Should we stack plates?

[CockleandMuscles]

I've just seen this post on FB which reminded me that I'm never sure what to do with plates after a meal.
I would naturally stack everything like the right hand photo, but always worry that this is more annoying than helpful for waiting staff for some reason.
I wipe up any obvious crumbs, but worry that staff then can't tell that it needs wiping if it's not obviously dirty!

Are there any waiting staff on here who can confirm what us customers should do to make their jobs easier?

If I was in a cafe/casual bistro I might stack plates to get more room as they are not always quick to clear, especially if it is busy. In a nice restaurant I would wait for them to clear and would expect them to not take long after we had finished eating to do this.

I like to stack plates, and put food on top, I also get mortified if my baby chucks a load of food on the floor I have a quick 10 second pick up lol

I used to work as a waitress and it's actually really annoying when people stack plates or hand you a stack of plates. There's a knack to picking up, clearing food and stacking them on your arm making it easy to carry most of them in one go. Being handed a stack breaks your wrist/arm. And having to pick up a stack takes longer to do the job.

I don't stack plates, I just put all my rubbish on the plate as well as the knife and fork. Why stack them? As the previous poster said the waiting staff have their own way of doing things so I'm sure they don't want us interfering with it.

It depends on the restaurant. If they use a tray to collect the plates then stacking is okay but if they balance them on their arm then stacking makes it much more difficult for them. Generally I only stack at more casual cafes where I know they use trays.

What I object to in the first pic is the amount of food left on the plate! Food waste makes me 🤬!

That's what I wondered, thanks!