Oh, Canada

No really. Oh Canada :sigh: Why don’t you know any better? $30 on $300 is a really shitty tip. It really is. What astounds me is, from all accounts, you’re supposed to have roughly the same tip standards as us in the US, 15% as the “average”. I’ve already given up the idea that, unlike many [...]

Good and not-so-good news about restaurants in this economy

  Nation’s Restaurant News has two articles in their “Breaking News” feature that points out the complexities of restaurants dealing with the economic crisis:  O’Charley’s posts positive guest counts By Elissa  Elan  NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Feb. 4, 2010) While consumer pressures tied to the recession pushed fourth-quarter sales into negative territory at the three chains of O’Charley’s [...]

And now…the rest of the story

Yesterday, I talked about , Laura Martinez, the blind lady who wanted to, trained for, and became a chef. Don’t ya just love a happy ending, especially one as juicy as this one? Charlie Trotter job offer makes blind chef’s dreams come true Tribune profiled woman’s quest in December By Rex W. Huppke, Tribune reporter [...]

Did you hear the one about the blind chef?

No, there’s no punchline. Well, not exactly. From the Chicago Tribune: Blind woman learning to be a chef Student at Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago hopes to open restaurant one day By Rex W Huppke December 27, 2009 A kitchen is a spiritual place for Laura Martinez, a space that arouses her senses, excites her imagination. [...]

New link added – Red Lobster Blog

Written by “Lobster Boy”, this blog is a great inside view of the highly corporate Red Lobster chain (now owned by Darden, they are one of the longest lasting “mid-market” chains in the country). Under the “About Me” section, this passage: “I’ve worked for Red Lobster for the better part of a decade. They used to [...]

Object lessons and the value of arcana

You know how I’m always throwing weird stuff your way? Information that you may never need as a waiter? Well, you never know when that little bit of weird info might be useful sometime. But, sometimes it doesn’t even help if you’re not nimble on your feet and you just can’t add 2 plus 2 [...]