Back for just a moment

Hi. It’s good to see you again.

I see that people are still interested in the blog. Sadly, I’m still sort of out of time, energy, and topics to keep the flow going. I hope that this remains a handy resource to waiters of both sexes as I’ve covered a lot of useful topics.

The main reason that I’ve come back is to note that WordPress is now adding ads to posts. I want to say that I am not profiting a penny from the inclusion of these ads. I’m not complaining about it either, just making it plain that this is still a labor of love blog, not a profit generating device. And yet…

I’m not against doing a book should a publisher like to use this as a springboard to a “So You Want To Be A/n Waiter, Airline Pilot, Rock Star, etc. series or a standalone book. If you are a publisher, with the right legitimate offer, I could be enticed to mold this into a proper book with the help of a talented editor. While I might not currently have the energy to add to the blog, there is still plenty more material in my back pocket, as well as a general outline and clear ideas about the layout and construction of such a book.

I can be contacted by commenting on this post with contact information and I will get back to you. It’s still important for me to maintain my anonymity as I’m still in the business. If the offer were lucrative enough, I could be pulled out of that cloak in order to do publicity though.  

Personally, I think that the market for a comprehensive and practical how-to guide to waiting tables is seriously under-served (pun intended). 

One warning though – I have the perfect face for radio so publicity could end up being a clown show. 

New IRS ruling explained by David Hayden

From David Hayden’s most excellent site, “The Hospitality Network”. David is also the author of a valuable book, “Tips²: Tips For Improving Your Tips“. The book is worth its weight in gold for servers who want to give themselves a raise.

David’s article is about a new IRS ruling regarding automatic gratuities (autograts).

http://hospitalityformula.com/a-new-irs-ruling-regarding-automatic-gratuities-takes-effect-1113/01/

Followup to the “non-tipping pastor” story

In fairness, here’s (apologies to Paul Harvey) “the rest of the story”. At least the pastor says that she left a cash tip of $6. I’m inclined to believe her. Despite her self-proclaimed “lack of judgment”, I doubt that she would break a Commandment to compound her embarassment.

The real lesson in this is that a waiter (remember, I use that term for both sexes) has a responsibility to guard the privacy of his or her guests’ transactions when dealing in public forums. We all dish stories out of school over drinks and the like, but if you publically violate a guest’s privacy, especially in regard to names, credit card slips, signatures, etc., you must be prepared for the consequences. Surely you wouldn’t like your own privacy violated that way, right?

 

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/documents/tipping-pastor-apologizes-687234

Pastor shows his un-Christian side

First, this proves that waiters should be very circumspect about posting to social sites, especially when sharing things like receipts.

But, above all, it shows the sort of thinking that supposedly religious people apply in the real world. Disgusting. Hope that this pastor is outed. Feel free to share. Repeatedly.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/31/applebees-waitress-fired-god-tip-receipt_n_2591794.html

Just popping in after a year to plug a new book

Hey guys, yep, I’m still alive. Just haven’t been all that inspired to post lately. I’ve discovered that once you get out of the habit, it’s hard to get back in.

In any case, a friend of a friend has written a new novel set in the restaurant milieu. I haven’t read it yet, but it’s not very expensive and the author comes recommended by a friend of mine who happens to be in a pretty famous band that many of you would know if I were to mention it (but I’m not going to do that).

In any case, check it out. Here’s her description of it:

“Love, loss and redemption are common threads found in the colorful tapestry of human experience. This book is part crazy quilt, part magic carpet, and filled with characters who sound like someone you know – especially if you’ve ever worked in the restaurant business. Strap yourself in and take the A-ticket ride with restaurateurs Sam and Mimi Killian, musician Dr. Jake Reston, and an assorted cast of broken and loveable (or not) fellow travelers on their humorous and humbling journey toward…well…you’ll see”.

If you spend the 4 bucks for it, let her (and me for that matter) know you saw it here. It will make my day (this post is completely unsolicited and even my friend doesn’t know that I write this blog).

Here’s where you buy the book (and yu can preview the book at Amazon. The image below is just a jpeg.

Peyton Manning leaves generous tip, server gets fired for posting a photograph of bill | Shutdown Corner – Yahoo! Sports

Another cautionary tale:

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/peyton-manning-leaves-generous-tip-server-gets-fired-210105919.html

Celebrity Chef Mario Batali Settles Lawsuit With His Waitstaff

From NPR:

http://n.pr/yfMPqs

Quirk

I always find it weird when people cut their steaks before they eat them. I prefer to keep as much juice in my steak as possible up to the last minute.

Mind you, I believe in different strokes for different folks. I just find this a different stroke that doesn’t seem to have any rationale.

Just sayin’…

Still here, barely…

Yes, I know. I’ve been more of an aggregator lately. But I’m still a bit hamstrung by my almost exclusive use of a smartphone as my sole means of communication and, between the difficulty of stringing together complex thoughts and the havok that auto-correct can wreak, I’ve been laying a bit low.

I keep promising to get back in the game. I really mean to. There are some nice new waiter blogs out there worth flogging and I’ve tinkered with a few new topics.

But I have to be able to do it right.

So, you might see an occasional link to an interesting story, or the random mea culpa such as this one.

Until then, remember that I appreciate your readership and loyalty and I’ll see you on the next shift.

Waiter accidentally spills five glasses of beer on German Chancellor Angela Merkel (VIDEO)

http://mobile.globalpost.com/dispatches/globalpost-blogs/weird-wide-web/waiter-accidentally-spills-five-glasses-beer-german-chanc

Been there, done that.

Well, not on as big of a stage or quite so bad, but, I feel for you, Martin.