Steve DublanicaReseñas

Got this as a bargain book on Kindle and spent the whole book wishing it was more interesting than it was.

I guess I've read too many kitchen/restaurant books because nothing in this seemed new or original to me.

Writing is fine and I think many will enjoy this but I think I came too late to this party

Pretty funny and had it's moments. I have been a server and understand, but this book definitely makes me think about it everytime I walk into a restaurant.

I enjoyed this book very much. It offers a bit of insight into what can often be a frustrating and tiring job. The author tells stories about both the good and the bad in being a waiter, but his way of recounting the latter experiences is often laugh-out-loud funny—and makes for quite the entertaining reading experience.

I’ve developed a new appreciation for the hard work and sacrifices waiters make in order to perform their jobs well. I felt that the author was being pretty honest in how he related to restaurant staff and customers in his job. I thought his writing was excellent and am happy that his career eventually turned more completely to writing. I was most sad at the end of this book where our restaurant manager (The Waiter) leaves his job at The Bistro. It reminded me of all the feelings I had when my own full time employment unexpectedly ended. I enjoyed the appendices and found them very useful. I do hope to read another book by this author in the future.½

This book is an insider's view of the restaurant business from the point of view of a career waiter. Apparently, Steve has a very popular blog, which I have not read. In so far as a book goes, I'd say that Steve's account of life as a waiter was a quick, engaging read, but not one that especially moved me. There's interesting stories of difficult customers, and that was probably my favorite part of the book. But I guess Steve felt there needed to be a bigger theme, and the theme was Steve "finding himself". Frankly, I didn't care if Steve felt bad that he was wasting his life as a waiter at the beginning of the book, and that didn't really change for me at the end either. I did come away with the knowledge that being a waiter definitely is hard work, and I appreciated the fact that Steve had deep empathy for some of his customers.

What is it really like to be a waiter? What is really the best tip in order to get good service and be remembered? Its in here.

This was a very fast book. The author was engaging and I liked the short essay-type chapters. However, there were definitely times I thought the Waiter was pretentious (both in action and in writing), which detracted from my enjoyment. The book also suffered somewhat from the pitfalls of being based on a blog - many of the material seemed to be rehashed blog entries (not a problem for me, really, because I had never read it, but might be for someone who followed it), and some of the language/examples/turns of phrase were repeated.

Good light read. At the very least, it will make me think more about the person serving me when I eat out.½

Tipping. It's so confusing and this book aims to shed some light into the mystery.

The book skips restaurants because that was served in an earlier book of his. Instead we jump into shoe-shiners, bathroom attendants, people who man (or should I the gender neutral word "human" as a verb?) the door, and taxi cab drivers. Steve even dives into the world of "escort services", gentleman clubs and even an S&M dungeon. So, if you ever wondered how much to tip at your local S&M club, you can ask me. :)

Mainly, Steve gives a human face to people we avoid or just refuse to see. The book is less breezy than I imagined. Like other reviewers mention, there's a lot of social commentary here. And he points out a lot on the shady world of kickbacks. Next time at Vegas, I have an idea how to EARN money just by jumping into a cab. But as they say, what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.

Actually, a rule of thumb ... tip 20% on anything. For Xmas tips, just tip the cost of a normal business transaction. Or if you want to boil it down even more, just treat people, all people, with respect.

And next time, instead of just pretending he doesn't exist, I'll tip the bathroom attendant.

Interesting to see yourself as a customer from a waiter's perspective.

Enjoyable read.

adult nonfiction. Sick of corruption, the author quits seminary school to join the healthcare industry, but after struggling under similar circumstances, he decides to take a job as a waiter until he figures out what he wants to do next. One year turns into 7 years, and after successfully blogging about his experiences he successfully transitions into a writer. Loads of insight about the waiting profession as well as about life itself and the personal choices we all make.

A waiter's look at life as a server in upscale New York restaurants. Fast-paced, some language, but overall a very enjoyable read. Learn why you should avoid restaurants on a holiday, read some of the sad stories of customers (who knew the waiters really noticed us?); feel elated when he gets back at rude ones. Based on the blog he began while waiting tables. A very well-written, witty tale that sucks in the reader and makes you sorry when the story ends. (And yes, he's at work on a sequel.)

I just finished this book because I thought it would be a funny read. It is, particularly to one who has actually waited tables. As one who hasn't, I thought he came off as an arrogant, whiny person. I want to say POS, which doesn't mean "point of sale", but he probably isn't one. The book was very quick and to his point.

It's a little preachy and more of a memoir than "Confessions of..." but it's a good look into being a waiter and not being a terrible customer.

