FOOD SERVER

ORGANIZATIONS

National Restaurant Association Education Foundation
175 West Jackson Boulevard, Suite 1500
Chicago, IL 60604-2702
(800) 765-2122
Web site: http://www.nraef.org
This organization supports the National Restaurant Association in offering professional development, education, and licensing and certification in restaurant-related jobs.

WEB SITES

On the Rail
http://www.ontherail.com
A resource for restaurant and food service workers, with job listings from deli help to chefs.

Waiter Digest
http://www.schonwalder.org
A site with information on food and wine, as well as some waiter/waitress humor.

Books

Arduser, Lora, and Douglas R. Brown. The Waiter & Waitress and Wait Staff Training Handbook: A Complete Guide to the Proper Steps in Service for Food & Beverage Employees. Ocala, FL: Atlantic Publishing Company, 2004.
The no-nonsense title is a good indicator of what this book contains: a wealth of straightforward, useful information for those who are just embarking on a career in the food service industry, as well as those who have been in the game for quite some time.

Damrosch, Phoebe. Service Included: Four-Star-Secrets of an Eavesdropping Waiter. New York, NY: William Morrow, 2007.
This true story is filled with humorous and informative tales from Damrosch, a veteran of high-end restaurants in which clients have spent thousands of dollars on a single meal. Although she is a college graduate (she studied art), her memoir is an excellent look at an extremely unique journey.

Ginsburg, Debra. Waiting: The True Confessions of a Waitress. New York, NY: HarperCollins, 2000.
The real scoop on what it's like to be a waitress from someone who spent twenty years in this career.

Kirkham, Mike, Bill Crawford, and Peggy Weiss. The Waiting Game: The Ultimate Guide to Waiting Tables. Austin, TX: Twenty Per Cent LLC, 2000.
As the authors of this book say, “Before you can win you have to know how to play the game,” and they do a good job of giving readers as much information as possible in an entertaining and attention-holding format. This book is even endorsed by former First Lady Laura Bush.

Stokes, Peter. How's Everything? The Ultimate Guide for All Waiters and Waitresses Who Want to Dramatically Increase Their Tips. Oxford, England: Trafford Publishing, 2006.
Stokes takes a look at the most common question wait staff ask customers: “How's Everything?” In his opinion, it may be the incorrect question to ask. Pick up this book and find out why.

Waiter, The. Waiter Rant: Thanks for the Tip—Confessions of a Cynical Waiter. New York, NY: Ecco, 2008.
“The Waiter” who wrote this book wishes to remain anonymous, since he is still a waiter. Also, his “confessions” pull no punches as he describes bad customer behavior that can often result in bad servic