Busboy
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A busboy is an assistant to a waiter or waitress, mainly specializing in setting and clearing tables in restaurants with table service.
At an upscale restaurant, they may bring the introductory foods, for example tortilla chips and salsa in a Mexican restaurant or bread in an Italian restaurant. The busboy may also serve drinks and sweep the floor under the tables. Occasionally, they also perform extra duty for the waiter as an assistant to the waiter.
In most smaller family diners, the busboy is responsible for washing the cutlery (also known as silverware in the U.S.) and dishes and stocking the kitchen and waitress stations. The most popular method of organization is for the busboy to be assigned a station, or area of tables, which he or she shall serve. Typically, a busboy receives a fraction (ranging from 10-30%) of the tips from the station in which they worked during their work shift as well as a separate, fixed payment or wage.
[edit] Famous Persons who worked as a busboy
- Alec Baldwin, actor, was a busboy at Studio 54, a New York City disco.
- Ike Barinholtz, actor and comedian on MADtv.
- George W. Bush, United States President, was a busboy in his teenage years.
- Dick Cavett, actor and host of The Dick Cavett Show
- Ho Chi Minh, Vietnamese revolutionary and President, was a busboy in Boston at the Parker House Hotel.
- Raymond Orteig, hotelier.
- Wally Wood, cartoonist
- Jon Stewart, comedian, and host of The Daily Show worked as a busboy at a Mexican restaurant. Stewart has in fact named his production company "Busboy Productions"
[edit] Busboys in history and popular culture
- The Coconut Grove fire in Boston, Massachusetts was started accidentally when a busboy lit a match.
- A band called The Busboys had success with two songs "The Boys Are Back In Town" and "Cleanin' Up The Town" featured in the movie Ghostbusters.
- Busboys are quite common in the works of comic artist Corey Lewis.
- Busboys were portrayed as lazy, habitual cannabis users in the film, "Waiting..." (played by comedian Andy Milonakis and Max Kasch).
- An early Seinfeld episode was centered around a busboy who was fired due to George Costanza's accidental actions.
