My new hero

Boy, there are a lot of blogs on the internet. Some of them are pretty astute; my experience has been that most of them are essentially a waste of time (which you may be thinking as you read this). Every now and then, however, you stumble across one which hits home. I recently discovered one called Waiter Rant, written by an anonymous waiter in NYC.

I find this blog fascinating for a number of reasons. First, I seriously considered culinary school when I was looking to make a career change several years ago. I decided against it, primarily because I love to cook and felt certain that turning a personal pleasure into a primary source of income would take the enjoyment out of it. Waiter Rant, however, focuses on not cooking, but the service aspect of the restaurant industry, known in the trade as "front of the house."

I've worked with the public in one form or another since I was seventeen, which was many moons ago. A good chunk of that time has been in retail, primarily in management positions. My father, who served in the Navy during WWII, often said that he felt every young man should serve one year's mandatory military service. After spending more time in retail than I care to admit to, I feel the same way about the field in which I work. Everyone needs to spend a year working in retail, especially the Christmas season. While such an experience would hopefully help one develop an appreciation for retail workers, it may also cause one to hate the holidays - c'est la vie.

I guess it's my years in retail that have made me appreciate the food service industry, because I couldn't wait tables. I just know that I couldn't do it. I'm good with customers, but I've seen too many people in restaurants make total asses out of themselves. I am fully aware of my tolerance for stupid behavior and, although I've never snapped on a customer, some have pushed me to just this side of my limits. A long time ago I came to the realization that there are some people who have no way to assert themselves except by bullying retail associates who have to live by the old maxim that "the customer is always right." (This, by the way, is the biggest line of crap you'll ever hear outside of the political arena. No one is ever always right. The customer is always your boss, because he or she ultimately signs your paycheck, therefore you have to make that person happy, but always right? No way.)

In addition to the inside view of an industry which I considered entering and am often a patron, I enjoy reading Waiter Rant because there are so many parallels to my current profession, at least as far as the aspect of dealing with customers, and that the author is free to not only chronicle his experiences but that he also provides details - at least, I assume, as many as he can without being sued for libel or fired. At this time, I'm unable to share too many details for fear of reprisal (Latin for "pink slip") - perhaps when I finally escape from retail and the statute of limitations has expired.

Now, before you think, great, the guy writing the blog I'm reading now tends to go off on tirades and he's recommending another blogger who does the same, Waiter Rant is more than some disgruntled table jockey blowing off steam about customers who don't tip fifteen percent. Yes, the Waiter (as the anonymous author is known) does indeed get medieval on patrons who are abusive, mean, stupid and are just otherwise pissing in the gene pool, but there are also posts dealing with human interactions of all types, and with all types of people, not just customers. Some will make you laugh, some cry, you might even think after reading some posts. I guarantee you will find something to which you can relate. And who knows, you might even tip your waiter or waitress just a little bit extra the next time you go out to eat.