Two-Top

Books about the restaurant industry have found their way to my nightstand lately. After a short stint as a hostess at an Italian restaurant in college, I decided I wasn’t cut out for restaurant life. I didn’t like the shifts that could start or end at any time, the ice machine flirting, and periods of stress and boredom that could occur on any night. With the right author, that same hectic pace makes for good reading.   

Last Night at the Lobster by Stewart O’Nan

Just before Christmas, Red Lobster manager Manny DeLeon finds out his branch of the restaurant is closing. We follow him from his opening checklist to his last task. An impending snow storm, a skeleton crew, and a bus full of seniors show up to ensure his last night is anything but typical. Former wait staff will cringe in recognition at the demanding (and messy) toddler, the tool who always shows up late, and the annoyance of that song that is constantly playing night after night. They will also nod in recognition at the manager who can calm the most demanding customer and the awkward dance working next to past hookups. (This one also counts toward the book challenge of reading a book you've read before.)

Sweetbitter by Stephanie Danler

You’ve read the story before. Girl moves to New York. Girl gets job in a restaurant. Girl parties after work.  However, Sweetbitter tells the story well. Just days after landing in New York, Tess is the girl who manages to find work at a high-end restaurant with only her barista experience. Through perseverance and canny knowledge of who to befriend, she begins to learn the ropes of each station, running food, drinks, and shadowing the more experienced waiters. She also begins educating her palate. Staying after work for a drink leads to later and later nights and an education of a tawdrier sort. Danler intersperses the narrative with snippets of spoken word heard in the restaurant. The flavor is true.