Taking food from a hotel breakfast buffet- cheeky??

[Nannyogg134]

Was chatting with Brother and SIL about their upcoming holiday. They've got a long drive with 2 young DCs, so they've booked a chain hotel with free buffet breakfast part way along (to break up the drive.) DM said "Oh good, don't forget to make sandwiches for the drive later.".
This led to a whole family breakdown of what it is/isn't cheeky to do at a breakfast buffet 😂...

• DM would happily take tupperware with her and fill up because 'it's been paid for' (I don't think she does take tupperware, I think it was a figure of speech!)
• DH said he's too embarrassed to take anything more than a banana for later.
• DSIL confessed that she can't resist taking pots of jam

I just wondered what everyone thought- Is it unreasonable to take from the buffet breakfast for 'later'?

Also not true because many hotels allow people to come in from outside and have breakfast. My local premier inn does, for example. They'll have no idea whether someone might come in from outside.

Obviously it's different for a B&B with three rooms where they cook to order. Although I imagine most B&Bs wouldn't object to you taking an apple or pastry with you to eat later.

A lot of Travelodge, premier inn etc are located outside of town centres and there is little choice. You do realize that uneaten stuff gets chucked? Letting paying guests have the excess is hardly something to get your knickers in a twist about is it?

Of course it does. Have you never catered for people, you allocate x for x amount of people. If everyone then is a pig and takes enough for lunch too then that's significantly much more food. Very, very basic maths! 🙄

We often just get a room, especially in the U.K. where there's always a kettle and more often than not now a coffee machine and fridge. Often call into a shop on the way to pick up some yogurt, fruit, nuts and proper milk.
Out of town chain hotels are usually not in the middle of nowhere without at least a convenience store tolerably near.

You pays your money and you takes your choice, just don't take the piss.

There is no way in hell I would use the kettle in a hotel room. 🤢😅

@parkrun500club exactly it's not a big deal, but it seems plenty on here do exactly that with making full packed lunches

Often the breakfast is included. My DC love the buffet option and would be most grumpy if I dragged them to a lovely Spanish café to have a single croissant and a drink.
I guess each to their own. I am happy to grab a croissant and a yoghurt to eat later and I'll happily defend my position if confronted by the staff !

I'm sorry but I'm chuckling here at the teeny tiny petite folk who don't eat like fatties, the folk who dont eat before 10 but book a bed and breakfast and folk with medical conditions meaning their partners guzzle prosecco in strange hotels.

Then we've folk who can't find cheese and ham and someone else absolutely horrified at the thought of using a hotel kettle🤣

This thread is totally Mumsnetty bonkers and I love it. I can see why it's made Tattle.

I stopped using the kettle when I heard of people who wash their underwear in it. 😂

I will never be persuaded to use one again.

There is no way in hell I would use the kettle in a hotel room.

Being American and all, my experience with electric kettles is limited, but wouldn't boiling water disinfect it each time it's boiled?

I don’t care. 😂 If it’s been used for washing underwear I’m not using it no matter what. Or people cooking rice in it. I don’t care if I’m being unreasonable or not. 😂😂

I am a fatty (well overweight at least) I just don’t like breakfast. I find that if I have breakfast I graze all day but if I wait till I’m hungry then I can eat and stop.

Would many people use the kettle to wash their underwear? It seems a bit of an unlikely outlier.

I mean I brought travel wash with me on a recent 2 week holiday as cabin luggage only and washed my pants the sink.

I actually saw someone bring Tupperware once. It was an all inclusive in the Caribbean, the woman had several Tupperware containers she’d brought in her luggge for this purpose.

She said they take it back and have a second dinner about midnight after their night out. They filled up from the dinner buffet. Four or five containers worth. Staff never stopped them.

however it’s a bit different to making up sandwiches and leaving with them as you’re a bit tight.

Omg right I can see why and you've put me off for life😀

And now we've spawned a conversation on washing your underwear in hotel kettles, that deserves its own thread🤪

I was actually poking fun at the folk saying they didn't eat as they weren't as large rather than anyone else, I'm a yoyo weight person myself.

Its just the variety of reasons the thread is coming across like a Monty Python sketch, especially the husband who stole the prosecco but that's ok cos he's charming and looks European

It's all just tickled my funny bone this morning so thanks all.

The prosecco thief man must be pissed by lunch. 😂

I can’t get over the charming and looking European bit though. It’s comedy gold, and I really hope it wasn’t made up.

I agree. 😂 I am sorry about that, but I thought it sort of fitted in this thread.

but if lots of people take extra with them then they will start having to increase the amount they make (the person taking extra isn’t waiting till the end to see what is left), pushing up the prices for everyone and potentially creating more waste.

No, probably not many. But one experience is enough for me. 😂

Washing it in the sink is the normal thing to do onviously, but there are so many not normal people out there it’s scarred me for life. 😂

My MIL insisted on doing this on holiday. She had my young niece/nephew in her care and kept saying we didn't need to buy lunch. Cue raging preschoolers by 4pm as they needed more than a damp pastry for lunch. It's tacky and penny pinching, and pushes up the cost for everyone else!

How do you know that it goes in the bin and that someone else is going to come along and want it later or that the staff don’t get to have/take home the leftovers or that it isn’t given to the homeless. You don’t know the situation when you take it. If they factor every normal person taking a pastry with them then they will need to cater for a lot more pastries which would increase the price of the breakfast.

"but if lots of people take extra with them then they will start having to increase the amount they make (the person taking extra isn’t waiting till the end to see what is left), pushing up the prices for everyone and potentially creating more waste."

But the reality is that there is and always have been three types of people:

1. Those who have their breakfast and would never, ever think of even taking an apple
2. People who wouldn't normally take from the breakfast buffet, but occasionally take the odd thing or make up filled rolls because of traveling circumstances
3. Those who believe the breakfast buffet is responsible for fulfilling their daily calorific needs and cheerfully make up lunch boxes full of sandwiches and snacks, and possibly some tea bags and those cute little individual jam jars that never get used when taken.

Oh and a fourth which may be a strange mumsnet only thing:

4. People who like to use every opportunity, however tenuous to show their superiority to others through only eating three grapes at midday, or maybe two at breakfast time but then that fills them up for the whole day so they don't need to eat at lunch.

You really believe that those who think it's wrong to take food away actually do it?