The Modern Waiter Podcast

This weeks restaurant podcast closes out with the last of the Quarantine Life series. Drinks. There is a reason why liquor stores are considered essential business during COVID-19. We drink to entertain ourselves and pass the time. Yes we are at home but is it even fun? Danny describes how restaurant people drink. “We work nights so when we when we go meet friends at the bar that have been out already they’re in the game so we’re playing catch up. Just to get on their level. Catch up can become an ugly scene.”  We reminisce on the times we got drunk in the past. I promised to share a Harlem Shake Video we recorded at the restaurant many years ago. Here is the link to the video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jD40zIE1Wk and a hilarious blooper reel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAhBdHXDrbU .  Yours truly is the horse walking through the scene.

This is truly a very informative episode. In this week’s restaurant podcast we get a lesson in disaster preparedness, Our quarantine life series continues with our guest Kurt Fanaro. We learn a ton about being prepared for any eventuality that you can plan for. In fact that is first in the four categories of preparedness that Kurt describes. Having a plan. One thing that the COVID-19 pandemic has taught many of us, is that we are ill prepared. Let us find out the other 3 categories that are key to our survival when the next disaster strikes.

This week’s restaurant podcast continues with part 3 of our quarantine life series.  Personal Trainer Jennifer Rosidor talks fitness.  She shares the impact social distancing has on her business as well as the importance of keeping fit during a health crisis.  “The amazing thing about fitness is that it is a goal that is attainable instantly.  If you wake up and you go walk or jog for thirty minutes, you have accomplished a goal.”Keeping fit, along with proper nutrition and rest are major keys to maintaining good immunity. The COVID-19 pandemic has left little exercise equipment available for us to purchase, however Jen gives us the rundown on some exercises we can do to get our bodies moving.  Thank you Jen for giving us your time and advice.  www.strongbodiez.com  www.instagram.com/strongbodiez  www.instagram.com/jenrosidor  www.facebook.com/jennifer.smith.18041

Managing partner Fred Graham joins this weeks restaurant podcast.  He outlines some challenges he and other restaurants face remaining opened during the COVID-19 social distancing guidelines. “Trying to keep six feet apart is certainly very challenging on a cook line...  We’ve marked the floor so everyone has and area six feet apart from everyone else."  We are very appreciative of all the restaurants who are able to service guests and save jobs.  Staying healthy physically and financially is a moving target for us all.

The Modern Waiter Podcast series Quarantine Life continues with Pt. 2, which focuses on food.  Author Jack Kohout (www.instagram.com/restaurantjunkie) joins the show.  How can we make food last longer?   Are you able to step outside your comfort zone and pick up that chocolate hummus?  We talk about experimenting with food combinations for the sake of hard to find ingredients.  “I am trying to shop economically, and there are only certain things I’m left with.  I am trying to see what I can do to make something less than ideal a little bit better”   Thanks to Jack, the restaurantjunkie.  Be sure to check your his book “Be a Better F*cking Waiter” on Amazon.

The Modern Waiter Bonus Podcast.  Chef Kevin Andraska  (www.instagram.com/chefkev86/) joins us for our very first bonus podcast.  In the upcoming weeks we are checking in with our listeners for a candid chat.  If you would like us to check in with you and feature you in an upcoming bonus podcast episode, direct message me @themodernwaiterpodcast on Instagram or email me at themodernwaiter@gmail.com.  In this weeks restaurant podcast, surprise, surprise COVID-19 pandemic and its effect on our lifestyle was the main talking point.  We discuss hard to find items, and chef gives some recipe ideas. Sort of.

In this week's restaurant podcast episode we adjust to a new life.  The majority of restaurant workers are unemployed to abide by the social distancing mandates.  As we flatten our bank accounts, (ahem), as we flatten the curve we discuss how we are coping with the adjustments of quarantine life.  In part one of a what promises to be a five part series, I make some shocking admissions. The journey has just begun.  Strap in for the long haul into the unknown.

The Coronavirus pandemic hit right in the middle of spring break.  This weeks restaurant podcast we take a look at the history of spring break.  Producer Danny’s restaurant is right in the epicenter of it all.  Spring break then and now, Ft. Lauderdale FL is at the heart of it all.  Our show has a slightly different sound now that we have the social distancing mandate.  We are doing the show in separate locations.  This podcast episode was recorded on St. Patrick’s Day.  Normally a great time for the restaurant industry.  Not the case this year.  Things have already started to change drastically.  We were in the beginning stages of getting used to setting boundaries.

In this week's episode we discuss the Rona And The Restaurant.  There is a bit of shifting of the finish line as far as how long social distancing will last due to the Coronavirus.  Danny and I start from the beginning and speak candidly about how this all got started.  There is a lot of information that we can consume on the subject, similar to food, some information is better than others.  Some are easier to chew than others.  It is our responsibility to take care of each other during the COVID-19 pandemic.  Links below provide views from a few experts that share their comprehensive view on Rona.  They are sensible and void of the clickbait sensationalism that can drown us in panic.  Joe Rogan Podcast with guest Michael Osterholm  ⁠Joe Rogan Experience #1439 - Michael Osterholm⁠⁦youtu.be⁩ Dr. Oz interview (pay no mind to the title of the link) Dr. Oz says it's the 'patriotic duty' of Americans to go without masks Advice from Dr. James Robb, MD FCAP COVID-19 (Coronavirus) - Advice From an Expert  

In this weeks restaurant podcast we look into the Details.  Niheem Marcomeni, a seasoned veteran in the industry, joins Producer Danny and me.  Banquets, management, high-end steak house and sommelier; we are pleased to get a glimpse into the philosophy of paying attention to the details of serving.

This week’s restaurant podcast we explore those restaurant nightmares.  Workplace dreams seem particularly visceral for restaurants.  Whether you work in the kitchen and tickets are hitting the floor or servers getting more and more tables, these dreams occur even past your restaurant days.

In this restaurant podcast we kick the outdated, ugly and unhealthy menu items to the curb.  We applaud the high margin, great presentation money makers.  The best and the worst of the menu takes a look at food categories and specific items that grab our attention based on performance and execution.  We simplify an otherwise complicated metric.

This weeks restaurant podcast vents the FAQs we have gotten over the years.  Freaking Asinine Questions.  The head scratching WTFs of it all.  I get it.  Maybe you are hungry.  Maybe you’re drunk; or, or, or maybe you should have thought before you spoke.  Producer Danny and I share and laugh at some ridiculous FAQs.

This weeks restaurant podcast turns the clock back to your first day on the restaurant job.  What do we remember about our first day.  Mine was over 24 years ago.  In my progression as a service professional, I look back with fond memories of what I did not know.

Valentine’s Day is one of the busiest restaurant days on the calendar.  In this weeks restaurant podcast we explore the paradox of recognizing the potential to make money all the while knowing it is widely regarded as “amateur night”.  What can you expect from your dining experience on Valentine’s Day?  Give a listen while you brace yourself to work on this holiday.