Ya, I clean up after myself and wipe the table with a napkin for crumbs and the drink ring. It's just how I roll.
Do you clean up after yourself?
- Thread starter Middle Earther
- Start date
Just wondering.. (nothing at yoiu Kelthaz but i just picked your post amongst others similar to you).
If you go to a "real" restaurant do you pick up your stuff too and carry it to the kitchen/counter/whereever?
Where did this notion come from that just because they have trash bins and small containers to put the tray in that i have to do that?
I paid for the food so why am i expected to clean after me? I paid for a service (providing food) and why is there the distinction between fast food and "proper" restaurants?
Personally it depends.. if the service was shit i don't clean up, i.e. if i have to wait for more than 5 minutes (hey, it's fast food), the person behind the counter says the rest of my order will be brought to my table by them and then forget about it (having me to go there personally and claim what i ordered) or if they just can't get it right or some other unecessary problems.
The same applies if i'm in a bad mood or just in asshole mode.. depends on the day.
Otherwise i pick it up and deposit it on the way out.
This is all nice and dandy and we can all pat ourselves on the back, but they DO generally have staff working at these places too.
I don't know about the US, but I'm betting it's the same as the UK, in that there are staff around to clean tables, wipe them down, deal with spills, stick stuff in the trash, etc, etc. In fact, in the UK, there are food hygiene/health & safety requirements about staff being available to deal with this sort of thing, and I'm sure the USA is the same. As I said, if I can't see one around, I'll do it myself. But there usually IS someone around, and it's their job to keep the eating areas in good order.
If you want to do a bit, fine, knock yourself out & feel virtuous. But you wouldn't wait your own table at a regular restaurant because you have waiters there to do it for you. So why is it suddenly so important to bus your own trays/wipe down your own table at this sort of place, when there are staff there to do it for you there? No logical difference to the waiters, just a different job remit.
Staff are there to serve; it's what they're paid for. Obviously one should not abuse that; but wiping down tables, etc, is entirely within the remit of their job description (unless the food court specifically has a "please bus your own trays" sign or similar suggesting their job is different), so leaving them to do it is not abuse by any stretch of the term. I cannot fathom any reason to feel disturbed in the slightest about this or to look down upon others for it.
This is NOT a courtesy issue. It's a question of whether there are employed staff already dealing with this issue. If not, of course you should do it yourself. If yes, then it's entirely discretionary whether you want to do it or not.
EDIT - while writing the above I see Pingfah & FPAlpha have chimed in too. I thought I was going to be the lone dissenter! You've stolen my thunder, dammit!
I don't know about the US, but I'm betting it's the same as the UK, in that there are staff around to clean tables, wipe them down, deal with spills, stick stuff in the trash, etc, etc. In fact, in the UK, there are food hygiene/health & safety requirements about staff being available to deal with this sort of thing, and I'm sure the USA is the same. As I said, if I can't see one around, I'll do it myself. But there usually IS someone around, and it's their job to keep the eating areas in good order.
If you want to do a bit, fine, knock yourself out & feel virtuous. But you wouldn't wait your own table at a regular restaurant because you have waiters there to do it for you. So why is it suddenly so important to bus your own trays/wipe down your own table at this sort of place, when there are staff there to do it for you there? No logical difference to the waiters, just a different job remit.
Staff are there to serve; it's what they're paid for. Obviously one should not abuse that; but wiping down tables, etc, is entirely within the remit of their job description (unless the food court specifically has a "please bus your own trays" sign or similar suggesting their job is different), so leaving them to do it is not abuse by any stretch of the term. I cannot fathom any reason to feel disturbed in the slightest about this or to look down upon others for it.
This is NOT a courtesy issue. It's a question of whether there are employed staff already dealing with this issue. If not, of course you should do it yourself. If yes, then it's entirely discretionary whether you want to do it or not.
EDIT - while writing the above I see Pingfah & FPAlpha have chimed in too. I thought I was going to be the lone dissenter! You've stolen my thunder, dammit!
I wouldn't dream of leaving a dirty table, even at McD's. At least at a restaurant, waiting staff receive tips for table service. I don't think table service is included in a £3.50 meal.
I was surprised that some people actually wipe the table, etc. I'm not THAT nice!!
Staff to clean the dining area is included in the business model, just like staff to cook the food and staff to man the tills. No, they don't get tips, but yes, it is absolutely included in the model. UK food hygiene laws actually require it (no, I can't quote it verbatim, but it's in there are a requirement of allowing food to be eaten on the premises - someone has to be available to keep the tables clean, clean up trash, keep the floors wiped down if there's a spill, etc, etc). Those laws are part why in places where you're not eating on site but just collecting a food order, there are rarely any seats at all in the customer area and if there are, there are definitely no tables there that an inspector could misconstrue as an eating area (it's also related to tax issues, but the health & safety requirements are part of it).
In a fast food restaurant there is a system set up to allow customers to clean up after themselves. In a real restaurant this doesn't exist, so you leave your plates on the table. I'll do whatever I can within reason to not have someone else clean up after me. There's just not as many ways to help out at a real restaurant.
