In the wake of the worst financial turmoil since the Great Depression, millions ofAmericans have spent the past year asking how the economy actually works.

Thankfully, the answers have finally arrived – in a most unconventional form.

After spending two years in the midst of the housing market hurricane, Jimmy Adams was laid off from a hedge fund in early 2009. Wearied by eight years in the bondmarket and disillusioned by the financial services profession, he decides to get an “honest job” for a change. Before he knows what hit him, Jimmy finds himself waiting on tables of barflies at his local Waffle House.

Many colorful characters soon emerge: man-hungry female patrons, a stonemason who carves his own teeth, and a man seeking refuge from the ghost in his apartment. Amidst the glorious chaos of the night shift, the 24-hour diner affords a bevy of comedic experiences as the author struggles to ingratiate himself with a motley crew of waiters and cooks. Unexpectedly, the restaurant also becomes a font of insight into financial markets and the human condition.

In a uniquely hilarious and thought-provoking narrative, Waffle Street unravels theenigmas of money, banking, economics, and grits once and for all. As they laugh heartily at the author’s expense, readers will develop a profound appreciation for the first principle of economics: there really is no such thing as a free lunch.

WAFFLE STREET. Money will never be the same.