The Cocktail Waitress: Woman's Work in a Man's World

If you have ever patronized a bar or been a bartender or waitress, you will connect with The Cocktail Waitress. In spite of this book's being the result of scholarly research, it is as readable as a novel. Spradley and his associates observe what occurs in a bar near a college, describing the culture established in the bar. Most readers can identify with at least one of the characters as the hierarchy of roles comes into play. The bartenders (male) are the ostensible dominant figures, and the cocktail waitresses have to act within the unwritten rules that the baartenders establish. I have spoken with several cocktail waitresses currently working at college bars near my college. They assure me that little has changed in the twenty-odd years since the study was completed and today. An enjoyable and informative read!