Ever wonder what it was like booking out a restaurant ON PAPER, before the dawn of online reservation platforms? 

At Maître d’ Diaries one of our raisons d’être is building a bridge between restaurant industry old guard and the vibrant, essential Next Generation populating the new post-pandemic workforce. One way we do this is by gathering and sharing stories from the trenches (or the floor, if you will).

This episode’s guest, Roger Raines, has a LOT of stories. Roger started his illustrious hospitality career with one of the most respected restaurant groups in the country—Union Square Hospitality—back when tables were reserved over the phone by humans using a pencil and sheets of paper.

And like many of the very best maîtres d’hotel, Roger is also a renaissance person with multiple cultural pursuits and passions that make him culturally aware and good to chat with at the front door of whatever restaurant he’s running.

Roger’s first restaurant job was reservationist at Gramercy Tavern. He worked his way up through Eleven Madison Park, Tabla, Maialino, and the opened new location of Union Square Cafe. 

Listen in to hear about:

~ How much fun it used to be to run a wait list by phone and on paper

~ What he hates about cell phones in restaurants 

~ The difference of how people treat men and women at the door 

~ What it was like to be James Brown’s road manager

~ The upstate B&B run by USHG alum that we should all visit 

~ What Tabla was like

~ How awesome the Criterion Collection is