What do waiters/waitresses think of this?

[Teenagehorrorbag]

Just posting for views really.....

DH always stacks up the plates when we've been out for a meal. I've always found this a bit odd, but some of the people clearing up do seem grateful, and I suppose it makes sense.

I never did this before meeting him. I think if we ever went anywhere really smart then I would suggest he didn't do it - although I'm not sure why (and we don't anyway, with two young kids and an eye on the budget)!

I think if I were clearing up I'd prefer to do it 'my way' - which might not mean wobbly piles of different size items. But then again, if they are in a rush and trying to get tables cleared rather than fussing about technique - I could be wrong.

Anyone any views? Thanks.

As a former waitress I'll give another vote for not stacking before the server comes to clear the table, but it's nice (in more informal restaurants) for the diners to pass things if asked or offer to pass. Definite no to stacking things onto the servers arms/tray...or taking anything (esp drinks/pints off a carefully balanced tray before the server is ready )

Thanks everyone. I can't work out how to move this chat but have still had a lot of useful feedback. Sadly it falls down on both sides of the argument - but mostly I suspect ties in with my initial thoughts that perhaps it is appreciated in more 'fast food' places, but maybe not the done thing in a smart restaurant.

As I said, we only eat in the former at the moment, so I will make sure he stacks tidily and let him get on with it....... Thanks all.

Hi, OP. We'll move this over to Chat for you now.

@penguinwithasuitcase as a silver service waitress I was trained to have one plate on my fingers to scrape the cutlery and waste food onto, and the scraped plates stacked on my forearm. Then once you’ve collected and scraped all the table’s plates, you put the plate with the cutlery and leftover food on it, on top of the stack, so you can carry it all back to the kitchen safely.

So it would make no difference to me if the scraping and stacking was done in advance.

I don't stack but I do make sure my place setting is tidy, so make sure the cutlery is put neatly on the plate, any left over food is all in one place and my napkin (if used) is on the plate too.

I’ve never done it and haven’t seen anyone do it other than in a home setting.

I never do. I was taught that it was bad manners to stack them.No idea why though

No, I just pass the empty plates to the waiting staff one by one.

No I don’t stack. I pass the plates etc to the waiting staff as they need them and always put crockery and cutlery back on the tray if it’s not table service so that the waiting staff can just lift it. The state some people leave their tables is shocking - makes you wonder what their homes are like.

People think it's helpful, and so I take it in the spirit in which it's intended. But it really isn't.

Any decent waitress makes a 'base' with one plate, putting her three middle fingers under it, and thumb and little finger over. We then clear onto that, stacking about 4-8 plates depending on their weight.

Stacking requires us to lift the whole lot with both hands which looks awful and leaves us with no free hands. Plus, cutlery, gravy and other bits are concealed until you pick them up - and then go fucking everywhere.

Just no! Where I work we're only allowed to clear 3 plates at a time so guests stacking doesn't help at all. It looks untidy and I'm not sure how safe it is either especially if they are stacked wobbly

[quote Changechangychange]@penguinwithasuitcase as a silver service waitress I was trained to have one plate on my fingers to scrape the cutlery and waste food onto, and the scraped plates stacked on my forearm. Then once you’ve collected and scraped all the table’s plates, you put the plate with the cutlery and leftover food on it, on top of the stack, so you can carry it all back to the kitchen safely.

So it would make no difference to me if the scraping and stacking was done in advance.[/quote]
Totally, @Changechangychange we're describing the same thing.

But IME 99% of these 'helpful' diners don't scrape properly, they leave bits of food and cutlery in between plates so half of them are wonky (which often you don't realise until something's already either making a terrible noise or worse, sliding), and drop sauce all down the side of half of them so it gets on your sleeves.

And then a pre-stacked pile of plates needs to be lifted off the table from the bottom, so instead of piling one by one onto your forearm, you have to carry two-handed, which looks awful, makes it harder to move between tables, and means that if someone has conveniently left a fork and a big lump of steak in between plates and something begins to slide, you don't have a free hand to fix it.

That's the difference for me.

There's real logic behind how things are done in service –and I'm not sure a lot of people get it (not saying you don't, of course you do –that's more of a general musing).

Gosh, and @LetHimHaveIt just said largely the same thing much more elegantly, except I missed it the first time I read through. Sorry!

Not a bit of it. You managed not to use the 'f bomb', for one thing! I'm just glad most of us waitresses (past and present) say the same thing. Won't make a jot of difference though. Customers love a bloody stack, so they do.

Urgh it's the worst. But of course you smile and say thanks because the intention was good and so what's the alternative?

I honestly don't mind this. I usually just think it's kind of the customer. I'm happy just to grab them quickly.
I'm obviously not a "decent waitress" though

I was a waitress for years, when I go out for dinner I usually stack the plates

DGM was a silver service waitress and would always scrape and stack our plates

Oh fair enough @penguinwithasuitcase - I was imagining how I do it if I need to create more space on the table, not just a random tower of plates and cutlery! Yes piling the plates up anyhow is really annoying, and impossible to carry back safely.

When faced with that, we just used to put a napkin on our arm (to avoid covering our sleeves in sauce) and restack it ourselves from the top down

I don’t, but I do tidy the table, put used napkins (paper) onto plate, Often places serve salads or potatoes/chips in little bowls, pots etc which I always tip out onto the plate, placing bowl on table. So I’ll make sure that bowl is returned to plate etc.

I do pass plates to waiter if table is against a wall. I think I might stack if it were a casual place and on a large table in a booth. (I hate booths!)

I was in a beefeater and the waitress came along before we'd all finished eating, grabbed 2 plates and scraped them then realised my partner was actually still eating and dumped the dirty plates back on the middle of the table.

🤢

She didn't get a tip.

I stack but very carefully and neatly so it's easy to carry.
I also clean the table with serviettes.

I also clean the table with serviettes.

I usually give the restaurant a quick lick of paint before I go,
oh and re-mark the parking bays with white lines, as necessary.

I don't do this because I think they probably have their own system. I hate it when guests do this in my house as then I get food all over my fingers when I'm unstacking for the dishwasher, grrrr.