Waiting: The True Confessions of a Waitress

Part memoir, part social commentary, part guide to how to behave when dining out, Debra Ginsberg's book takes readers on her twenty-year journey as a waitress at a soap-operatic Italian restaurant, an exclusive five-star dining club, the dingiest of diners, and more. While chronicling her evolution as a writer, Ginsberg takes a behind-the-scenes look at restaurant life—revealing that yes, when pushed, a server will spit in food, and, no, that's not really decaf you're getting—and how most people in this business are in a constant state of waiting to do something else.

Insightful, and often irreverent, Ginsberg's stories truly capture the spirit of the universal things she's learned about human nature, the frightening things that go on in the kitchen, romantic hopes dashed and rebuilt, and all of the frustrating and funny moments in this life. Waiting is for everyone who has had to wait for their life to begin—only to realize, suddenly, that they're living it.

“[Ginsberg's] poignant, gently written stories of waitressing are metaphors for life.” —Dallas Morning News

“Ginsberg . . .has told an attractive story about coping with a life that has been different than what she expected.” — New York Times Book Review

“Funny and ultimately satisfying.” — Entertainment Weekly

“[Ginsberg] tells the story with enough honesty and wry humor to connect with other people—especially women.” — Detroit Free Press

“Ginsberg is a charming and talented writer.” — San Francisco Chronicle

“A lively, often funny tale.” — Newsday