Your Table Is Ready: Tales of a New York City Maître D'

Written by Michael Cecchi-Azzolina

Narrated by Michael Cecchi-Azzolina

"Trained in acting and a lifer in the restaurant business, Michael Cecchi-Azzolina doles out opinions in the tone of an authentic New Yorker. He narrates with a good pace and rhythm. The inner workings of the restaurant world as revealed are exhilarating but often sordid and salacious....this is an entertaining and insightful audiobook."- AudioFile

This program is read by the author.

A front-of-the-house Kitchen Confidential from a career maître d’hotel who manned the front of the room in New York City's hottest and most in-demand restaurants.

From the glamorous to the entitled, from royalty to the financially ruined, everyone who wanted to be seen—or just to gawk—at the hottest restaurants in New York City came to places Michael Cecchi-Azzolina helped run. His phone number was passed around among those who wanted to curry favor, during the decades when restaurants replaced clubs and theater as, well, theater in the most visible, vibrant city in the world.

Besides dropping us back into a vanished time, Your Table Is Ready takes us places we’d never be able to get into on our own: Raoul's in Soho with its louche club vibe; Buzzy O’Keefe’s casually elegant River Café (the only outer-borough establishment desirable enough to be included in this roster), from Keith McNally’s Minetta Tavern to Nolita’s Le Coucou, possibly the most beautiful room in New York City in 2018, with its French Country Auberge-meets-winery look and the most exquisite and enormous stands of flowers, changed every three days.

From his early career serving theater stars like Tennessee Williams and Dustin Hoffman at La Rousse right through to the last pre-pandemic-shutdown full houses at Le Coucou, Cecchi-Azzolina has seen it all. In Your Table Is Ready, he breaks down how restaurants really run (and don’t), and how the economics work for owners and overworked staff alike. The professionals who gravitate to the business are a special, tougher breed, practiced in dealing with the demanding patrons and with each other, in a very distinctive ecosystem that’s somewhere between a George Orwell “down and out in….” dungeon and a sleek showman’s smoke-and-mirrors palace.

Your Table Is Ready is a rollicking, raunchy, revelatory memoir.

A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin’s Press.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Macmillan Audio
• Release date: Dec 6, 2022
• ISBN: 9781250870742

Michael Cecchi-Azzolina

Michael Cecchi-Azzolina has been in the restaurant industry for more than thirty-five years. From his early career at La Rousse, he has gone on to run the front of house at New York’s most famous and influential restaurants, including The Water Club, The River Cafe, Raoul's, and Le Coucou. He lives in Manhattan.

Reviews for Your Table Is Ready

[Laura Dijs · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Makes me sick and I’d rather eat in a diner than be served by the likes of this guy, and furthermore, who cares! Much unneeded profanity, and he’s totally full of himself.

[Mischa Kovalchuk · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Worked in this world for 3 years and it is absolutely on point. Usually these books are from the perspective of the kitchen so it’s refreshing to hear from the front of house. The writing is crisp and entertaining. A joy to listen to.

[nia wingard · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I was a server for a few years. And for a short period of time, a server in New York City. I felt every story. It was nice to listen to someone else talk about being in “the business”.

[Andrea Colaizzi · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great book, interesting stories and insights into the fine dining world.

[Frances Lemke · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Why camouflage the content with a catchy title? This is just garbage. I can’t imagine why I even listened to the first few chapters. I thought it might turn into an actual story. It’s sensationalist smut. And poorly done at that. Delete!

[Elliott Williamson · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I had to stop reading after part 2. The language and content was vulgar. I understand that the narrative is real, just not my taste.

[Shelly · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I work in the restaurant industry. I love the vivid story telling. I enjoyed this take in so many ways. Thank you and thank you for your service.

[Jeanne Rosenfeld · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Very enjoyable read. Fun stories and tidbits about the front of the house in a fancy NYC restaurant . Only reason not 5 stars is because 2nd half much better than 1st half. I had trouble keeping up and felt 1st half was a bit rambling but I’m glad I kept going 2nd half was a joy.

[Natalina Habib · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A fascinating insight into the restaurant world. A great read