'Serving The Hamptons' Waiter Dishes On 'Whirlwind' Journey To TV

SOUTHAMPTON, NY — When the new discovery+ docuseries, "Serving the Hamptons," debuts on Thursday, April 7, one of the cast members featured will be Jack Tavcar, a waiter at 75 Main — the hotspot Southampton eatery spotlighted in the show.

Tavcar, 24, spoke with Patch about what it was like to film the series in one of the most well-known restaurants and nightspots in the Hamptons.

Tavcar, the youngest of four, grew up in Queen Village. Before they died, his great-aunt and uncle lived in the Hamptons — his aunt lived in Hampton Bays and his uncle was a priest in Southampton, he said.

Before the pandemic, Tavcar, an aspiring actor, had been living in Los Angeles, working in restaurants. But with the advent of the coronavirus, Tavcar headed back to the East Coast, where his family had, like so many others, decided to weather the early part of the quarantine in Southampton.

When the restrictions began to ease, Tavcar was walking in Southampton, going to cash his check from his job at Stop & Shop, when he saw Zach Erdem, owner of 75 Main, sitting outside.

"Zach is known as being one of the more influential people in the Hamptons. But when I first met him, I didn't know who he was," he said. "The only experience I had with the Hamptons was going out to dinner on Easter with my family. I had never been there for the party scene."

Tavcar asked Erdem if he was the owner. "Then I asked, 'Are you hiring?'" He asked if I had experience and I told him I'd worked at a restaurant in Los Angeles. "He said, 'Cool, you're hired,'" Tavcar said.

Unbeknownst to Erdem, Tavcar had never worked as a server, just as a runner, so at first, Tavcar said: "He was upset. But I grew on him."

Erdem, Tavcar said, "is a great, great restaurant owner." And, he said, while he's strict and demands excellence from his staff, he "very forgiving. If you mess up, you can talk to him."

The series spotlights all the drama and excitement of working at one of the most popular eateries in the Hamptons during the bustling summer season.

"Each summer on the East End of Long Island, as the Hamptons play home to those looking for an escape from the city, 75 Main Restaurant becomes the epicenter of who's who," a release from discovery+ said. "As the seasonal temperatures rise, so does the drama on the new discovery+ docuseries, Serving the Hamptons."

According to the release, the five hour-long episodes "take viewers into one of the most exclusive enclaves in the world, while showcasing all the juicy drama in the lives of the young, sexy restaurant staff at Southampton's 'it' destination for dining, 75 Main, as they hook up, argue, and work together to make sure the clients come back for more."

"This is what I love about this country. After 75 Main, and all restaurants, faced such a difficult year, we came roaring back to our best summer ever and having the support of discovery+ is a dream come true," Erdem said.

Tavcar, who is currently working in New York City, plans to head back to 75 Main this summer for another season at the eatery.

When asked how he felt, learning that discovery+ would be filming at 75 Main, Tavcar said: "Having already been employed there, I had experienced all the crazy drama that goes on in these restaurants. I had joked around that it could be a TV show."

Seeing the experience unfold, Tavcar said: "We didn't know what to expect."

According to discovery+, the series focuses on a stunning beach house that's provided to employees who serve Erdem's elite clientele of celebrities, politicians, and the uber rich — provided they follow his rules and take care of his customers.

Much of the show focuses on the interaction between the eight real-life staffers who appear as themselves, Tavcar said. "All of us are living in this house, so it's who's in relationships with who and who's not," he said. Work drama and life drama intertwined, he said.

The home where they lived was beautiful, Tavcar said. "With the prices for rent in the Hamptons, we really lucked out to have a nice house. We walked to the water all the time."

Despite filming, staffers still had to make sure their responsibilities at the restaurant were fulfilled and shifts manned, he said.

Tavcar said his role amongst the eight was defined early on. "We always joked around that I became the 'dad' of the house, the voice of reason," he said. "A lot of people were fighting about relationships, or worrying if this person did or didn't like them, I said, "Guys, we're here for a reason, to make money. We need to focus, to do the job."

During filming, the crew headed to other East End locations, including other bars and restaurants, a driving range and a bowling alley, Tavcar said.

The Hamptons, he said, was the perfect backdrop for compelling viewing. "The Hamptons obviously have this allure to them. This idea that all of New Yorkers go to the Hamptons for the summer to have fun and relax and to get away from the craziness — we just bring all the craziness out here."

There's nothing like the Hamptons in the summer, he said. "There's money everywhere, there's fun, and energy. The beaches are packed."

Tavcar is hoping that after the pandemic restrictions have eased, the restaurant will be even more electric with guests this summer.

While Tavcar admitted that he hasn't watched a great deal of reality television, he said "Serving the Hamptons" depicts the reality for hospitality workers in one of the most desirable locales in the world — and offers a real-life glimpse into their lives. "I think it's a good mix of who we all are as people, what our career aspirations are, and why it makes sense for us to be in the Hamptons. It's not jus about the restaurant, focusing on work, or our personal lives — it's a whole picture of who we are and what we care about. The camera really sees us for who we are."

The drama, Tavcar said, "came naturally. All living in a house that way, some really crazy stuff happened."

He added: "The restaurant lends itself to this medium of reality TV," he said. "A lot of what we felt — those moments were real, and we were all reacting to them."

The shoot, which took about three weeks, was a "whirlwind," Tavcar said.

But the friendships born at 75 Main are lifelong, Tavcar said. "Definitely just working in the Hamptons in general is an experience that sticks with you," he said. "Working in restaurants during some of the busiest times, things can get really crazy. It's like we're all going to war together."

Along with that comes the realization that teamwork is essential to success for all, Tavcar said.

Having a camera following him from work to home was a new experience, Tavcar said. "I felt like I was trying to make my life interesting," he laughed. "But they did a really good job of capturing who we are naturally and making it compelling for the camera."

Life lessons were learned during the filming, Tavcar said.

"One of the most important things I've learned is no matter how much you may like or dislike coworkers, we're all in this together. If one person has a bad night, we're all going to have a bad night. We all need to work together."

Just working in a restaurant has instilled Tavcar with insight. "It's really taught me a lot about how people should interact with each other, treat people with kindness. Treat your servers well, and treat your guests well. We're all people."

Working in the Hamptons, Tavcar, in the midst of staggering wealth, "it almost feels attainable," Tavcar said. "It feels possible. There's not much difference between me and the millionaire sitting at that table — you never know how life will go. We're all capable of a lot of things."

Tavcar, the only actor in his family, said he and his siblings are all musical, playing instruments. He attended Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts in New York for vocal music and while there, began his journey into musical theater and acting.

The irony, he said, is that most struggling actors work in restaurants to make ends meet, going on auditions for their big break. "It's crazy to think that just working in a restaurant for the summer ended up how I'm going to wind up on TV — that's what got me into acting."

He thanked Erdem, for all he's done to foster his career path.

To others pursuing their dreams, Tavcar said: "Luck is a very big part of it but luck will only get you the opportunity — it's up to you to take advantage of it and work hard. Anyone pursuing any field in the arts, or any dream — take classes, become familiar with the industry, so when that opportunity comes, you are ready."

Fans can learn more about the staff of 75 Main on Instagram by following #ServingTheHamptons. For more videos and clips highlighting all the drama, deleted scenes that didn't make the show, and more, follow discovery+ on social media.