Waiting at Joe's

They’ve served the rich, the famous, and the infamous, ranging from Madonna and Al Capone to Amelia Earhardt and Bill Clinton. They’ve escorted patrons to their cars during the cocaine wars and sent trays of food from the kitchen to high profile patrons via Secret Service agents. They work at the second-highest grossing restaurant in the U.S.—one of the most coveted jobs in the business. They are the waiters at Joe’s Stone Crab, a one-of-a-kind South Florida landmark.

Joe’s Stone Crab opened in Miami Beach in 1913 as a modest restaurant situated behind the apartment of owners Joe and Jennie Weiss. Miami Beach, not yet a city, could only be accessed by taking a ferry across the bay. Stone crabs weren’t even on the menu. A lot has changed over one hundred years: Joe’s Stone Crab boasts additional locations in Chicago and Las Vegas, and people will travel across the globe to dine on its signature stone crabs, a delicacy now mimicked but never matched, by countless other restaurants.

Throughout its history, Joe’s has never accepted reservations. The anticipation and camaraderie in waiting two to three hours for a table has become as much a part of the dining experience as the exquisite stone crabs themselves. Along the way, Joe’s has gained a reputation for excellent service provided by its extremely dedicated, talented, and loyal waitstaff. This is the story of the waiters, not the wait.

A chance to serve at Joe’s is one of the most sought-after jobs in the restaurant business. Staff are paid extremely fair wages, compensated with 401Ks, and receive five months off every year. It’s not unusual to encounter a waiter who has been at Joe’s for fifteen or twenty years. Some have stayed on for upwards of thirty, forty and even fifty. Coworkers are considered family and are so proud of their home-away-from-home that some waiters even request to be buried in the front courtyard at Joe’s for all of eternity.

Deeny Kaplan Lorber tells the story of Joe’s in this collection of fascinating, intimate vignettes told by the servers themselves. Go behind the scenes to watch the inner workings of a thriving business that treats both staff and customers like family. Miami natives and tourists from all over the world have waited and dined alongside the rich, the famous, and the infamous—including Frank Sinatra, Muhammad Ali, Dan Marino, and Jennifer Lopez. Now you can hear the story of Joe’s Stone Crab, served up by the professionals who have been there all along.

Deeny Kaplan Lorber is a founding partner and Executive Vice President of The EMMY Award Winning TM Systems and its language services division, The Kitchen, a leading television and motion picture dubbing studio, based in Miami and Los Angeles.