:19pm