“I’m blonde, but I’m not retarded.”Photo: Melisssa Hom
When’s she’s not at the gym or taking voice lessons, aspiring actress Casey Lauren divides her time between the Gansevoort Hotel’s subterranean bar G Spa and Lounge, where she’s a cocktail waitress, and Scott Sartiano’s other joint, Butter, where for over two years she’s been the hostess of the Monday-night party that’s harder to get into than a pair of Tsubi jeans. We asked her what it’s like working in a bathrobe amid the meatpacking moneypackers.
Casey Lauren
G Spa and Lounge
18 Ninth Ave., at 13th St. 646-253-2242.
Butter
415 Lafayette St., nr. 4th St.; 212-253-2828.
What prejudices do you face as a cocktail waitress?
A lot of people think we don’t do anything but cocktail. I graduated from NYU. I’m blonde, but I’m not retarded.
How does your hostess pay compare to waitressing?
Working eight to nine hours as a hostess, you’ll walk away with $100. When you do bottle service or cocktail, you could make what a hostess makes for their entire week’s salary.
What’s the most outrageous amount you’ve seen spent on booze?
$3,000 or $4,000, probably on Cristal and Dom.
How can you get into the private party that starts at 10:30 every Monday at Butter?
There are four owners’ tables; depending on who’s there, a couple of celebrity tables; and repeat customers automatically get a table. The only way around it is if you have a lot of pretty girls with you. If you ask for bottles and we’re not busy, the doorman will say, “Absolutely.”
And how can someone who’s not on the list get into G Spa on a Saturday night?
If you’re with girls, if you’re willing to buy a bottle. It’s easier if you come in at eleven.
Are people allowed in the pool?
I wouldn’t say it’s allowed technically; it depends on the night. If it’s busy, absolutely not. We try to keep it clean since it’s a spa during the day.
Do you feel self-conscious working in a bathrobe?
At any club, most of the waitresses are not covered; they’re wearing these provocative outfits.
Do guys hit on you?
At Butter they usually ask you to sit down with them. Or they’ll go to the bathroom without their girlfriends and say something to you. I got offered a $100,000 job last week from a guy — he did some investment banking or probably a hedge fund, I forget which — who asked me to go out to dinner and then be his assistant. I said, “What’s the difference between going to dinner with you and being your assistant?” He said, “If you’re my assistant, you get to go to lunch and dinner.”
Do you ever get sick of the meatpacking crowd?
I get sick of working in it, but I love it at the same time. It’s kind of like your relationship with New York City — you don’t want to be in New York City all the time, but you love it so much, and once you leave, you want to get back in.
