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Waiter Rant

Thanks for the Tip--confessions of a Cynical Waiter
Jun 17, 2012mantoid rated this title 2.5 out of 5 stars
Wow, what a disappointment. After reading his blog for years I had hoped that a book-length project would let Steve spread his wings a bit and branch out into some good, insightful longer-form musings...but instead he engaged in every cliche possible for someone's first book. Changing real conversations into note-perfect, quip-filled examples of how Very Witty I Am For A Mere Waiter? Check. Losing his train of thought trying to fulfill promises of "shock value" in a passing anecdote on side salads? Yep. Taking every possible opportunity to point out how cosmically-ordained and life-changing his book deal is? Oy. Throw in a dizzying tendency to jump from "aw shucks" self-deprecation to "Fountain of Masterly Waiter Knowledge" and you have a tiring slog through a book that likely seemed a good idea at the time. Also, I am a longtime waiter and worked in NYC for most of my career. If only every kitchen was filled with such magically, cartoonishly unbelievable exchanges of cutting banter!