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Hey, Waitress!: The USA from the Other Side of the Tray
Most of us have sat across the tray from a waitress, but how many of us know what really is going on from her side? Hey, Waitress! aims to tell us. Containing lively, personal portraits of waitresses from many different walks of life, this book is the first of its kind to show the intimate, illuminating, and often shocking behind-the-scenes stories of waitresses' daily shifts and daily lives.
Alison Owings traveled the country―from border to border and coast to coast―to hear firsthand what waitresses think about their lives, their work, and their world. Part journalism and part oral history, Hey, Waitress! introduces an eclectic cast of a ninety-five-year-old Baltimore woman who may have been the oldest living waitress, a Staten Island firebrand laboring at a Pizza Hut, a well-to-do runaway housewife, a Native American proud of her financial independence, a college student loving her diner more than her studies, a Cajun grandmother of twenty-two, and many others.
The book also offers vivid slices of American history. The stories describe the famous sit-in at the Woolworth's counter in Greensboro, North Carolina, which helped spark the civil rights movement; early struggles for waitress unions; and battles against sexually discriminatory hiring in restaurants.
A superb and accessible means of breaking down stereotypes, this book reveals American waitresses in all their complexity and individuality, and will surely change the way we order, tip, and, most of all, behave in restaurants.
Alison Owings traveled the country―from border to border and coast to coast―to hear firsthand what waitresses think about their lives, their work, and their world. Part journalism and part oral history, Hey, Waitress! introduces an eclectic cast of a ninety-five-year-old Baltimore woman who may have been the oldest living waitress, a Staten Island firebrand laboring at a Pizza Hut, a well-to-do runaway housewife, a Native American proud of her financial independence, a college student loving her diner more than her studies, a Cajun grandmother of twenty-two, and many others.
The book also offers vivid slices of American history. The stories describe the famous sit-in at the Woolworth's counter in Greensboro, North Carolina, which helped spark the civil rights movement; early struggles for waitress unions; and battles against sexually discriminatory hiring in restaurants.
A superb and accessible means of breaking down stereotypes, this book reveals American waitresses in all their complexity and individuality, and will surely change the way we order, tip, and, most of all, behave in restaurants.
- GenresNonfictionFoodMemoir
345 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2002
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
April 30, 2009
This was a bit of a flashback book. Even though I haven't spent that much of my life waitressing, reading this book provoked some strong memories. The best thing about it was that it wasn't some sort of scholarly examination of waitressing. There were no statistics: 73% of waitresses have experienced some form of sexual harassment, 47% have worked in unsafe conditions, 39% have tried illegal drugs, etc. The author interviewed a lot of waitresses and let their own words speak for what happens on the job.
It takes a special kind of interviewer to let the interviewee just talk, and not need a lot of your own words in between. Owings did a wonderful job of giving women who don't often have a voice the opportunity to speak plainly about what it is like to serve people all the time. Studs Terkel, another historian, could do this as well. By placing the interviews together the reader doesn't need the analysis, you can see what happens in this profession, or any other group. Terkel did several books like this, most notably on the Great Depression.
If this book can get even a few people to consider thinking more about their server than whether or not their food was perfect it will have accomplished something. One woman pointed out that she could switch places with a co-worker and the diners wouldn't even notice the change. Too many people think that someone serving them loses their humanity, making them vulnerable to behavior that wouldn't be tolerated in any other setting.
The worst part is the sexual harassment, at least it was for me. It doesn't come from the customers (mostly) but there is a great deal of tension between the male cooking and dish washing crew and the female wait staff. The ladies interviewed talked about handling that tension in a variety of ways, but the restaurant business is very physical, and many times that tension plays out in physical ways as well.
The tension between the servers and the customers differs with each meal served, but the classic human need to feel superior to someone else can be very ugly sometimes.
This was a good book, informative for those that have never picked up one of those big black trays, and respectful to those that have. I was very impressed by the author's handling of a topic that has been treated with condescension so many times before.
