After nearly forty years in the restaurant business, Stephen A. York puts pen to paper to reveal the inner workings of the industry. Working his way up from his earliest days as a bumbling new waiter to the top echelons of management, his honesty about his own life and the world behind the swinging doors provides a unique peek into the crazy, hectic world of fine dining. Now the proprietor of his own restaurant, The Whaling Company, in Williamsburg, Virginia, he looks back with humor and self-deprecating good grace at what it took to climb to the top. If you ever thought you wanted a career in restaurant management, this is a must-read.
“A good read. Those that have worked in the restaurant business will truly enjoy this book…”–Rick
“Must Read… This is a great book for those that have ever had the memorable experience of working in the restaurant world or those that are interested in what it’s all about…”–Tommy
“Thank you Steve, for a fun and thoughtful read… I enjoyed this book. It was short and easy to read. I felt like I was getting an inside look, a special behind the scenes glance into a world that I have grown to appreciate. I loaded it onto my phone and ate it up in one afternoon. I laughed out loud as I related to events explained in a way as I imagine only Steve could do…”—Mindy
“Please write the second half… My compliments to the writer. This is a great story. I felt the journey. I chucked many times. The honesty is obvious…”—Patty
“Wonderful/heartfelt…This book is wonderful, and was very meaningful for me. I worked for the ‘Jim’ mentioned in this book for years, and remembered his stories of him and Mr. York…”—Shannon
“Great read…An eye opener for anyone who has never gone behind the swinging kitchen doors of a restaurant and a warm reminder for those of us who have…”—Brandais
“The Worst Restaurant Book Ever…This book is dry, dull and boring. It contains a non-stop litany of meaningless names and non-stop drunken episodes…”–Katherine
Stephen spent over thirty years working for a corporate restaurant entity which was last named ‘Paragon Steakhouse Restaurants’. ‘Paragon’ operated under names like ‘Hungry Hunter’ on the west coast and ‘Mountain Jacks’ in the mid-west, as well as lots of unique properties all over the U.S. Stephen and his partner bought one of those unique properties in 2007, ‘The Whaling Company’ in Williamsburg, Virginia.
Be My Guest: A Restauranteur’s Memoir by Stephen A. York, now available at Amazon Kindle eBook.
