As many of you may know, I took a job at a the Jody Adams restaurant downtown, Trade. I get the opportunity to learn and earn at what I believe will be one of the most exciting restaurants to open in Boston this year.
Some of you might ask, "Why are you taking a job as a server?" There are a handful of answers to that question, which I am happy to explain:
1) As a future Chef-Owner of a restaurant in which all employees will be both servers and cooks ("waitcookers" if you will), it is important that I am knowledgeable of what it takes to provide excellent service. The only experience I have as a server is at a cafe/pizza place before culinary school, and I want to be a well-rounded owner.
2) I can earn more money per hour downtown than I can as a Chef in JP, work less hours, and spend more time working on plans for my own place. I will also not be a manager of any kind, so I will not have the level of attachment to the restaurant that consumes my mental capacity. I will still have mental energy and enough extra time on my hands to concentrate on Linea.
3) I can learn a lot from Chef Jody, G.M. Sean, and the rest of the management team. Rialto is a highly successful restaurant that has been open for almost 20 years, so obviously they are doing something right.
4) I will be learning how to interact with customers. I want Linea to be very interactive, with a wide open kitchen, and plenty of intermingling between the neighborhood regulars and the cross-trained "waitcookers". I am learning how and when to approach a table, how to read a table, and how to interact with them in a way that is charming and helpful.
5) I get to be involved in the opening of another restaurant. I am not quite as involved as I was at The Haven, where I designed my own kitchen and was the Owner's right hand man. Just like I did at The Haven, at Trade I am taking notes on what to do, and occasionally, what not to do. Like any restaurant there have been kinks to work through, and there will be more ahead; but so far everyone has been keeping their cool and concentrating on solutions.
This blog will concentrate on Linea and its development. But meanwhile, my employment at Trade is an important step that I should write about. It is currently the focus in my professional life, since we are not yet open and I am still learning the flow. So occasionally, I will be posting about my experiences at Trade. I will not be writing anonymously like WaiterRant (excellent, funny blog), but I will not say anything negative.
It looks like Trade will be an amazing restaurant, so come and visit soon!
-Waiter Wax
