Waiter Rant: Thanks for the Tip- Confessions of a Cynical Waiter/ Steve Dublanica aka The Waiter

Waiter Rant: Thanks for the Tip- Confessions of a Cynical Waiter by Steve Dublanica, the artist formerly known as "The Waiter" nonfiction, humor, restaurants, food 302 pages

I have always been fascinated by the restaurant business. Whenever I eat out, whether it's at a fancy sit-down restaurant or my favorite dive, I find myself in awe of the restaurant's ability to harness the hectic and chaotic energy of their vocation and employees in order to provide an enjoyable dining experience for their patronage. I reviewed Anthony Bourdain's "Kitchen Confidential" last month in order to gain a better understanding of this mysterious craft, and while I definitely enjoyed it, Bourdain, as a career chef, was missing something-- the perspective of the server--the face of the restaurant. In reading "Waiter Rant" I was able to get the exact perspective that I was hoping for.

To understand what makes this book so great (because let's be honest, anybody could probably fill a book up with stories about the crazy people they deal with when they work with the public) one must look no further than the writer himself. Steve Dublanica, or "The Waiter," as he is more commonly known to his online following, is a waiter at a Tuscan restaurant in New York that for anonymity purposes he calls "The Bistro." Dublanica's greatest asset as a rider was his ability to stay anonymous until the publishing of his book, because the rantings and ravings as well as the hilarious shenanigans are more effectively delivered when one can't put a face to "The Waiter." He could be anyone--he could've served you last time you ate out and you didn't even realize it. His anonymity as "The Waiter" allowed him to gain instant internet celebrity chronicling his waiter exploits while not losing his job by insulting his co-workers or patrons (before the publishing of his book, only one person ever identified him as "The Waiter" and that person was Russell Crowe....no joke). Dublanica is also an excellent voice in the story because as an ex-seminary student as well as someone who spent a few years in corporate America, he can be intelligent, well-read, spiritual, wise, and yet still retain that hilarious cynicism.

The story is a series of rather disconnected events throughout Dublanica's 7 years at the bistro. Some are more funny than others, but on the whole there are at least a few stories that everyone can enjoy. If you are at all interested in the restaurant business and the dark underbelly of it that customers rarely see, then this humorous account is perfect for you and definitely deserves a read.