Waiting: The True Confessions of a Waitress

by Debra Ginsberg

Book Overview

" Ginsberg's] poignant, gently written stories of waitressing are metaphors for life." --Dallas Morning News

A veteran waitress dishes up a spicy and robust account of life as it really exists behind kitchen doors.

Part memoir, part social commentary, part guide to how to behave when dining out, Debra Ginsberg's book takes readers on her twenty-year journey as a waitress at a soap-operatic...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060932813
• ISBN13: 9780060932817
• Release Date: July 2001
• Publisher: Harper Perennial
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.3" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Wonderful, Fast-paced, & Enlightening

"Waiting: The True Confessions of a Waitress" is a highly entertaining, fast-paced book about Debra Ginsberg's real-life experiences as a food server. She tells wonderful heartfelt stories about waiting tables in places ranging from a dining room/country club environment, to a cocktail lounge setting, to a upscale Italian eatery while keeping me laughing out loud and cringing simultaneously. I never thought that working as a waitress was an easy job (I've never actually done it) but after reading this book I can say for sure that it's definitely not a field I'll be tackling any time soon.Ginsberg delves even deeper than just your run-of-the-mill waitressing antics (E.G.: hair in soup, rude customers, bad tips, etc.) She actually takes a look at waitressing from a sociological perspective and she does so with both intelligence and charm. For Ginsberg, waiting tables was a career, one which she struggled with because she constantly felt like she should "do something with her life" and "get a real job." So she did. But the money from waitressing was just too good. Her tips were essential in the raising of her son as a single parent. And waitressing also allowed her to spend quality time with her son when her "real job" kept them apart more than both of them were comfortable. I was proud of her for coming to that realization and going back to waitressing after giving the real job a shot.Unfortunately, there is such a negative stigma attached to waiting tables while it really shouldn't be anything to be ashamed of. The physical and psychological aspects of the job are grueling and make for a tough job even in the best of conditions. I applaud anyone who can work like that at night and then manage to wake up, raise a child and stay focused on writing the next day. That sounds like three full-time jobs to me and I personally couldn't wing it. Three cheers for Debra! I eagerly await her next book.

Couldn't Put it Down

Debra Ginsberg's "Waiting..." perfectly complements Anthony Boudrain's "Kitchen Confidential." As a former "food service professional" myself, I laughed, I howled, I wet my pants at her spot-on tale of life in the restaurant business. At the heart of Ms. Ginsberg's book runs the theme of working at a profession that she enjoys, even loves (well, mostly), while questioning whether to continue or get a "real job" that takes advantage of her college degree - a job that's more "respectable" but pays less. (I remember the withering looks I'd get from people when I told them I was a waitress --- I could see my reflection in their eyes instantly morphing into Flo from Mel's Diner.) I had a hard time making the transition from waiting myself --- it was years before I was making more money at my "respectable real job" than I did as a waitress working a 25-hour week --- and I've never enjoyed another job as much. Her descriptions of the hellhole waitress jobs are vividly painted and absolutely hilarious (been there...), as are the portrayals of the restaurant guests. Ms. Ginsberg's breezy prose makes for a quick and engaging read, and if nothing else, serves to clue the restaurant patron in on how to behave (or perhaps, how not to misbehave) when dining out. Although the book is a "must-read" for anyone who's ever "waited," I highly recommend it for anyone who wants to take a peek at life on the other side of the order pad.

Want A Tip? Read This Book!

I was truly suprised by this book. Working in the customer relations industry now, I can truly relate to Debra Ginsberg's incredibly accurate depictions of the the public customer.This book was an incredibly fast read, as Ginsberg's candidly witty writing style jumps out at you and brings you right into the stories with her. Sometimes, I could clearly see myself sitting at one of the tables in her restaurant, just taking in the scene (I hope I wasn't at "Table 50").The book chronologically takes you through her career as a waitress. Through her wonderful stories, you get to see her develop as a waitress, and more importantly, mature as a person. Over her twenty-year span of waitressing, you get to live through her struggles, financial woes, and life awakenings. It is one truly remarkable ride. In essence, Waiting is a nice readable memior that hits close to home to everybody on a certain level. It is extremely well written, and the humorous, colorful tones make the flow incredibly smooth. This book is worth reading for the mere fact that it will open your eyes and make you reflect upon your own attitudes when it comes to dining out. Ginsberg wrote a cogent book about a life story that was a real pleasure to read. Waiting will not disappoint.

(T)his (I)s (P)erfect

What a wonderful book,for all who have ever had the good fortune to play the glamourous role of a food server.Funny,charming,and at times shocking(particularly Miss Ginsberg's description of Mother's Day in a restaurant)this is telepathic diamond for every waitress and waiter.Read this!

What a fast read! (And a good one, too!)

I heard a passage from Waiting on NPR's All Things Considered, and decided I had to have this book. I bought it on my way home, began reading it on the way out of the bookstore, became disgruntled if anything interrupted my reading, and finished the book by the next afternoon. It was good. Most of us, as Ginsburg points out, have waited tables at one time or another, but even if you've never worked in a restaurant, you've probably held some sort of menial service job, and that's close enough. You know how demanding and particular people can be; how otherwise egalitarian folks turn into elitists when seated at a table; the impossible demands of the management and tensions/liaisons among the waitstaff. It's all in there. Several times, in the middle of a chapter, I would shout an exalted "Yes! That's it!" to no one in particular. I read many passages aloud. Ginsburg's voice is a reliable and witty one, with a skilled dry humor that leaves an appropriate amount of verbiage to the imagination. She chronicles her 20-year waiting career; the various restaurants she's worked at, the managers, her co-workers and, of course, the customers. The book moves along chronologically, starting at Ginsburg's first restaurant job: waiting tables at a diner during her sixteenth summer. During that summer, she learns how to carry several plates at once, handle finicky customers, and she meets her first - fleeting -- love. This stint sets the tone for Ginsburg's further waiting endeavors. At first, through Ginsburg's high school and college years, the book moves slowly, documenting each restaurant, extrapolating each detail. After her graduation, however, Ginsburg's jobs begin to flow and mesh together, with only a few notable customers, friends and restaurants showing through the fray. I believe this was intentional; not only does this make what might have been a mundane list of restaurants - "And next, I worked at Hoover's..." - interesting, but it also illustrates the blur Ginsburg's life became at that time, a muddle of shocking sameness and the mark of a life of waiting tables: a search for something better.Still, some customers - or types of customers - always stick out, and Ginsburg's depictions of them are dead on.It's so true; people turn into different creatures in a restaurant.Ginsburg's account is well-written, and often brutally honest with personal details that are tied inextricably to her work as a waitress. She includes excellent chapters on tipping and the sexual tension (and acts) that a restaurant inspires among the staff. The only low point, if one can call it that, is a chapter on society's perceptions of waitresses, and, more specifically, a list of movies and television shows that feature and, often, typecast waitresses. The list - and the synopses - don't make for very interesting reading. But this is not important. The important thing is: read this book. It is hilarious, insightful, and well written.