Name Droppers

I always get tickled by name droppers like the fellow who booked a reservation with me tonight and proceeded to tell me on the phone what good buddies he and Chef Ed are. I guess we're going to catch up on old times tonight when he comes in. Too bad I have no idea who he is.

Seriously, if you have to drop the chef's name while booking a table, you probably don't really know the chef, do you? And if you were a really close friend, wouldn't you be calling the chef's cell phone?

One other amusing story: we were holding our daily pre-dinner meeting when a woman came in wanting a donation—another in an endless series of people asking for handouts. She handed me some information and then proceeded to humiliate herself in front of the entire staff by telling me how well she and Chef Ed were acquainted and what good friends they were. She had no clue that she was addressing Chef Ed, nor did I ever clue her in. Do you think I donated to her charity?