THE SERVERS TABLE PODCAST

Cam, Holly, Cassie, Jhony

WELCOME TO THE PODCAST WHERE SERVERS, BARTENDERS, COOKS AND ANYONE IN THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY TALK ABOUT ALL THE THINGS THAT WE CANT TALK ABOUT.

Episodes

  1. FEB 12

    ROCHES AND HEALTHSCORES

    The video is an episode of a podcast called *Service Table*, hosted by Cameron, Cassie, and Holly, with a special guest named Ireland. The podcast begins with an introduction and bloopers. **Guest Introduction** Ireland, the special guest, shares that she currently works at a "little Italian spot" and has been a server for about two years, going on her third. She has been in the restaurant industry for six or seven years, starting when she was illegally hired for her first job at a restaurant without being old enough or having a work permit. She expresses her love for the restaurant industry. **Appetizer: Tales from Your Server** Ireland reads a story from the subreddit "Tales from Your Server" titled "Bug on Table". The story is about a server who was called over by a table of five women because there was a bug on their table. The server, expecting a gnat, was horrified to find a "silverfish looking thing" and dramatically gasped. The server grabbed a dirty paper napkin and killed the bug, and the customers, sensing the server's dismay, comforted the server and tipped 22% for the "bravery". The server noted that the restaurant is clean and has "designated bug nights" where the restaurant is covered and the floor is sprayed. **Discussion on Bugs and Health Scores** The hosts and guest discuss their experiences with bugs in restaurants:   * A speaker explains that bugs, like large roaches and silverfish, often come from outside.   * One speaker shared a story about a very old Japanese restaurant on Cheshire Bridge and Piedmont where the owner and chef would use a torch to burn the roaches in the kitchen, resulting in "toasted roaches on the floor". The staff were told to call the roaches "Tommoodachi," which means "friend" in Japanese, so guests would not know what they were talking about.   * It is generally agreed that if a guest finds a bug, the restaurant comps everything on their bill.   * A speaker mentions that not all restaurants have a regular exterminator, and some have "bad health scores". One speaker recounts a time an exterminator's coworker was fired for pretending to go to accounts and falsifying job completion reports.   * One of the hosts shares that the first restaurant they worked at failed its inspection and received a score lower than 70. Another speaker mentions a place where employees would bribe the health score inspectors to get a good score.   * A speaker recounts working at a lounge where a horrible smell persisted for months until they found two dead rats underneath the booth area. **Restaurant Industry Horrors** The conversation moves to other disgusting incidents:   * Dirty silverware and dishes with food crumbs are discussed, with the hosts wondering how the dishwashers, who are paid well, manage to keep the dishes dirty.   * Hair in food is a common issue, with one speaker describing a celebrity finding a two-foot-long hair baked into their waffle.   * A speaker shares a story from when they were in Puebla, Mexico, about a street taco vendor who was arrested for killing dogs and using the meat in "dog tacos". **Ireland's Illegal First Job** Ireland revisits the story of her first restaurant job, which had a health score below 70, where she worked at 15 years old, wearing roller skates. When they were short on cooks, the managers told her to take off her roller skates and cook burgers in the kitchen while wearing only her socks on the greasy floor. She also mentions a coworker who overdosed in the bathroom during a shift. **Health Score Standards** The group discusses health scores and violations:   * A passing health score is 70%. A "U" is an unsatisfactory score, likely 69 and below.   * A popular Chinese restaurant called Hong Kong Harbor on Cheshire Bridge closed down after getting an unsatisfactory score and then reopened two months later.   * Common violations include food not being stored at the right temperature, ice on the freezer door, chemicals too close to food, items on the floor instead of shelves, and lack of proper labeling for cut fruit.   * One speaker references a restaurant with a 52 score that had 18 violations, including problems with handwashing posters, soap/paper towels, and personal cleanliness.   * A speaker mentions working in a sushi spot where one of the chefs would not wash his hands after using the bathroom, but management would not address it because he was an older Asian man who was part of the family. **Conclusion** The hosts conclude the episode, reminding listeners that they will still eat at a restaurant if the food is good, even if the health score is bad. They thank Ireland and suggest having a cook as a future guest. They also encourage listeners to send in their stories to be reviewed on the podcast.

