Serving up Laughs

It’s all too often a thankless task, the business of serving others. But as long suffering as the waitstaff segment of our population is, it’s also the one with the best stories.

It’s why filmmaker Michael Sparaga is training the lens on them in his new film, Servitude. Scheduled for wide release next fall, this comic account of waiters in rebellion is a semiautobiographical love letter to the profession. Sparaga wrote the first draft 10 years ago while still slinging T-bones at the Keg. 

The story follows five steakhouse servers who learn they’re going to be fired, and assert their revenge by assuming control of the place for a night. 

Sparaga, a writer and producer on the indie superhero flick Sidekick, says he’s surprised there aren’t more movies about serving. “I mean, more people have been servers than ever played professional baseball—and look how many movies there are about that.”

While the major parts in the film—set to start production next month—are all cast, an opportunity remains for a real-life server to score a small role. The production is inviting wait staff to upload videos to www.servitudemovie.com describing their best and worst serving experiences. The victor will win a paid cameo. The contest deadline is October 15.

So far, the website has plenty of entries, including the waiter who chased down a posse of dine-and-dashers at his Niagara Falls Kelsey’s and so frightened one perp he lost control of his bowels. And the Toronto waitress who famously tripped while carrying a tray of beer and Caesars, but managed to keep the single shot of Jaeger she held in her other hand, aloft. Amid braying customers and a pool of spreading shame, Briana threw back her head and swallowed the Jaeger in a go. The crowd went wild. 

Sparaga admits his greatest fear is that the moviemaking process will reignite the particular nightmares that plagued his own serving days. “You know, those dreams where your section is slammed the second you walk onto the floor, the computers are down and the kitchen is running out of every dish. Oh, the horror.”