‘Sweetbitter’– The Restaurant Industry’s Hot Summer Read

"Sweetbitter," Stephanie Danler's  best-selling, coming-of-age novel set amongst Manhattan's high-end restaurant scene tops many "must-read" lists.  Modern Restaurant Management magazine quizzed Danler about her experiences, acquiring a palate and the ever-evolving restaurant industry. 

Why did you feel there was enough fodder for a novel in a job that “Ninety percent of us won’t even put on a resume?”

Perhaps because I was in the 10 percent where it was their entire resume. I have only ever worked in the restaurant industry. When I was writing the book, one of my main concerns was how to show that “real life” was happening behind the curtain that guests drop around themselves. A hundred humiliations and triumphs going on behind the scenes – and that it’s fun. You have a job where one of your goals every evening is to entertain your friends and your guests.

Managing restaurants, with all their moving parts, teaches you to honor your instincts and draw a hard…