Reviews tagging 'Sexual harassment'

Your Table Is Ready: Tales of a New York City Maître D by Michael Cecchi-Azzolina

4 reviews

amcgriff's review against another edition

dark reflective sad fast-paced

1.5

I read Kitchen Confidential years ago, but from what I remember it was much better. It felt like the author wanted to be shocking and revelatory. But it's not shocking as much as it is repetitive tales of bad behavior, mundane adrenaline tinged services and faux disasters in the making with wealthy people and celebrities sprinkled throughout. Anyone that worked front of house will have moments of feeling nostalgic or have PTSD flashbacks, maybe a little of both. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Cursing, Misogyny, Alcohol, Drug use, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Physical abuse, Addiction, and Alcoholism

Minor: Death, Excrement, Vomit, and Injury/Injury detail

jenscozylife's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny informative inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Bullying, Body shaming, Drug abuse, Body horror, Cursing, Drug use, and Sexual harassment

magdalena_rose's review

dark funny informative slow-paced

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Cursing, Chronic illness, Death, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment

paulasnotsosecretdiary's review

dark informative sad tense medium-paced

3.5

This memoir of a career as a front-of-house staff and restaurant manager offers readers insight into the social history of New York from the 1980s and the AIDS crisis through the COVID pandemic. There are numerous anecdotes about outrageous behavior he witnessed and participated in as staff, and abusive conduct by customers. The author highlights his brushes with celebrities and those famous customers who are just as awful as one might imagine. He describes the intricacies of setting up a restaurant for service, the physical demands of food service, and how the best tables are reserved. With fine dining and the restaurant world forever changed by the COVID pandemic, this book may serve as a historic document of how things used to be, including the proper way to tip the Maitre d'Hotel to secure the table by the window. There is a lot of ugliness engaged in, by management, staff and customers that may turn some readers away.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual harassment and Sexism

Readers should be aware of the author's use of homophobic and sexist terms, and his criticism of Human Resources as an obstacle in firing staff (even when warranted). He does point out how conduct that was acceptable when he started in the 1980s is no longer tolerated, and workplaces are better for it.