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Steve Dublanica expertly captures the mundane and often insane struggles of waiters, their common traits, the nightmare that most restaurant managers are, and how the profession is impacted by and impacts its people. Even though it has been 15 years, Waiter Rant brought back the feeling I had when I waited tables. I highly recommend if you like to eat your meals out or were ever a waiter. When I graduated college I decided to spend some time figuring out what I wanted to do, so I started waiting tables at an upscale casual steakhouse. In the year and a half I worked there, I waited on some local and nationally known celebrities, got some awesome tips, made new friends, almost broke my back on a wet floor, called the fire department on accident, almost wrecked my car in the parking lot, and got called every name in the book.
The sections of the book that refer to the restaurant business are funny. I wanted a chuckle about my life's work, not a story of the author's life and his aspirations. Be honest. The author has quite a few tales to tell. Admit it's a story about your life and where it ends up. I was greatly disappointed the more I read. I believe that's call (as mentioned above) an autobiography.
There are plenty I've lived myself and even more I've heard told. But don't do it under the cover a story about restaurants. If you want to write about your life, that's all fine well and good. But, I bought this book with the assumption it was about the "business" and under the impression that I would enjoy a good read about the "business". i lost interest in reading when the book became more about who he was and where his life was going.
And as you can see from my title, I've heard every one plus two. No life, just occupation. I, personally, think this book should be listed as an autobiography instead of a book about the restaurant business. and true, at least for the most part. I came away with the feeling I'd read more about someone's life than the business they were in.
It was also refreshing to know I am amoung the type of clients that waiters don't mind waiting on. I really enjoyed this book. Read and enjoy. According to the book, there are many types they don't like to serve. Having never worked as a waiter, I liked getting the perspective of someone who has. The book is well written and maintains your interest.
This gave me a healthy respect for what goes on in the front of the house. I'm rather addicted to eating and enjoy a good restaurant. Read, enjoy, respect. Great fun. Well written.
Plus, at times - in between the fast paced reads - it felt as if the author was trying really hard to be a "serious writer".And the vocabulary - as if someone gave Mr Dublanica a thesaurus for Christmas and he couldn't wait to try all those fancy new words out.Apart from this gumble, I enjoyed the book (skimmed the psychoanalysis parts) and even laughed a few times. I had expected more of the ranting and less of the midlife-crisis angst self introspection and ponderings on the meaning of life.I bought this book for the light reading and funny anecdotes, not to dissect waiters' psyche and self-destruction tendencies. I used to read the Waiter Rant online regularly, and really enjoyed the anecdotes. When I read that the author was writing a book, I was glad and decided to buy it.I finished reading the Waiter Rant book yesterday.I admit, I am a bit disappointed.
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