Interview with Bill Luton, Author of 'Drop Corndogs First'

May 3, 2005

Bill Luton, author of the newly released "Drop Corndogs First" (iUniverse Publishers) sat down with Luton's Media World to share a few thoughts about his book.

LMW: Why did you decide to write this book?

Bill Luton: I wrote Drop Corndogs First to try to arm young managers with some of the tools I thought would really help them accelarate the advancement process in their careers. I think too many managers burn out and fail to succeed due to lack of training and deserved guidance from their supervisors.

Drop Corndogs First will not make good managers, but I hope it will help up-and-coming managers reach their full potential. Drop Corndogs First is not an instruction manual; it's a mindset and it's also fun.

Where else can you learn time management by playing "Tetris?"

LMW: "Drop Corndogs First" is an interesting choice of words. What inspired the title?

Bill Luton: The title was drawn from the time management section of the book. If you were cooking a meal in a fast food setting where corndogs take the longest to cook and require little or no attention during the cooking process, you should drop corndogs first.

I have also used the illustration with my cooks in operations. They liked it so much that any time I started to correct them for not using time management in the cooking process during a rush, they would tell each other to "drop corndogs first, guys," even if there weren't any orders for corndogs. Once again, it's a mindset.

LMW: You've chosen iUniverse as your publisher -- what did you like about the publishing process? What were any disadvantages?

Bill Luton: iUniverse is an excellent company. I chose them because I had firsthand knowledge of their process. I liked the step-by-step, fully electronic publishing process. The chief disadvantage was that they have become very commercialized. They thrive on "up-sells" and costly recommendations for additional text editing, etc.

LMW: What do you see as the primary use for your book?

Bill Luton: I hope Drop Corndogs First will be recognized as having some beneficial content, and that it will be used as a training manual. I think the real purpose for the book is to make managers better. I hope that will be the primary use.

LMW: Any other writing projects in the works?

Bill Luton: I've started the research phase for a book about the National Restaurant Association's ServSafe® Food Safety Certification program and test. I want to help managers become more knowledgable about food safety and more marketable in the restaurant business.

ServSafe® certified managers are so widely recognized as being an asset to a restaurant that many health departments give one or several bonus points on the health inspection grade just because a restaurant has a ServSafe® certified manager working there. My book will help managers sort through the vast course material and will use easy techniques to learn the program and pass the test.

LMW: Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts, Bill. And please keep us informed about your book's progress and any new projects that may be coming up.

Bill Luton: Thank you.


"Drop Corn Dogs First" can be ordered from iUniverse Publishers, New York (ISBN: 0-595-34703-7). For more information, and to read the first chapter of "Drop Corndogs First," follow the link below:

Drop Corndogs First