Not clearing own table at cafe

[BallandBoe]

I always, as a general rule, clear my table - and will continue to do so unless I have been given reason not to (poor customer service, bad meal, etc).

There is a couple sat next to me discussing whether or not that they should clear their table. He says yes, she says no.

Does it depend on how much you paid for your food? Does it depend on the setting? Just curious!

YANBU - You should clear your table
YABU - That's what the staff are paid to do.

Not really. I’ve done casual work as the plate collector in a large eaterie and if they all put their plates on the counter I wouldn’t have had a job. I was in need of a stress free, casual job after years of office work and I enjoyed going round the tables collecting all the clutter.

Depends on the place. I was a waitress when I was a teenager, there’s nothing worse than people trying to be helpful, and stacking the tray so it was wobbly and uneven. I’d just re do it

New M&S cafe by us don't have the racks for trays or anywhere to put stuff. They bring your drinks and don't lave a tray, so we leave it all on the table as everyone else does.
Depends of the cafe set up, McD's yes I clear, and Tesco and Asda. Small independents and Starbucks and costa by us, no, as there's no racks or trays.

Unless it's an obvious self clear situation eg McDonald's I don't. Part of the price you pay is for servicing the table. Never cleared in M&S, its restaurant prices so no I don't

Just seen some comments from people saying they work in the industry and don't like it when people do this. Oops genuinely thought I was being helpful 😣

I think you shouldnt really be expected to clear your own table at a cafe. It should be part of the service which is why eating in is more expensive than taking away .
However i do ususlly stack the plates and if theres somewhere obvious to put them or its really busy and people are waiting for our table then i'll clear it if i can , but routinely no i dont clear my own table in a cafe.

Bone idle- if there are facilities which allow a person to clear their table they should do it

M&S doesn't have racks in the restaurant here btw

I will put my used plates, cutlery etc back onto the tray and leave the table clear of rubbish.
It really depends on whether there’s an obvious place to stack the trays or not as to whether I do that or rise leave the tray to be removed by staff.

How would you feel if someone constantly interrupted the job you were doing, so you had to stop and do something else? It is annoying. Imagine making a coffee for a customer and turning back to a previously clean counter and it's full of dirty pots so you have to clear that before you serve the next customer.

It's usually fairly obviously if a cafe wants you to clear your table onto racks provided, or if they don't have any facility to do that. I doubt anywhere wants people pushing plates across the till area at them.

Depends on the setting.

If they’ve got a designated area for used trays / plates etc to be put, like in McDonalds, then yes, I’ll clear up after myself.

If there’s not a designated area, then I leave my things on the table for the staff to clear up.
That’s got to be less disruptive than handing a tray full of used dishes to the member of staff taking orders at the till.

Where are you clearing it to? Most cafes I visit don’t have the option as you would need to walk in to their kitchen. If I’ve only had a coffee I occasional hand my cup back at the counter the same way I would in a bar but it’s not really helping much as the staff member then still has to take it to the kitchen. Only places I 100% clean up are McDonald’s and ikea as there are designated areas to empty your rubbish/leave your tray.

In a cafe I would leave it 'tidy' I suppose, especially if no table service. Table service I would probably wait for it to be cleared

I will, without fail, tidy my table before leave and pick up any mess from the floor (or ask DC Tom pick uk his mess). I’ll empty my tray if in a takeaway. If a cheapo restaurant, I’ll take my stuff to the counter. If expensive, I’ll leave the table tidy and wipe away any crumbs.

I was coming on to say this. Lots of people think they're being helpful, but there's a specific way to do it, so you can carry quite a pile.
I waited tables for years as a student, and when travelling, and expectation is so different, in different places. I leave a table tidy, but never stack the plates.

My 2 nearest M and S do not have a tray stacker, so tables are not cleared by customers. Everyone shoves it on to one overflowing table and sits down!

I used to waitress in a cafe. Maybe it's a south/north divide thing. I never used to expect customers to clear their own table. The first time I saw this as a thing is when I moved north.

The m&s cafe I use no longer has anywhere for people to put their dirty things. So I just put them on a tray and leave on the table which is what everyone does.

Depends on the establishment.

John Lewis cafe - tray system but no obvious used tray area / holder, so leave tray

McDonalds - tray system but clear space for rubbish and trays, so dispose.

I agree. My husbands family are from Liverpool and do this. They mean well but it always made more work for me when people did this when I worked in a cafe.

I only do this in McDonald’s.

I used to work in food service. It was very unhelpful when people cleared their tables! They would always stack things in an inconvenient way which made them difficult to carry. Then you’d have to unstack them and the bottoms were dirty and made a mess everywhere, including on your clothes. Just don’t! (unless it’s the sort of place where you have a tray and you’re supposed to put it on the rack when you’re done).

Unless there is a stand that is clearly for used crockery etc or a notice asking to clear the table, then no.

Where would you put them?

Having worked in food service (amongst many other jobs), I always clear my own stuff. The staff are often poorly paid & usually really busy, & TBH it's not especially pleasant touching other people's dirty cutlery, used serviettes etc.