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Caribou Café on a Friday night with John and Terry after a few hours at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. We like the food here. It has a French bistro flair. Tonight was no different.

John has tweaked me about these restaurant blogs, giving so much detail about the waitstaff. Tonight we have a pixie with red hair, a smile that could break a heart and a personality that is it’s own global warming threat.

John is for those ‘less fortunate’, he has a kind heart. I think waiting tables is one of the most demanding and underappreciated jobs a body can do. Yet one of the most important.

We all know how a wise-assed surley, why are you making me work, hurry up and eat, leave me a big tip, wait person, can ruin a meal and how someone like Jessica can make you feel like a prince or princess.

A good wait person sets the tone for your entire dinner. I know when Barb and I have had terrible waitstaff the whole meal was about finishing so we could leave a small, if any, tip, and tell him/her why. That is not why you go out to eat. That is combat, not dining.

Five years ago, maybe six, I still can raise my blood pressure when speaking about Eric in New Orleans. A waitperson from hell at the Palace on Canal Street. …I AM NOT GOING THERE.

So when I am in a nice restaurant where the waitstaff adds or sometimes makes the experience better than it should have been, I have to give a shout out. My tips, though generous, are not enough. Many times, if not all, good dining is theatre. So often in good theatre it is the folks behind the scenes and those with smaller parts than the lead that helps make the whole thing cook.

At Caribou there are quite a few waitstaff that have been around awhile. A good sign in a restaurant. Susanne, the tall good looking redhead and professional waitperson/bartender always makes your dining experience better. Tonight we were waited on by Jessica.

Good women waitstaff are like good women nurses, easy to fall in love with them. Guys, they are not leaving the restaurant or hospital to go home with you. But you can come back and order Blueberry Pie or have your blood pressure measured.. Sweet Jaysus!

So, I am going to continue to give a shout-out to those who make my days and nights better. I used to wash dishes at Pirates Cove, a big restaurant on the small New Hampshire coast, from 3pm to 12am+. No thanks or tips from the people at the show, but the servers were grateful for clean, warm plates, spotless glasses, and silverware, and a smile from the dishwasher. So were the cooks and owner. They appreciated the interest in detail.

Which makes my point. Your dining pleasure, like the pleasure in your life, is provided by more people than you realize.
When you can, give them a shout-out!