Waiter Rant

One of my absolute favorite blogs to read is Waiter Rant. It started out as what you might expect, given the name: the rants and ravings of an anonymous waiter working at a high class restaurant in New York City. However, the author is so much more than just a waiter. He also used to work at a mental hospital, and has since quit his job as a waiter and now writes about random parts of his life. On top of all that, he's a fantastic writer. It's hard to do justice to his writing, so I'll give you some examples:


Hippie Faux Pas - A hilarious story about a surly teenager and his father - with a twist ending!

Burying The Dead - Early on, he shows that he's about more than just funny stories about waiting tables. This touching post is about a story his younger coworker tells him about the death of her best friend in a car accident at 19.

No Mas - A glimpse into the hell waiters go through on popular days like Mother's Day, but also a beautiful portrait of the different personalities he meets in his job.

The Eyes Have It - After quitting his waiter job, he tells us about his conversation with his 90 year old friend Peter at a Dog park: "I don’t know many people born in 1918 who surf the web, drive hybrid cars, or rescue dogs out of shelters – but Peter does".

The Last Face - Probably one of the most powerful things he's ever written. He's on the scene of a car wreck, and being a former paramedic himself, he tries to help until the authorities arrive. It sparks some wonderful ruminations about life and death, really beautiful stuff.