About Me

I started out fairly normally. As a 13 year old, I was eager to start working and making my own money, seeking a bit of independence. After a paper route as a kid and babysitting as a tween, I was ready to enter the work force. Like most teenagers, I got my first job at McDonald's with all my friends. Say what you will about the nutritional evils of this franchise, they have a really great system of teaching their employees how to function as a team and as an individual. Believe it or not, they taught me the importance of a well prepared mise en place (this is the concept of stocking what you'll need for the shift ahead, for those not familiar with the term) and an exemplary work ethic. I have been called a super stocker by many and I can always tell a Micky Dee's alum in a crowd, and I'd hire one in a second. I highly recommend McDonald's to any newbie to the world of work, regardless of future aspirations. I've always said that everyone should work in the restaurant biz at least a year in their lives.

Bouncing around a couple of other fast food joints in my early teens, I got my first real restaurant job when I was 16, working for Pete the Greek. I was walking down the main street in my hometown and saw a 'Help Wanted' sign in a window. Just like the cliche story we've all heard about, I walked in, got the job and he took the sign out of the window...just like those old silent movies. In the interview, Pete was sceptical about hiring someone so young and inexperienced, so he made me a deal. I would come in that Sunday night and work for tips only and he would let me know if I had earned a job. That seemed fair. I came in Sunday night and was trained by Jane, a 20-plus year veteran in the biz. At the end of the night, I was hired! That first night I made $35 bucks and I was over the moon and instantly addicted to the cash money. I know you may think that's not much, but let me put into perspective, my wage at the time was $2.75/hour, so you can imagine how much money that was.

I am a 22-year veteran of the bar and restaurant industry. I've worked every type of food and drink establishment you can think of and I've been blessed with some great teachers in the industry, some of the best in fact. This site is a compilation of what I've learned from them and my years of experience. I both love and hate this industry with a passion. I've compared to prostitution or stripping and that is exactly what it is. I've tried on many occasions to escape it, but it's been my life for so long, a part of my very fibre as a human being, that I find myself falling back into it, almost subconsciously. I've worked in some really great places, where I've considered everyone as family and lifelong friends and some shit places that were almost like an abusive relationship difficult to escape.

Although, I've held almost every job in the front of house, I don't pretend to be an expert on the restaurant industry, just a lowly peon with lots of experience. I would love to know how much cutlery I've polished or wine glasses, how many roll-ups I've done, how many times words like 'can I get you something to drink?' or 'have a good night' have exited my lips? I'm partly venting, partly warning, and always welcoming everyone in the biz. So, take what you will from it, it is what it is.

Cheers!