Modern Waiter Podcast
Two veteran servers break down the unfiltered reality of restaurant life, offering tactical advice for staff and unwritten rules for diners.
This is a tactical, 'inside baseball' show for restaurant professionals, framed as secrets for the public. The two long-time server hosts, Marlon and Danny, analyze common industry problems like tipping, difficult guests, and retention, offering practical, often blunt, strategies from the server's point of view. They frequently use external media like comedian's clips or Reddit posts to kickstart their discussions.
“Its focus is relentlessly on the server's perspective, treating service as a craft with specific tactics and psychological angles. Unlike broader food podcasts that focus on chefs or culinary trends, this show lives on the dining room floor, dissecting the mechanics of hospitality and the financial realities of the job.”
Who hosts this show
Hosted by Marlon Joseph and Danny Davila, two friends with over 45 years of combined experience in the restaurant industry, The Modern Waiter Podcast offers a real, unfiltered look behind the industry curtain. For over seven years, the show has aimed to legitimize careers in the service industry, blending humor and practical insights for servers, bartenders, and anyone who loves dining out. Marlon Joseph, the creator, has worked in the industry since 1996 and started the podcast to show that being a server can be a legitimate profession.
Credentials & credits
- Veteran Server (since 1996)
- Podcast Creator & Host
- Business Owner (Screen printing and embroidery)
- Podcast Producer (Danny Davila)
Other ventures
- Screen printing and embroidery company (Marlon Joseph)
What kind of podcast
- Country
- United States
- Region
- usa
When new episodes drop
- 01Pre Tipping Gets You Better Service (Here's Why)Jun 23, 2026 · 13 min
- 02Hospitality Mistakes That Are Quietly Killing Your SalesJun 17, 2026 · 17 min
- 03Mastering Subtle Customer Service Cues Elevate Your ExperienceJun 11, 2026 · 7s
- 04The secret to turning first-time diners into regularsJun 9, 2026 · 14 min
- 05The Moment Customers Cross the Line After ClosingJun 9, 2026 · 16s
- 06
- 074 Hours For 1 Appetizer! Waiters React to Worst GuestsJun 1, 2026 · 17 min
- 08Ranking the absolute best sandwiches in America!May 26, 2026 · 24 min
Notable episodes
- 01The secret to turning first-time diners into regulars
Provides a specific, actionable 5-step system for customer retention, including the 'Inception' farewell technique.
- 02Pre Tipping Gets You Better Service (Here's Why)
Explains a counter-intuitive strategy for diners to guarantee better service by tipping upfront, detailing the psychology behind it.
- 03Hospitality Mistakes That Are Quietly Killing Your Sales
Uses a viral clip from comedian Jo Koy to debate the conflict between hospitality standards and the financial realities of running a restaurant, especially around closing time.
- 044 Hours For 1 Appetizer! Waiters React to Worst Guests
A classic example of the show's format, where the hosts break down a Reddit post about 'campers' to explain the financial impact on servers.
What you'll be asked on this show
The Modern Waiter Podcast is a co-hosted conversational show and does not follow a guest-interview format. The hosts, Marlon Joseph and Danny Davila, discuss topics amongst themselves. While they occasionally feature an industry expert, the primary format is a discussion rather than a formal interview.
This is a co-hosted conversational show, not a guest-interview format. Hosts Marlon Joseph and Danny Davila have a friendly, established rapport, often building on each other's anecdotes. They structure episodes around specific industry topics, sometimes using clips from comedians or news stories as a jumping-off point for their analysis.
Signature segments
- · Closing Sign-off: "I'm Marlon Joseph..." "I'm Danny... Subscribe, subscribe, subscribe..."
- · Analyzing Reddit posts about restaurant situations
- · Using clips of comedians (e.g., Jo Koy) to frame a topic
- · Debating restaurant 'best and worst' lists
Topics covered repeatedly
Who gets booked here
The show is primarily a two-person conversation between the hosts. When guests do appear, they are typically industry professionals like chefs or authors, brought on for their specific expertise on a topic, such as a celebrity chef discussing the realities of his career.
- Chef Ryan Rondenoon 10 Things No One Tells You About Being a Celebrity Chef | Chef Ryan Rondeno Interview
- Chef Bogdan Tarnawskyon Ranking the absolute best sandwiches in America!
- Kenn Riccion Pre Tipping Gets You Better Service (Here's Why) (in a clip)
- Jo Koyon Hospitality Mistakes That Are Quietly Killing Your Sales (in a clip)
- Jimmy O. Yangon Hospitality Mistakes That Are Quietly Killing Your Sales (in a clip)
Where to find this show
Audience & reach
No sponsors or advertisements were identified in the episodes reviewed.
Subscriber and view counts are pulled live from YouTube and re-verified on a 30-day cycle. Listener estimates for the RSS feed aren't published here unless they're host-verified.
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People also ask
- Who are the hosts of the Modern Waiter Podcast?
- The hosts are Marlon Joseph, a veteran server and the show's creator, and his co-host and producer, Danny Davila.
- What is the format of the show?
- It is a co-hosted conversational podcast. The two hosts discuss topics from the restaurant industry, often prompted by news, social media posts, or personal experiences. It is not a guest-interview show.
- Is the Modern Waiter Podcast still active?
- Yes, the podcast has been active since 2018 and releases new episodes weekly.
- Who is the podcast for?
- It's for restaurant industry professionals like servers and bartenders, as well as for diners who are curious about what really happens behind the scenes in restaurants.
- Where can I listen to the podcast?
- The Modern Waiter Podcast is available on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and most other major podcast platforms.
Built from the show's public RSS feed, YouTube, the host's own websites, and the cited sources below. Computed and AI-extracted fields are labelled. Facts only — no private info, no fabrication, no transcripts republished.
Sources & how this page was built
This page is AI-assisted, grounded in the public sources cited below, and host-verifiable. We publish facts only; we do not republish transcripts. If anything here is wrong, the host can claim and correct the page above.Model: gemini-2.5-pro · high confidence
- [01]About | Themodernwaiter.comthemodernwaiter.com
- [02]The Modern Waiter Podcast - Apple Podcastspodcasts.apple.com
- [03]Podcast | Welcome | Themodernwaiter.comthemodernwaiter.com
- [04]The Modern Waiter Podcast - YouTube Channelyoutube.com
- [05]The Modern Waiter Podcast - Listen Noteslistennotes.com
- [06]Why do People Hate Restaurant Services and What We Can Do About It? || Modern Waiter Podcastyoutube.com
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