Working at the O-B House and Other Stories

The author (in sailor hat) with O-B House chef Ted Inserra.

​Part of my job (and obsession) is eating at restaurants. While taking pictures of food, interviewing chefs, and dissecting menus, there was one restaurant position that I was always curious about -- the server.

Servers and bartenders, though crucial to the success of a restaurant, are often eclipsed by the romantic vision of the chef. True, the chef prepares our meals... but our server is the one who makes sure it gets to our table correctly and (hopefully) with a smile. I decided to delve into the world of the server, working at several South Florida restaurants, including the Old Fort Lauderdale Breakfast House on a busy Sunday.  Here's a nibble:

We're well into the morning, and there's an hourlong wait. Every time a party leaves, the table gets bussed almost immediately. The restaurant plays like a good piece of music. A group that had the foresight to bring its own bloody marys in red Solo cups sits outside in a makeshift waiting room. At the outside tables, a young couple with a fluffy Pomeranian in a pink T-shirt grows impatient for food. "We're hungry," the man bellows.

Read the whole story here.

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