Restaurant Man Audiobook By Joe Bastianich cover art

Restaurant Man

Preview

Try for $0.00
Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Restaurant Man

By: Joe Bastianich
Narrated by: Joe Bastianich
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $20.00

Buy for $20.00

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Cancel

About this listen

How does a nice Italian boy from Queens turn his passion for food and wine into a nationwide empire? In his intrepid, irreverent, and terrifically entertaining memoir, Restaurant Man, Joe Bastianich charts his remarkable culinary journey from his parents’ neighborhood eatery to becoming one of the country’s most successful restaurateurs, along with his superstar chef partners - his mother, Lidia Bastianich, and Mario Batali.

Joe first learned the ropes of the restaurant business from his father, Felice Bastianich, the original Restaurant Man, the ultrapragmatic and sharp-eyed owner of a popular red-sauce joint. But years of cleaning chickens and other kitchen drudgery convinced Joe that his destiny lay elsewhere. After a year on Wall Street, however, he realized that his love of food was by now too deeply ingrained, and after buying a one-way ticket to Italy, he spent over a year working in restaurants and vineyards there, developing his own taste and learning everything he could about Italian cuisine.

Upon his return to New York, he partnered with his mother to open Becco and soon after joined forces with Mario Batali, an alliance that not only created a string of critically acclaimed and popular restaurants but redefined Italian food in America.

Restaurant Man is not only a compelling ragù-to-riches chronicle but a look behind the scenes at what it really takes to run a restaurant in New York City, the most demanding, fickle, and passionate market in America, from dealing with shady vendors, avaricious landlords, and vitriolic food critics, to day-to-day issues like the cost of linens (“the number-one evil”) and bread and butter.

Writing vividly in an authentic New York style that is equal parts rock ’n’ roll and hard-ass, bottom-line business reality, Joe shares lessons learned from a lifetime spent in restaurants (“Anything you give away for free is bad”), while recounting the stories of his own establishments - including how Del Posto managed to overcome a menu that was initially so ambitious that it could not be executed, to ultimately become the only four-star Italian restaurant in America.

Joe speaks frankly about friends and foes, but at the heart of the book is the mythical hero Restaurant Man, the old-school, blue-collar guy who stays true to the real secret of his success - watching costs but ferociously dedicating himself to exceeding his customers’ expectations and delivering the best dining experience in the world.

©2012 Joe Bastianich (P)2012 Brilliance Audio, Inc.
Business Celebrity Chefs & Restaurants Culinary Entertainment & Celebrities Food & Wine Celebrity Wine Italy New York Restaurant Witty Entertainment Restaurant
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

What listeners say about Restaurant Man

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    582
  • 4 Stars
    182
  • 3 Stars
    54
  • 2 Stars
    17
  • 1 Stars
    13
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    464
  • 4 Stars
    168
  • 3 Stars
    76
  • 2 Stars
    19
  • 1 Stars
    19
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    516
  • 4 Stars
    153
  • 3 Stars
    47
  • 2 Stars
    19
  • 1 Stars
    11

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Was Unsure at First

Where does Restaurant Man rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I was unsure about this book at first. Being in the restaurant business over 20 years, I didn't want to just hear a book of rhetoric and buzzwords, but this book tells a great story about an historic New York restaurant icon. It was a very easy and enjoyable listen.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Love it

Listening to ResturantMan had given me the authentic feeling the author and me share table talking open hurt, no b**it no nice guy. However, if ResturantMan had tried fooling me into thinking he is being honest, he'd really succeeded.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Eye opening+

I enjoyed the peek behind the curtain. I loved his always honest tone too.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

You want to know the back story?

So relatable and brilliantly told the story of the restaurant business.
I thought this was well put together and very interesting behind the scenes intel.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Really good book, OK narration.

Would you listen to Restaurant Man again? Why?

I am planning to definitely listen to this again. There are a ton of gems in this book and you cannot absorb all of them on one reading, I'm sure!

Any additional comments?

The narrator is also the author and in this case he was fine, not great. He is not an actor and that is what I liked about him narrating it because it shows his real New York tough-guy personality. You can tell he began to loosen up as time went on and he really grew on me. Some people have said that they were hoping to learn more about running a restaurant and I suggest those people think again about "running a restaurant." There is a lot of valuable real life experience provided to us and nowhere in the title does it say "learn to run a successful restaurant!" Obviously this was not meant as an instructional piece so look elsewhere if that is what you want. However, this does provide some really good information on how to act towards your customers and what it really takes to become someone as successful and reliable as Joe. A good book overall for sure!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

This guy knows what the f$&* he is talking about !

Would you consider the audio edition of Restaurant Man to be better than the print version?

Only used audio version I own a restaurant so audio was the best because it's his voice and you can here's emotions throughout the story .

What did you like best about this story?

It's all real my dad started in the business in 1960 . And it sucked me in also .

Which scene was your favorite?

All of it . It made me want to do better in my restaurant .

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

For sure . But running a restaurant takes a lot of time !

Any additional comments?

I even bought a few copies for my employees CD ! And my Dad !

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great book. Very interesting.

I loved this book. I am about to open a restaurant. I like the writers way of doing things.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Absolute FANTASTIC book!!

I’m not a foodie or even work in the hospitality industry. My wife does and I watch Master Chef because of her. There always something about Joe I liked on the show and after hearing his book, I like him even more.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

The Restaurant God

Inspiring and engaging. You feel his deep knowledge of the subject and want the experience.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Really interesting

Joe Bastianich gives a firsthand account of his family’s history in the restaurant industry in New York City. There’s plenty of history about his restaurants, Batali, his famous mother and her role in his life, as well as his father‘s role. If you’re interested in food or restaurants or even a little bit of New York history this is the book for you. I found a really inspiring. It’s raw and real. No smoke and mirrors. He’s a tad arrogant, but not in a way that put me off, I get it!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!