Is wiping down tables not a thing anymore?

[RainOnATinRoof]

More often than not, I find the tables in coffee shops are covered in crumbs. Tables in venues which bill themselves as fancy "gastropubs" are always sticky.

Is it just me, or has this phenomenon gotten worse over the years?

LoL I had the exact same conversation with my friend yesterday. The focus appears to be clearing the table and forgo the cleaning of the table. I usually ask for a cloth and do it myself.

It actually puts me off eating out, though I don't have a choice when on work trips etc.

Has it always been like this in the UK? I grew up elsewhere and when taken to cafes as a child I would always see wait staff wiping the tables rather theatrically every time someone got up and left. It just doesn't seem to be a thing here.

I wipe tables when customers leave, as soon as I can get off the bar to clear them. That doesn't account for the people who pick the dirtiest table, clear the glasses onto one I've already cleaned and then complain to me that it needs wiping.

Yes @Goingalonenow, the whole pub can be empty yet people sit on the table that's just been vacated so needs clearing, and huffily start pushing the glasses around the table, why??!

Possibly because it's the nicest table in the pub? Next to a window etc.

It is certainly uncalled for to be huffy about it though!

I have noticed this, too! I tend to ask them (politely and when they have the chance) to come and wipe it.

Yes, so many places with sticky, dirty tables. I find that if I ask to borrow a cloth they then come and clean it themselves, but some cheap places have tables where the stickiness has been building for years and nothing can be done.

I hate this too. So I usually borrow a cleaning cloth and start to do it myself. Most places hate this, so take over very quickly. If they don't, I then have a clean table at least.

I regularly go to Costa's coffee shops and I find that they are pretty good with regards to wiping down tables. Wetherspoons is another one I go to quite regularly,but unfortunately they are very lax in this respect. I've lost count of the number of times I've sat down only to encounter a hideously sticky table. It's not just one branch either,it's 4 different pubs! All the McDonald's I've been to on the other hand,are shit hot at cleaning tables.

Obviously if clearly dirty then that's awful. However in my experience the strong chemicals in the sanitisers can react with the table varnish and make it tacky.

The other thing I hate is dirty floors under tables. I understand that it can be tricky for staff to clear this up, but many places don't even attempt it. Some patrons seem to think they can just throw food, crumbs and other rubbish on the floor.

Jax, I don't think they can clean the floor while the tables are occupied really. They can only do that at quiet times or closing time.

I hate dirty, sticky menus. Puts me right off, along with unwiped tables.

Having worked in pubs nearly 15 years, it never fails to amaze me how many people (and to be clear, it is a very small minority of customers, but they are the ones who tend to complain the loudest) choose to sit at a table that is clearly dirty/just being cleared. Disclaimer: I'm sure there are many lazy staff but here is my view as a non-lazy one.......

I've had people block me into a booth I was clearing just so they could sit down on both sides of me.....I can hardly clear/clean your table if you won't let me physically move around it!!?

You can't clear glasses and plates at the same time (no glass in kitchens) so that is why there are glasses left. If you give me enough time to walk from the kitchen to collect the glasses, I will clean your table. Or sit at one of the other 45 identical clean tables and there will be no wait.

Please lift your full drinks while I wipe your table or I will wipe around them. Had sooooo many people accuse me of spilling their drinks/spraying sanitiser in their glass just to get a freebie.

I'm not saying that dirty/sticky table are acceptable. They aren't. But if I'm physically blocked from doing my job, or huffed and puffed at because I can't clear a tables full glasses and plates at the same time, what do you expect?

I have hand sanitizer in my bag,I’ll use that with a napkin if I get a clatty table

I will always ask someone to clean the table. I do sometimes get a look like I have two heads, but the table does get cleaned!

Love your user name,v clever

YANBU, I carry wet wipes in my handbag and frequently wipe the table prior to using it.

I don't think it has always been like this, I think café culture if you like is far more popular now, more places to eat, frequented more often etc and as a result many run on a shoestring and don't have the luxury of lots of staff.

to add to the above, I have encountered lots of sticky tables in Spain and Italy too!

I know what you mean op!

I carry a pack of wet wipes for cleaning tables.

If someone tried to sit on a dirty table before I had a chance to clear it I always told them it was reserved and to move elsewhere. NOTHING more annoying than having plenty of clear tables and people always choose to sit at the dirty one.

Don’t be those customers.

I've noticed that some tables, usually wood with a thick, shiny varnish, are perpetually sticky even after I've gone for a cloth to wipe it myself. I think the water or cleaning spray partially dissolves the varnish and makes the surface tacky. It was bad enough at one place that I made a little tablecloth for myself out of paper napkins to cover all the areas that I might touch with my hands or arms - I really hate that tacky feeling.

I can’t stand the back of the chairs being sticky. I use a napkin to move the chair.

This drives me up the wall. I've always got baby wipes in my back so I tend to give them a once over - it shouldn't be like that though.