It takes a special kind of interviewer to let the interviewee just talk, and not need a lot of your own words in between. Owings did a wonderful job of giving women who don't often have a voice the opportunity to speak plainly about what it is like to serve people all the time. Studs Terkel, another historian, could do this as well. By placing the interviews together the reader doesn't need the analysis, you can see what happens in this profession, or any other group. Terkel did several books like this, most notably on the Great Depression.
If this book can get even a few people to consider thinking more about their server than whether or not their food was perfect it will have accomplished something. One woman pointed out that she could switch places with a co-worker and the diners wouldn't even notice the change. Too many people think that someone serving them loses their humanity, making them vulnerable to behavior that wouldn't be tolerated in any other setting.
The worst part is the sexual harassment, at least it was for me. It doesn't come from the customers (mostly) but there is a great deal of tension between the male cooking and dish washing crew and the female wait staff. The ladies interviewed talked about handling that tension in a variety of ways, but the restaurant business is very physical, and many times that tension plays out in physical ways as well.
The tension between the servers and the customers differs with each meal served, but the classic human need to feel superior to someone else can be very ugly sometimes.
This was a good book, informative for those that have never picked up one of those big black trays, and respectful to those that have. I was very impressed by the author's handling of a topic that has been treated with condescension so many times before.
June 28, 2007
In this sociological look at waitresses (women who serve in restaurants), the author is smart enough to leave the bulk of the story in the hands of the women themselves. Thus the work is primarily a collection of oral histories by waitresses, ranging in locale from urban chi-chi restaurants, mid-west diners, or tiny cafes in the middle of no where. The women interviewed (waiters need not apply) range from the first black customer to sit at a Woolworth's lunch counter, a Native American who has chosen a diner over work at the casinos, a lesbian who served in drag, and everything in between.
There are also at least three women interviewed from Oregon. A weird connection for me.
An interesting and light read. Nothing very heavy, though the issue of tipping is continually worked on.
There are also at least three women interviewed from Oregon. A weird connection for me.
An interesting and light read. Nothing very heavy, though the issue of tipping is continually worked on.
May 6, 2015
The cover, the blurb, the premise and excerpts all promise you a good read but the book never lives up to these promises. Its an engaging, if occasionally tedious read, that, because it lacks depth could have been edited to the more interesting waitresses' stories and thereby tightened up into a thought-provoking little book. Good to dip into, like the curate's egg.
October 8, 2012
So, you think it's easy being a waitress and you cannot understand how they can mess up your one little order? Check-out this book told from the perspective of the person carrying the tray.
July 17, 2020
This had an interesting premise, but I didn't enjoy the execution. Also, from an author who claimed she was trying to uplift waitresses, she spent an awful lot of time criticizing the looks and wardrobe.
September 6, 2021
Hey, Waitress!: The USA from the Other Side of the Tray (Paperback)
by Alison Owings
by Alison Owings
June 7, 2015
This book did not live up to what I was hoping it would be. I've read other books about being a waiter/waitress before (Waiter Rant comes to mind). I had plenty of friends who served during college and I would hear a lot of stories from them. That's where I thought this book would take me - first hand accounts of being on the front line. I love books that tell a story as though you were sitting with the person sharing a glass of wine!
It seemed to start that way. After an introduction I mostly skimmed through, the stories that began the book were very interesting - a woman who worked during sit-ins and got to watch history being made sticks out in my mind the most. How waitresses and customers felt about racism in the South...
But then the stories started changing and they all became the same to me. The author would try and paint the women to be more than a stereotypical down-on-their-luck waitress, but then would go into a back story that screamed out down-on-their-luck. I began to tire of how they became a waitress and would skip to the parts where they would be working, only to hear the same stories told time and time again - rude customers, low or no tips, walk-outs, mean bosses, etc. Got a bit boring.
