Since we're devoting our entire Food Issue to restaurant service, we asked waiters to do what they're normally not allowed to do while waiting tables: talk back.

We invited five local waiters from different types of restaurants to The Stranger offices for an informal discussion about what it's like waiting tables in Seattle--covering everything from bad tippers and crazy restaurant owners and job security to demanding customers, waiting on celebrities, and bugs in the salad.

Edited by Min Liao