How to succeed in the restaurant business*

Smile!

No, really. Here is Kaitlyn Yelle, Esquire's 2009 Hostess of the Year, on how she vaulted to the pinnacle of her profession in just sixteen weeks:

ESQUIRE: What an incredible moment this must be for you.

KAITLIN YELLE: I'm pretty shocked. I didn't have tons of experience before I started at Meat Market, but I tried hard and did what I could to be the best at what I was doing.

ESQ: So what's your secret?

KY: I'm usually the first person the customer sees, so I try to smile and be happy. I like to make them feel special.

ESQ: And what if some customers don't feel special?

KY: Some people get a little upset if something bad happens, but we just smile and tell them we're sorry. It's kind of hard for people to be mean when you're smiling at them.

 Hell -- this makes Obama's Nobel look like Scorsese's Oscar. A possible explanation of Mariani's decision to bestow this momentous honor may lie in the photograph at right. Possibly. Between Obama and this kid, lanky brunettes are taking over the world. Tip of the fin to Frodnesor.

*If you are a "lovely 21-year-old." (According to John Mariani.)

Comments

[Alexander Basek]

It's a given that Mariani is a parody of himself at this point, but who could Esquire use for this gig in a perfect world? I'd like to avoid gazing upon this "Lecher's Corner" callout box every year. Wells may not be chipper, but he would have savaged this apple-cheeked lass rather than give her a half-page.

[Marco]

apropo "The Meat Market"

[Dominique]

I think it is all about flexibility, good level of social and emotional intelligence...
These are some of the features of a person who can succeed in a business:)