Turns out yesterday's rumor about Bruni waiting tables in Cambridge was true. An exercise for the Critic's Notebook, he spent a week at the East Coast Grill as a waiter named "Gavin".
I had no idea.The article is definitely amusing. But if you're wondering how many stars Bruni would give the experience he helped shape or if the experience changed his ratings perspective, your questions will not be answered. He didn't keep his average tip rate a secret, though: 18%.I usually spend my nights on the other side of the table, not only asking the questions and making the demands but also judging and, I concede, taking caustic little mental notes. And it's been 20 years since I walked in a waiter's shoes, something I did for only six months.
But last week I traded places and swapped perspectives, a critic joining the criticized, to get a taste of what servers go through and what we put them through, of how they see and survive us.
· My Week as a Waiter [NYT]