Courtesy shouldn't just go from the staff to the customers; it should go both ways. Restaurant work is one of the lowest paying and hardest jobs out there, so I try to help the staff out when I can.
Let's remember we're talking about counter service places here! The staff's primary purpose is to get that food to the counter. Often any cleanup in the dining area is the responsibility of the same crew member that takes your order. If that person is occupied by a steady stream of new customers the only thing to prevent the dining area from becoming a big mess is customers cleaning up their own trays and waste. Anybody that doesn't is just ruining it for the rest of us, because hiring someone to clean up behind you will drive the prices up. If you want that kind of service go to a full service restaurant and leave a tip!
I no longer call many places "fast food" because they just aren't fast. Decades ago the staff at a hamburger place could rely on a customer coming into the door wanting a hamburger fries and cola because that was pretty much all they sold. Chicken chains had similar simplicity. A small amount of food could be prepared in advance, permitting nearly immediate delivery. Since then corporate genius has mandated a wider variety of food on the menu, forcing staff to delay significant amounts of preparation until after the customer has placed the order. That's particularly problematic with items that can't be prepared in small amounts (like many fried chicken recipes) or have long preparation times (like baked potatoes).
I no longer call many places "fast food" because they just aren't fast. Decades ago the staff at a hamburger place could rely on a customer coming into the door wanting a hamburger fries and cola because that was pretty much all they sold. Chicken chains had similar simplicity. A small amount of food could be prepared in advance, permitting nearly immediate delivery. Since then corporate genius has mandated a wider variety of food on the menu, forcing staff to delay significant amounts of preparation until after the customer has placed the order. That's particularly problematic with items that can't be prepared in small amounts (like many fried chicken recipes) or have long preparation times (like baked potatoes).
Actually i haven't seen that. It's the job of the manager on duty to keep his place running and that includes a clean dining area. In all chains i've been to i have noticed staff cleaning the dining area even during rush hour of at times of full capacity.
Someone also has to empty the tray containers and put out empty ones and at these times they tend to take a look around to see if there are any unused trays on the tables and clean the table.
As has been said it is just part of the job.. they are multitask persons responsible for filling the tray with your order, keep everything in order and occasionally take care of the dining area.. that's just their job description. They aren't hiring a special cleaning service.
It still diverts them from preparing orders and cleaning tasks (sweeping, mopping, drink bar wipe down and trash emptying) customers simply can't accomplish. Most places I patronize the managers are participating in order preparation and delivering in addition to supervising the preparation staff. If they weren't pitching in there, another employee would have to be scheduled, driving costs and thus prices up. Carrying your tray and wrappers to the "Thank You" trash can/tray collection rack is part of the deal for the lower OTC prices. It would take a significant amount of additional labor carrying all that to the trash can if every dine in customer left their trash on the table.
You're missing an important aspect of "over the counter" restaurants, low price. Leaving your mess for the staff to pick up is counter to that. That's part of the service you pay for with the higher prices and tips in full service restaurants and buffets. If you're selective in the full service places you visit (like the family dining chains) those prices aren't that much higher either.
Last edited:
Me too. It's just courteous. I used to work in fast food and there are times when it is nearly impossible to get out into the dining room to just pick up the trays, never mind wiping tables down. If everone left their garbage on the tables the dining room would be a sty in no time. Our Burger King used to have a hostess in the dining room when I worked there but that position was phased out due to corporate clamping down on wage costs. During lunch hour all employees were busy churning out the food and ringing customers up. Cleanup came when it slowed down.
When I first say the thread from the main listing, I thought it was about people picking up after their pets... (which most people here don't do, even in kiddie parks, it's so gross).
Anyways... yeah, I try to clean up after myself- at least pile the garbage on the tray and put all the garbage in the trash, and stack the tray. I usually don't wipe down the table because, this may sound weird, but I want people to know the table is used, in the off chance the staff will come by with an actual disinfectant to wash it off.
Anyways... yeah, I try to clean up after myself- at least pile the garbage on the tray and put all the garbage in the trash, and stack the tray. I usually don't wipe down the table because, this may sound weird, but I want people to know the table is used, in the off chance the staff will come by with an actual disinfectant to wash it off.
Exactly. Some people act like it's going to break their arm to take their trash to the can. Generally speaking, there's a trash can by every exit in these places...use them.
Why are you arguing about this? Are you angry that there are some of us who are just trained to be tidy and you're feeling inadequate so you're trying your best to justify why you aren't like that?
Cause it's just coming off like you're trying to defend yourself.
have to admit if I'm in somewhere like mackie dees then i don't always clean up after me but in a proper restaurant when with a group I'll put all the plates into one pile
In a full-service restaurant, where the food is brought to your table, you leave the stuff there for it to be taken away. In a fast-food restaurant or food court, where you pick up your stuff and bring it to the table, you throw your own junk away and put the tray in the stack. They do have staff around to clean up when necessary, because they know that not everybody will do what they're supposed to do (and because there will be accidents and because they need to go around and clean periodically just to keep things up to specs), but picking up after yourself is an expected behavior in that sort of establishment.
Similar threads
