What is a busboy?

Dining out can be an enjoyable experience. You get to select from an array of eateries where you want to go according to what you feel like eating. The wait staff warmly receives you and caters to your every need. Whether itÕs a refreshment or a tissue, the waiters eagerly await your request to. After having your meal, you gather your items, put aside a tip and ride home. Your journey is almost over. The journey of one person is only just going to begin. The person responsible for clearing the mess youÕve made to prepare the table for the next customer is the busboy.

On average, in restaurants, diners and other eateries, irrespective of their size, it is mandatory to have staff equipped to clear the tables after someone has been there, prepare the table for the next customer, and be of assistance to the wait staff if necessary.

Busboys are not usual in America. Some offer to serve customers snacks and beverages even before the customer takes the initiative to do so. They will serve food if duty calls for it.

ÒBussersÓ in general receive insufficient pay. They rely on the tips they receive a day to supplement their meager fixed weekly or hourly income.

Small eateries like diners feature busboys carrying boxes in which used or new cutlery are heaped in. Fancy eateriesÕ busboys carry every plate of food singly, sometimes in only one hand. This is a painstaking process that is comparatively time-consuming but which helps maintain the image portrayed by these finer restaurants.

There is an abundance of renowned people who were employed in this vocation before their careers took off.

Before he was an actor, Al Pacino was famous.

Alec Baldwin, one of the renowned Baldwin brothers (all of whom are involved in the media), was a busboy at New YorkÕs Studio 54 in his youth.

President of Vietnam Mr. Ho hin Mingh himself ÒbussedÓ in an eatery in Boston in Parker House Hotel.

Jon Stewart was a ÒbusserÓ at a Mexican eatery.

Johnny Depp, well known for his role as ÒCaptain Jack SparrowÓ in the Pirates of the Caribbean movie franchise, was a busboy prior to his acting career.

The next time you are out to eat at your favorite restaurant, keep in mind that the reason that place looks so good is because of those hard working busboys and busgirls that work to keep it that way. Go ahead; give them a little extra in tips. That is how they make their living. You never know, maybe one of them will become famous and remember your night out.