The other day while avoiding my housework by channel surfing on the tube, I stumbled upon one of my favorite movies, Waiting. If you have ever worked in the restaurant business, you will relate to this movie. However, if you haven’t seen it, you most likely will enjoy it, but be afraid because I am here to tell you that this movie is based on fact.

Now this is not a movie review, that’s not my bag. But Waiting is truly an interesting and fairly honest look into the restaurant world. If you are not too prudish and can handle some potty humor, this is a must see. It cannot help but give you a new outlook when you dine out.



I love this movie for many reasons: Ryan Reynolds for starters. He is dreamy. Nothing floats my boat better than a guy that is cute AND funny. I can say this with conviction because I hunted one down and married him. Don’t be afraid to go after what you want kids, but I digress.



Another great thing about Waiting is that all the characters are well represented. Again, you have cute and funny waiter (Reynolds); the blonde, slutty waitress who flirts (and sleeps) with anyone with a pulse; the sweet blonde, naïve waitress; the psycho waitress that is ready to kill you with one well placed look, and a few other interesting players I don’t have the space to reflect on.



My favorite character would have to be Dean, a server played by actor Justin Long. He truly reflects the lives of so many servers I have met throughout the years. For whatever reason, they were sucked into this business with more noble aspirations at one time and never were quite able to break back out again.



In Dean’s case, he dropped out of community college to work at the restaurant and somewhere along the way lost touch of his dream. He almost gets lured into becoming assistant manager of the restaurant until a high school classmate stops in and reminds him of what he could have had. Hits a little too close to home for some servers I would imagine.



However, what balances Dean’s longing for more is that the other servers, while antagonistic to their employer, seem to be OK with their jobs and the lifestyles they have. In my experience, most servers I know make great money and maybe work 30 hours a week, but those hours are not for everyone. These are great servers, mind you, that know what they are doing and they do it very well.



The mega restaurant corporation is ever omnipresent throughout the movie, and to prevent boredom the employees keep themselves entertained the best they can. Let’s just say the restaurant’s walk-in unit is not used just for cool storage. For more interesting restaurant and walk-in cooler antics, checkout Anthony Bourdaine’s Kitchen Confidential.



Finally, I liked how Waiting addresses tipping. Tipping really is an American standard and many countries and cultures within the United States do not typically honor the system. There’s really not much one can do about it, but a good server can smell a bad tipper a mile away. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, the best tippers in this business are those of us IN the businesses, so hang out with your restaurant friends. They will always get the best service, hands down.



So, if you have the means, I highly recommend you pick-up Waiting. A little insight into the restaurant biz can’t hurt you, and perhaps you will understand that while restaurant workers may have more fun at their jobs than most, they still have to put up with more crap to make a decent living. If nothing else you’ll understand why it’s a really bad idea to piss-off your server (at least until you get your food).



Eat out Tacoma. We need your love.