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Service Included
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Service Included (2007) (edit title/settings)

Four-Star Secrets of an Eavesdropping Waiter

by Phoebe Damrosch (Author) (edit contributors)

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Description edit see section history

Warning: May contain material offensive to vegans, pharmaceutical lobbyists, and those on a low-sodium diet. Animals were harmed during the writing of this book. While Phoebe Damrosch was waiting for life to happen, she supported herself by working as a waitress. Before long she was the... read more

Summary edit see section history

This book follows the life of a server, Phoebe Damrosch, while she waits tables, and shares her perspective. It is a good read, especially for those that have never been in the business. Restaurateurs, and more notably servers can at times wear 4-5 hats at once. "Server, Actor, Baby-sitter,... read more (warning: may contain spoilers)

This book follows the life of a server, Phoebe Damrosch, while she waits tables, and shares her perspective. It is a good read, especially for those that have never been in the business. Restaurateurs, and more notably servers can at times wear 4-5 hats at once. "Server, Actor, Baby-sitter, Psychologist, etc." She writes like a true restaurateur, with a true romance for the business known only to those that have ever waited tables, tended bar, been a sommelier, managed, or worked in the kitchen. She covers the before the shift, during the shift, and after the shift. She goes to great length to explain terms that are foreign to most diners and also gives "Tips" for the dining public. Most notably things that a diner can do to not impede the progress of a dining experience. i.e. "Would you like it if I came to your office and told you what to do and ordered all of your staff around?" To be fair, she includes a "Diners Bill of Rights," things that a diner is entitled to when they enter an establishment for a dining experience and/or euphoria while they are spending their hard earned money.

Through her story telling and recounting of episodes, the book covers one of the most notable chef's in the business, Chef Thomas Keller, and his grand-opening and operation of his New York City restaurant, "Per Se." Per se is essentially the sister to his famous restaurant in Yountville, CA (San Fransisco).

Excellent book, with the exception of her insert of her political views. She does include a disclaimer, "Rated PG: May contain material offensive to Republicans, vegans, pharmaceutical lobbyists, and those on a low-sodium diet. Animals were harmed during the writing of this book." Although I have to say that throughout the majority of my career that a good majority of my fellow waitstaff have been left-leaning or down right liberals, the book would have been so much better had she not chosen to insert her political views and her condemnation of the Bush Administration. I don't feel that her expression of her political views added to the story or helped me understand her, or the characters in the book any better. I think she was just trying to be "cute." It is odd that the very people she aims the "disclaimer" at payed a good deal of her tips that helped support her life, rent, food, etc.

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Quotes edit see section history

  • “"food porn." 'the art of the day job." "avoid using terms like signature, or chef's choice." "restaurant right of way: guest first, then hot food, then cold food." "if you want to understand commitment, chef explained, all you have to do is look at the breakfast of bacon and eggs. The chicken was involved, but the pig was committed." "waiting - tangible skill set." "called wine, bangin." "described bottles as Victoria's Secret (silky, lacy and seductive) and claimed to smell like lathered ponies." "two different wine keys - labeled "chocalate mousse," and "bad mo fo." "the only profession to which I would liken the restaurant dating scene would be the theater. The romance with the co-star/co-worker ends when the pay ends or when the waiter moves to a different restaurant. Then it's on to the next play or restaurant and another crew of beautiful, young and restless actors with too much time on their hands and career aspirations easily put on hold for another beer or sex."”
  • Popular Highlights from Kindle Customers
  • tHE SECRET TO service is not servitude, but anticipating desire.
    Highlighted by 11 Kindle customers
  • French pick their olives later in the season, French olive oil tends to be rounder and sweeter while Italian oil is often a little spicier).
    Highlighted by 7 Kindle customers
  • If you want to understand commitment, he explained, all you have to do is look at the American breakfast of bacon and eggs. The chicken was involved, but the pig was committed.
    Highlighted by 7 Kindle customers
  • If they were merely hungry, they would have grabbed a slice; instead, they paid for the memory, the communion, the relaxation, and the shared experience.
    Highlighted by 6 Kindle customers
  • Here you have this product that has the reputation of being pretentious, with French names and useless dates, and it is easy to forget that it is made by someone with mud on his boots.
    Highlighted by 5 Kindle customers
  • “The egg is drama and succor, birth and parenthood, sex and death, the start and the finish. The egg is inevitable.”
    Highlighted by 5 Kindle customers
  • in stingy quantities can taste them and say ‘Oh, now I understand.’”
    Highlighted by 5 Kindle customers
  • Most important, we all had “family meal” together every night, just like President Bush recommended to all families so their children would have good values and grow up to be gun-toting, pro-life, pro-death, gas-guzzling, warmongering, monolingual, homophobic, wiretapped, Bible-thumping, genetically engineered, stem cell–harboring, abstinent creationists.
    Highlighted by 4 Kindle customers
  • “Flowers are best left to themselves,” it read. “Unsupervised, they flourish.”
    Highlighted by 4 Kindle customers
  • This is a story about commitment: to food, service, love, perfection, and to being the bacon.
    Highlighted by 3 Kindle customers
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Authors & Contributors edit see section history

  1. Phoebe Damrosch (Author)

First Edition edit see section history

Original Language: English
Publisher: William Morrow
Country: Add the country of publication.
Publication Date: 2007
ISBN: 0061228141
Page Count: 240

Classification edit see section history

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