ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the performance Ready to Order? (1978) by the feminist collaborative The Waitresses. This chapter begins by considering the collective's founding at the Los Angeles Woman's Building, a feminist art and community space established by Sheila Levrant de Bretteville, Arlene Raven, and Judy Chicago in 1973. The chapter then discusses how the collective developed their first work, Ready to Order?, which comprised of both guerilla performances in Los Angeles restaurants and panel discussions by various experts on the issues facing women working in food service. In particular, this chapter addresses how The Waitresses used their work to call attention to the rampant harassment that existed in the food service industry and developed strategies to raise public consciousness through humor as a means to advocate for equitable treatment of women servers.
