Dishing It Out (Women In The Political Economy) Review

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(More customer reviews)The book, which I read for a feminism class, actually turned out to be one that I liked. The book focuses on a small, truck-stop restaurant called Route. The book tells stories of women's work in the restaurant and everyday problems that they face.
Most people never realize some things about waitresses if they've never been one. For example, waitresses' minimum wage is about 3 dollars less than that of normal jobs. They are expected to make up the difference in tips. After reading material such as this, sympathy for waitresses will go out even more. These are the same people that have to put up with rude and picky customers.
Managers seem to have it almost worse. Although, managers are usually thought of as having a higher and better position, this is very untrue in the restaurant business. Managers get minimum wage, but no tips, sometimes making less than the waiters. And because the turn-over rate is so high for managers, they've often work fewer time than the waitresses, which makes them seem as less of an authoritative figure. And, the manager has to deal with personnel problems and fill in for anyone who doesn't show up for work, or who quits on the spot. It's actually much tougher than one would think.
The books tells of how much waitresses put up with and the low wages that the make. I would recommend this book, if just for that fact that it opens up people's eyes to the fact that waitresses really do depend on tips - so don't stiff them. It's also a wonderful book to read just for enjoyment because it keeps your attention with different stories and interviews of several ladies, so in that sense, it's almost more of a story than a boring book of research.

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This study challenges the uncritical equation of advancement with success. As a participant observer at a family-style restaurant in New Jersey, Greta Paules reveals the strategies that experienced waitresses employ to improve their own positions rather than aspiring toward management. Through the voices of some aggressive, determined, tough, and resilient women, Paules confronts stereotypical characterizations of waitresses. Paules finds that certain unique features of the restaurant industry—the tipping system, chaotic work environment, chronic shortages of labor and supplies, and the manager's role as a fill-in man—allow waitresses to manipulate their work environment to protect their own interests. The downgrading of the managerial role in this restaurant has rendered advancement meaningless. Knowing that the "help wanted" sign is permanently posted, the waitresses refuse to submit to management's dictates, to "take junk" from rude or hostile customers, or to internalize the negative self-image usually associated with waitressing. The colorful and often amusing comments by the women Paules interviewed indicate that they have developed an arsenal of subtle but undeniably effective tactics to combat the exploitive elements of the job, to maximize tips, and to secure the boss's attention to their needs.

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