This is Eater Voices, where chefs, restaurateurs, writers, and industry insiders share their perspectives about the food world, tackling a range of topics through the lens of personal experience.

As usual, it was a busy and bustling weeknight shift. Shoulder-to-shoulder guests meant servers squeezing through the rush of regulars to wait tables. The bar was the center of the business — figuratively and quite literally — and we servers would shimmy through in our tuxedo shirts and ties with trays