On a recent restaurant visit, the ladies lunching next to my father and me spoke so loudly that they drowned out our own conversation. Our tables were close, and we shared a wall banquette.

Jaya Saxena is a correspondent at Eater.com, and the series editor of Best American Food and Travel Writing. She explores wide ranging topics like labor, identity, and food culture. A menu is both ...

Darron Cardosa is a food service professional with over 30 years of restaurant experience. He has written more than 1,500 articles and blog posts about the hospitality industry, including for Food ...