AIBU to think all restaurants don’t do this?

[JustHereForThePooStories]

Out for dinner with a friend tonight and the bread came with a little dish of pesto, and another of butter. We dipped the bread in pesto, but didn’t use it all. I also used a small amount of butter, less than 10% of the contents of the dish, I’d guess.

I commented that it was a shame to see it go to waste as, while the dishes were small, there was two much for two people. My friend said that the restaurant would just top them up with fresh pesto or butter, and use for another customer. She used to work in various restaurants during university, and said this was common.

If you work/worked in a restaurant, can you please tell me this isn’t true? I can’t stomach the idea of someone biting bread, dipping it in pesto, only for me to eat the same pesto later.

My friend is 100% wrong, isn’t she?

No we wouldn’t have been allowed to do this. Never had pesto, but sauces like mayo and ketchup etc mini dishes.

I expect she is right although it obviously isn't best practice.

I worked in a sit-down fish and chip place as I teen and later a 4* hotel’s restaurant and both did this. I found it gross, though!

Never topped up. Always binned. I think she's punching your ticket.

Depends on the restaurant. I'd hope most don't, but I remember working in a bar as a student and they used to tip the beer from the drip trays into people's pints when they weren't looking or were too drunk to notice. I'm sure all sorts goes on

Certainly not something done in the last 25 years.

Wouldn't shock me at all. I have seen and have done this in my time in hospitality.

Granted it’s been 16 years since I worked in hospitality, but we never did it. Ever. Bleurgh.

She was obviously joking!

Eurgh, you hope places don't do this but I once worked in a bar that served beer from the drip trays...

Ive worked in many restaurants and they've all been very clear on this. You don't do it.

I've worked in hospitality for years and beaver done it, but it is / used to be common practice. I know of a restaurant that used to fill tee little butter dishes up and melt them so they were nice and flat on top when they set - the butter at the bottom was occasionally rancid from being warmed and cooled so often.

Dips were tossed, spooned or poured stuff (eg. Mustard, ketchup) used to go back in the bottle.

Depends on what the restaurant thinks they can get away with, I’ve seen all sorts when i worked with EH from salad being rinsed and reused in Indian restaurant to a dog being kept in a posh pub’s kitchen and allowed to poo on the floor 🤢 definitely knew where and where not to eat though 😂

I've worked in places that would do this. When I've been cook in charge of a kitchen I certainly haven't done it but yes it happens. Not everywhere and it's definitely not allowed, but some places are awful behind the scenes. (I worked in one very nice hotel in the Yorkshire dales where the chef put leftover veg from customers plates into the vegetable soup at the end of the week.)

I got a dip and there was a fry buried in it 🤢. I made them get me a fresh one!

Fly or dip? 😁

Where I waitressed as a teenager the chef would pick up new potatoes not eaten on returned plates and reserve them to unsuspecting customers. Lovely.

Worked in a variety of different establishments from fast food to high end dining.

Never seen it happen, even when it's obvious something hadn't been touched at all it got binned unless a member of staff was ravenous and due to go on a break.

To be fair it's not a bad policy if they do. As long as they run a knife over the top to get any crumbs, etc, out then it's healthy recycling and prevents even more food waste going to landfill which we have an excess of in this country.

25 years ago I certainly saw this done with sauces - tartar etc. They were spooned onto food, not usually dipped into directly but yes, break the crust, top up, mix in, wipe edges...

The only thing I've ever been asked to top up working in restaurants was the ketchup bottles and vinegar in an American chain I used to work in, it was better to have a fuller bottle than two half empty. They were the little Heinz glass ones so no dipping, the task was called marrying the condiments, which always sounded more romantic than it was.

Nope not in the place I work, it all gets binned and dishes washed. We have mayo, parmesan etc in seperate dishes if requested and its not even a posh restaurant!

Depends. We definitely used to do it if the customers hadn't touched them- we would just stick them on another plate. If there we crumbs in them, no we didn't, but I can totally believe that lots of places would.

Do you know how many germs there are in a pot of dip or mayo etc if they have been double dipped? Gross.