Charged for an empty plate?!

I wonder which option works out better economically for carvery restaurants: one visit only or go back as often as you like for more veg?

Most seem to have switched to the former now, and it sounds like it should obviously be better for them; but under that rule, you get a lot of people who pile the plate sky-high and then leave most of it.

Although the latter way potentially leaves you open to people taking far more food, I'm thinking that, if diners knew they could go back again for more, they may well just take a reasonable amount 'to start with' - and then find that they've had enough and so no need to go back again at all.

Do they also charge you corkage if you breastfeed your baby whilst you're there?!

Discarding because it’s not important while I hint for delete :)

One of the only posts that makes sense on this thread!

The OP didn’t show up with 5 children though ? She asked for a plate to feed a 10 month old.
The hypothetical scenarios of the OP rocking up with a horde of teenagers about to devour all the free food are ridiculous.
Of course the establishment have the right to enforce any policy they want with regards to handing out plates but to deny someone a clean plate for a baby , without incurring a charge even though no extra food was being taken is pathetic.

It's like in Burger King where they won't give you a cup - they have rules about the plates and cups matching the sales. Or they think the staff are stealing.

They wanted to charge a few pounds. So that sounds more like they were covering the extra side costs: cleaning the plate, breakages, tidying up the plate etc. Individually not big costs but they add up.

It’s been the same at every buffet style carvery I’ve ever taken my daughter to, you pay for a “baby plate” usually it’s just £2/3 extra.

I spose it's a bit like corkage?

I’m baffled at the poll and responses to this.

A 10 month old baby with a parent at a carvery. The child is in early stages of weaning, it’s a couple of spoonfuls at most.

You cannot buy a meal in 99% of restaurants for a 10 month old.

I confess, I nipped up for a Toby Carvery for lunch. It was bloody lovely. My American boyfriend loves it too.

Who now wants a carvery? All the meats please.

Even if it is 'as many veggies as you want' their pricing is based on what the average adult can eat and they have every right to charge per mouth fed

Great idea…if it’s not already, a small plastic plate or bowl should be a standard bit of kit in her changing bag.

The one I go to which is a Stonehouse says help yourself to as many veg potatoes blah blah as you like
a lot of people seem to think it’s what you can fit on one plate but you can go back up, and you can have as many Yorkshires as you want too

Sorry yabu at a carvery place or anywhere where the charging is for per mouth fed. Of course you are going to take more - you'll take one more potato than you want, one more bit of each thing along the buffet than you want, intending it for your child.some of it might not get eaten - tossed on the floor or whatever but it still costs them more. If you are ordering a set meal off a menu then of course it's fine to get an empty plate to give your child some of yours and that shouldn't be charged as the onlt extra cost is the extra 1 second of staff time to load the extra plate in the dishwasher. They are being unreasonable not to have s set price for a child that is 6 months to 3 years, and being up front about that cost and charge it to anyone bringing in an child old enough to have more than milk, that's rather than it being contingent on you asking for a plate.

@SprayWhiteDung what a splendid auto correct 😂come to think of it it was more of an orangery

All buffet type restaurants should have a clear policy about costs of kids' meals, I think.
Eg, - under threes free
X much (token amount) for an extra plate for 3-5 year olds
X much for 5-10 year olds
(or whatever ages they deem fit. )
Not hard to do, is it?

There was no extra food I would be getting

So as I said above, if you normally eat 3 potatoes, and you would not get an extra one for the baby, you would eat 2 and let him have the 3rd and not pick up a 4th?

I agree it’s silly, but then again I’ve had places try and charge me for my toddler who’s entirely tube fed! A NG as well so very visible. Many times I’ve had to argue for a £5 plate charge to be removed at carvery’s and buffets. They usually argue that they can’t see if toddler ate anything…. If toddler dared to eat anything orally they’d know. There would be choking and most likely an ambulance and crew 💀

All the ones I’ve been to have let you go back for everything except meat
I went back last time for extra Yorkshires, veg and gravy

I don't think OP was unreasonable at, as her child was very young and was only going to chew on a couple of mouthfuls.

But, equally, having worked for a long time in hospitality, I don't think the place was unreasonable for having a blanket rule of a payable baby bowl. There are so many who will take as much advantage as possible trying to get more food etc., so it's a much easier to have a policy that plates are charged.

Also, there's plenty of staff I've worked with who wouldn't be able to judge for themselves how much a baby/infant/toddler would eat/how old they are (as they may not be around babies much) and would not really be able to make a judgment call.

They will charge as you are feeding an extra person so therefore having more food even if it’s a small amount.

Similar thing happened to me.

I was in the tableware section of John Lewis and picked up six dinner plates and as I was leaving they said I had to pay for them. Sod that. I gave them to the security chap and went to Dunelm, and bugger me the same thing happened there!!!

I can see their thinking; but surely if you've just filled your own plate and then you ask at the end for an empty one, as you're leaving to go to your table, that's not going to be open to abuse?

It'll stick out a mile if somebody turns up to the carvery already with their own plate in their hand - and they obviously won't have a another ticket to hand in, to prove that a meal has been paid for, which most seem to use now.