While he's not a bad writer, I was bored by all the descriptions of his own life and the theorizing on the state of matters in his world. I wish he had showed more than he told and acknowledged more that the restaurant was the star, with him as a supporting character (not the other way around). All in all, entertaining but not very illuminating.

While he's not a bad writer, I was bored by all the descriptions of his own life and the theorizing on the state of matters in his world. I wish he had showed more than he told and acknowledged more that the restaurant was the star, with him as a supporting character (not the other way around). All in all, entertaining but not very illuminating.

As someone who waited tables and delivered pizzas for the past four years, this was a relatable, largely enjoyable read. I recognized flavors of many of my own clientele in the Waiter's and appreciated his wit, talent, and even his cynicism. That being said, at some points, I was a little uncomfortable with the author's own fixation on the women he worked with, especially those younger than he. I understand it's a natural part of life, but it's uncomfortable as a woman roughly their age and as a server trying to relate to other members of the industry. I definitely will continue to peruse various chapters, and certainly and emphatically recommend it to anyone with experience in food service. This one is for us.

Informative and enlightening side of the restaurant servers' plight of dealing with us, customers. And the fact that this is told by a 30 something and not a gum-popping teen gives it more credibility. I will never be so casual and insensitive to food servers again! A must for all.

Excellent book. I never tried to be a waitress...not because I thought the job was beneath me..but because I felt I would be a failure...that I would not be able to keep so many balls in the air, do math in my head, juggle and dance and deal with people. I secretly imagined what the job was like and this book confirmed my outside impressions. I would never have made it.

This book really sucked me in right from the start. It gives a lot of insights into the restaurant business. Both my sisters worked as servers, (one still does) and so this was an interesting view into what their jobs were like. I suppose you can transfer the feelings to any kind of service job, but sometimes the characterizations of clientele can be quite different in the restaurant world than in other areas like retail. It's written in an approachable, realistic manner, which is nice. I'm looking forward to his next book already and it's not even published yet.

Brutal and highly entertaining.

Some things should stay blogs.

It's a very thin attempt to reproduce the formula of Kitchen Confidential, but it doesn't have any of the hard-won versilimitude, sharpness of observation or personal charisma of Bourdain's writing. It's not enough to show people life "behind the scenes" if the person showing it is not a very interesting writer.

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 are either A)hot women who hit on him B)sophisticated patrons who understand how wonderful he is or C)twits he outwits&humiliates but gets huge tips from. I've collected some of these stories in the "status updates" section, but here's one of my particular favorites:

"'You make the best cosmopolitans.'
'Thank you, madam.'
'I always tell my husband you're a great waiter,' she says. 'Very capable.'
'Thank you.'
The woman looks at me. She's about 50, her face shows the life she's led, but her eyes are warm and young.
'But overly capable,' the woman says. 'I saw how you handled that woman. I was watching. You're more than just a waiter. Aren't you?'
I smile broadly. Customers can be very observant.
'Yes, madam,' I reply. 'Yes, I am.'"

Oh, he's more than "just" a waiter? Is that why this book has all the life and realism of a lump of dirt? This book delivers very little insight into life "behind the scenes" of a restaurant, but a great deal of unwanted insight into Dublanica's narrow little mind.

I've checked off the "I have read it" box when I only read half of it. This book is a rant and I'm not sure why I expected anything more. I've been around many individuals who have spent time chasing money in the food services industry and it is a giant soap opera for them even when they step away from their workplaces. If you're not in this camp, it becomes draining to listen to. Dublanica does a fine job of sharing his years of waiter experiences, but it quickly becomes like bread left on a counter -stale. So, take this review as you will. I've heard all these stories before from friends who've been hosts, waiters, cooks, and waitresses. It lost all it's appeal years ago.

Interesting & insightful.....

He was especially clear about his own foibles, which tend to mirror my own.

This memoir is based on the author's blog of the same name. He chronicles the problems and people around him at his job at a high-end restaurant in New York. The book follows the author in his life as well as chronicling anecdotes and larger ruminations on life. He has an excellent turn of phrase, and an unflinching insight into himself and others.

The first appendix lists what makes a good customer, the second lists what a prospective waiter should be wary of in a restaurant.

If you liked Bourdain's "Kitchen Confidential," you will probably like this as well.

Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential was all about shocking readers with gross conditions & practices of restaurants' food service and depravity of kitchen staff. Waiter Rant takes a gentler and more balanced approach while exposing the dining area. Customers, wait staff, owners, and managers are all fair game for skewering. Customers especially are portrayed as demanding and entitled. As other reviewers have pointed out, this is more a memoir than an expose. I liked that it served as a reminder that many workers in the service sector are underpaid and disrespected.