    34 min
  2. Chef Driven and Celebrities

    JAN 29

    Chef Driven and Celebrities

    The video features a discussion about the differences and conflicts between the "back of house" (kitchen staff, like cooks) and the "front of house" (servers) in the restaurant industry, contrasting "chef driven" restaurants with chain restaurants. The hosts are Cameron, Cassie, Johnny, and Melissa, and they have a special guest named Melissa, who is a line cook at Carmel in Buckhead Village. Key topics include:   * **A "Tales from Your Server" story** The hosts read a story from a lead line cook at a local franchise pizza joint who shares a cook's perspective for servers. The cook asks servers to be nice, remember cooks are human and make mistakes, not give attitude, communicate about weird tickets, and run hot food. The cook also mentions not having unlimited counter space for plates and asks servers not to distract the cooks, emphasizing that customers' food comes first, though they enjoy making special shift meals for servers when it is not busy.   * **Chef Driven vs. Chain Restaurants** The speakers differentiate between these two types of restaurants. A chef-driven restaurant is described as having a different energy and higher level of professionalism. In chef-driven restaurants, back-of-house staff are often passionate about their craft and aim to learn and grow. One speaker noted that in the restaurants they come from, the majority of cooks are Mexicans, who are the people feeding America. Chain restaurants, however, are described as places where the cooks might not care as much. One speaker, a CIA (Culinary Institute of America) graduate from Hyde Park, New York, mentioned the difference is often a matter of passion versus no passion.   * **Front of House vs. Back of House Conflict** The speakers discuss the fighting and tension that can occur between servers and cooks, especially during busy times. One cook was fired because a server fought with him over a corn on the cob. The infectious bad attitude from a cook can make the server mad, which then spreads to everyone else.   * **Steak and Customer Issues** Sending food back is frustrating for cooks. The worst insult to a cook or chef is when a customer asks for salt and pepper, implying the seasoning is not perfect. They recount stories of customers ordering high-priced steaks from $70 to $150, including a "Pittsburgh cooked steak" (raw inside, hard seared outside) that a guest wanted "well done". Another story involved a customer who ordered a ribeye "well, well, and even crispy" and then complained it was "charcoal" and "too well," leading to the meal being comped. The customer is not always right; according to one speaker, they are wrong 90% of the time.   * **Celebrity Sightings** The speakers discuss celebrities who visit their Buckhead Village restaurants, including the Atlanta housewives, Tyrese, and Kenya from Atlanta. One speaker served Lindsay Lohan, who invited the server out for drinks; the server was so excited she was screaming and got fired the next day. Another speaker served Michelle Pfeiffer at Atlas. A different speaker's sister served comedian Druski. The episode concludes by encouraging listeners to share their own restaurant stories via email at theserverstable@gmail.com or on social media platforms like YouTube, Twitter, and Instagram.

    25 min
  3. JAN 15

    F this Job

    The speaker generally puts in two weeks' notice when leaving a job. They won't quit a job unless they have already been hired at a new one.   The speaker left a previous job for their current one because the previous employer was paying them $7.25 hourly. While this pay rate would have been acceptable with tips, the tips were split among everyone in the restaurant, including the cooks and the dishwashers. The owners were also the cooks, and the speaker felt the owners did not deserve their tips. The tips included cash tips.   The previous employer was described as a small spot where cash tips were put in a tip jar at the counter. The manager-owner had to go to the counter to pay. In a different spot, which the speaker was at for five years, 37% of the tips were taken every night, with an additional 3% going to the dishwashers and so on. The speaker quit that place because they weren't making enough money to pay for car insurance. The speaker mentioned that there are more stories to come about that place.   The speaker got a new job where they get paid significantly more, but now they are wondering if they want to get paid even more. They said that if they are not making money, they will quit. If they are training and it's slow, they get comfortable, which is not for them, and they decide it's not going to work out. It takes the speaker a while to quit because they get comfortable. They will stay at a job for a few years until they realize they could get a better job.   Near the end of the video, the speaker mentioned having quit the job they talked about in an earlier episode and is now looking for a new job.

    35 min
  4. JAN 1

    Tipping

    The video is an episode of a show called "The Server's Table," featuring four speakers: Cassie, Cameron, Holly, and Johnny. The main topic is tipping. **Appetizer Story** The "appetizer story" involves a server who waited on a family of 16 people with a bill totaling $200. The family left $425—four $100 bills, a $20 bill, and a $5 bill—inside the server book and all walked out as a group. The server assumed it was a mistake and thought someone would call or come back, but no one did for a full 24 hours. The server had given her father $200 because it was Father's Day and he was in a "bad spot". The next day, people from the group returned to the restaurant demanding their money back. The server's manager told her she had to return the money and could give it all back at once or half that day and the other half at the end of the month. The server gave it all back that night so she would not be in debt to the store, and she was "mildly upset" that she had to return the money, having made a financial decision based on the mistake. **Discussion on Tipping and Returning Tips **Compensation for Servers in Atlanta** The conversation shifts to the broader topic of tipping culture and server compensation: **Tip-Outs and Tip Pools** **Dessert Segment: Favorite Drinks** For the dessert segment, the hosts share their favorite drinks:   * One speaker loves frozen drinks, specifically a strawberry daiquiri or frozen margarita.   * Another speaker prefers shots of Don Julio with a Red Bull chaser, and their favorite drink to make is an espresso martini, sometimes with a vanilla syrup and chocolate Bailey's twist.   * A third speaker prefers red wine and brown liquors such as a Fernet and Coke, with just a splash of Coke.   * A fourth speaker recently got into THC drinks. The video concludes with a thank you to the viewers and a request for stories via social media and email.

    25 min

About

WELCOME TO THE PODCAST WHERE SERVERS, BARTENDERS, COOKS AND ANYONE IN THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY TALK ABOUT ALL THE THINGS THAT WE CANT TALK ABOUT.