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ORAL HISTORY
Michael Failing
Michael Failing, born in 1958, was born and raised in Lansing, Michigan. With a natural gift of gab, Failing has worked in restaurant service since he started washing dishes at Bill Nab’s in Lansing in 1976 at fifteen years old. Since he moved to Atlanta in 1983, he has worked the bar at restaurants in the city’s Buckhead neighborhood.
In 2010, Failing moved from beer-soaked party bars to the upscale lobster bar room of Chops Lobster Bar. He appreciates the relationships he’s built with regulars and the freedom his job grants him to travel. Failing says that he and his wife have been able to enjoy two-dozen “once-in-a-lifetime” trips thanks to the flexibility of his job.