My job search is focused in Johnson County for one simple reason. I’m tired of filing tax returns in two states. We moved a few miles from Missouri to Kansas late last year, and while all the snobbery in me says the majority of interesting food is on Twain’s side of the state line,...
Read more »
This week’s entry will be significantly shorter than the long rant from last week. (You’re welcome). My legs have only been on land for about 24 hours and the rum has only recently begun to dissipate from my circulatory system. I spent the last 8 days at sea and in St. Thomas and St....
Read more »
I ended last week’s column with an unintentional cliffhanger. The feedback I received was mostly of the “yeah, uh huh, and then what??” variety. Some even wondered if a technical glitch kept them from reading the end of my story from inside The KC Steinbrenner’s office. I suppose that the scaly server skin I...
Read more »
Mary Sanchez spoke with CJ about her column and consequential firing from her job for writing In the Weeds. Here is a link to the KC Star article.
Read more »
Most restaurant manager offices are exactly alike. They are super tiny (think 6×12 prison cell), crammed with stuff and usually outfitted with one big window facing the kitchen or service area. The door is always locked so if you need something, you must tap on the glass, but do so carefully or the managers...
Read more »
By CJ For the last three years, I have worked at a job that I love. Quite unexpectedly, I was hired to work at one of the best restaurants in Kansas City without much serving experience. I convinced a skeptical manager that my background as a concierge and my passion for service and high-end...
Read more »
Not too much fallout from last week’s staff introductions, but there was a lot of speculation as to who would be next. Maybe I didn’t get the knife close enough to the bone. Let’s try again. The 80s Hostess on Blow – This hostess comes to work in bright red tapered-leg suits complete with...
Read more »
In my first column, I said that the most interesting people I meet in the restaurant biz are not sitting at the tables but are working on the floor with me, and occasionally flashing their balls in the pantry. So I’m going to introduce you to this cast of characters over the next few...
Read more »
This is one of my favorite scenes from an all-time favorite movie. In Quentin Tarantino’s “Reservoir Dogs,” this early scene sets the pace for Tarantino’s dialogue-heavy trademark style. Mr. Pink refuses to tip and his rationale is at once riveting and revolting.
Read more »