Staff eating the buffet at a party?!

[PenguinBear]

We attended a party today (building hired so staff were there to run the bar).

The staff stopped serving at the bar to go to the buffet table and get food three times.

I have never seen staff do this before and have attended many parties like this.

AIBU to be surprised? Is this common practice? I asked the host if they had asked her first or if they had agreed this beforehand and they hadn't!

I'm not necessarily saying that they shouldn't, I've just never seen it before and wondered if this was the done thing by staff when you've paid them to hire the venue!

Rude and needs mentioning to the venue

I like to think I'm quite hospitable and think thats rude!
Did she not say anything then?

I think it's rude too and I'm the type who would probably tell the staff to help themselves once the guests had helped themselves.

YANBU! I used to do bar work and we were allowed leftovers when the buffet had been cleared away but wouldn't dream of going over while it was out for the guests!

Rude unless asked but surprised the host didn't offer unless it was a scant buffet.

Whenever I have hosted parties I always either put up a plate of food for bar staff/DJ/entertainers etc or invited them to help themselves as a courtesy - bit rude of them to just assume its ok..... and 3 visits is beyond reasonable. I tend to over-cater so it would not be a problem - but depending on venue it might mean invited guests do not have sufficient choice/quantity

were they teenagers??

Not on. The staff are being paid to run the bar, not to keep leaving it to go and get food. You would not expect the bar staff at a restaurant to come and sit and eat your food.

I think would be a nice gesture to offer them some food later or to put some food on trays in their break room but no obligation to do so.

No they weren't, they were adults, probably in their 70s!

Plus the host brought all of the buffet with her, the venue didn't even provide it!

They were in their 70s?

Was it a church hall volunteer type thing?

It was a rugby club..... Whole venue had been hired...They looked pretty old to me!

Rude.
When I worked behind the bar - in a similar type of set up - many of the party people would offer us up stuff at the end, to save it being thrown away, and occasionally they'd bring a tray full round for the members drinking in the bar - again, to save it being wasted, but you wouldn't have dreamt of going up and helping yourself unless asked to by the host after the guests had finished.

In the cricket club I am a member of, as room hire is free it is expected that bar staff are fed as part of the deal (we do volunteer to run the bar so we don't get paid)

Lmao, rude but hilarious

Were they on their break?

Do you think they were paid?

I have seen this a lot but usually when everyone else has finished. I was at a funeral yesterday and the three bar staff all helped themselves to food.

That's a bit strange

I'm guessing somehow wires were crossed and someone other than the host told them to help themselves maybe?

When my friend got married, at her evening buffet the staff took the food back to the kitchen before everyone had been able to have some. Friend goes into the kitchen to ask them to bring it back out again, and they are all stood there scoffing it!
Now that was rude!

What happened next, Eminybob?

Take note of what Cricketballs says. It's normal practice for sports clubs where the staff are volunteers. If they were in their 70s this was probably the case and the staff probably look forward to their "free feed" It should have been mentioned to your mate when she booked tho.

They brought what was left back out, friend complained and got some money back. There were some other issues on the day as well iirc.
I've been to a few weddings at that particular venue (very expensive posh hotel in Cheshire) and every single one there has been some kind of problem.