Busboy - Definition and Overview

A busboy is an assistant to a waiter or waitress, mainly specializing in setting and clearing tables. Typically a busboy receives a fraction of the tips from the tables they bussed during their shift. Alec Baldwin was a busboy at the hip New York disco Studio 54. Actor Dick Cavett began his career as a busboy, as did hotelier Raymond Orteig, and cartoonist Wally Wood. Surprising to many, Ho Chi Minh was, in his early adulthood, a busboy in Boston at the Omni Parker House. The Cocoanut Grove fire was started accidentally when a busboy lit a match. A band called The BusBoys had success with two songs "The Boys Are Back In Town" and "Cleanin' Up The Town" featured in the movie Ghostbusters.