The epilogue irritated me the most, where the author goes to find a job for a day as a waitress, and what irritated her. After interviewing all these people, do you really think you needed to do that instead of focusing on their stories? How did this become all about you? She is summarizing her findings and declares she is shocked that not one waitress, who is around food all day, shares a recipe with another waitress. Really? Shocked? I'm shocked you would think that.
It seemed to start that way. After an introduction I mostly skimmed through, the stories that began the book were very interesting - a woman who worked during sit-ins and got to watch history being made sticks out in my mind the most. How waitresses and customers felt about racism in the South...
But then the stories started changing and they all became the same to me. The author would try and paint the women to be more than a stereotypical down-on-their-luck waitress, but then would go into a back story that screamed out down-on-their-luck. I began to tire of how they became a waitress and would skip to the parts where they would be working, only to hear the same stories told time and time again - rude customers, low or no tips, walk-outs, mean bosses, etc. Got a bit boring.
The epilogue irritated me the most, where the author goes to find a job for a day as a waitress, and what irritated her. After interviewing all these people, do you really think you needed to do that instead of focusing on their stories? How did this become all about you? She is summarizing her findings and declares she is shocked that not one waitress, who is around food all day, shares a recipe with another waitress. Really? Shocked? I'm shocked you would think that.
April 12, 2007
Hey, Waitress! presents the absorbing stories of many
waitresses, former and present, working in all kinds of American eating establishments. Some of the waitresses speak of their part in important historical moments, like the Greensboro sit-ins of 1960 ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greensbo...]). Some describe long hours, sexist customers or coworkers, and struggles balancing family and work; others speak proudly of the independence and experience they gained from working as waitresses. From these diverse oral histories, Owings constructs her narrative of what it means (and has meant) to be a waitress in the United States. Owings's writing is very readable and entertaining, and the women she interviews demonstrate the range of what waitressing is. The book is just plain fascinating, and as someone who has never waitressed but who frequently eats out, Hey, Waitress! gives me a long-desired look into a profession I regularly come into contact with but have never experienced "from the other side of the tray."
waitresses, former and present, working in all kinds of American eating establishments. Some of the waitresses speak of their part in important historical moments, like the Greensboro sit-ins of 1960 ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greensbo...]). Some describe long hours, sexist customers or coworkers, and struggles balancing family and work; others speak proudly of the independence and experience they gained from working as waitresses. From these diverse oral histories, Owings constructs her narrative of what it means (and has meant) to be a waitress in the United States. Owings's writing is very readable and entertaining, and the women she interviews demonstrate the range of what waitressing is. The book is just plain fascinating, and as someone who has never waitressed but who frequently eats out, Hey, Waitress! gives me a long-desired look into a profession I regularly come into contact with but have never experienced "from the other side of the tray."
December 29, 2009
This book was interesting at first, but quickly turned into a repeating cycle. The story didn't seem to change that much from woman to woman. A different location or a different reason for going into waiting tables, but ultimately each story seemed to come back to the negative aspects of the job - crummy customers, low pay, hard labor, etc. Overall it was ok, but I had a hard time keeping interest in the book. By the end I just wanted to finish it and move on to the next book.
August 31, 2011
I have enjoyed reading this as it really brings back memories of my teenage waitressing days. I like how honest each story is--nothing has been whitewashed. It's a slice of American life. It makes you realize that almost no one would continue waitressing if they could afford to quit.
July 2, 2007
Liked it while I was reading it, but, again, now that I'm done, it doesn't seem as good. Still, a lot of good stuff there.
August 31, 2007
Full review here:
http://landismom.wordpress.com/2005/1...
http://landismom.wordpress.com/2005/1...
January 16, 2008
Although I haven't waited tables in quite some time, I really enjoy reading books about it.
Read
January 24, 2010Good overview of what it is like being a waiter/waitress from their point of view.
November 1, 2011
Super interesting so far.
January 1, 2012
I started this book, but could not get interested in it.
August 10, 2014
This book sucked. At first I was very interested then it was the same story. and that same story got boring.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews