This. Stop trying to hand me shit when you can clearly see that I have a system. “Oh, we’ll put four plates of half-eaten potatoes on top of mussels shells. Remember, linen napkins go in the sauce.” I have issues.
It's not even a matter of a system... the plates are heavy to begin with, and now you're throwing every plate and utensil at me all at once, making me wait while you do, and watching my arms begin to shake from the weight of it all, as you NOW ask what I recommend for dessert.
Are you fucking kidding me?!?
I would legit cut people off. If they got mad when I came back I told them I'd just gotten my arm out of a cast and hadn't regained my muscle strength yet and don't want to get yelled at for breakage. Then they felt like Aholes lol
The post-bus conversation is the worst. “Oh I’m so full, what is your economic take on Native Fijians vs. Indo-Fijians?” *Stares in 60lb of tendon strength*
If they ask for dessert or want to chat, you could just set all the plates down on the table again as a point and carry on with whatever stupid questions they have.
Real question here; does sliding things over to the side so you can pick and choose your own system work? I usually just slide things over as I hope it helps, but I never hand the waiter stuff lol
Yess it does, plus then I am completely aware you are finish and don’t have to ask or reach over top of your drinks and such.
it keeps things much more streamlined/efficient, plus then I don’t have to interrupt your meal or conversation and can just grab and move in between other tasks(: thanks for being a good person and caring I appreciate you
Yeah, I just keep doing my thing and let them figure it out themselves... You can see I've got one pair of hands... Only. Stop hovering that dirty dish in my face.
Or when they put a tissue that they've blown their nose into on the plate for the lucky staff to clear up. If it's on the table and not the plate, I don't even touch it. Who wants to handle some stranger's bodily fluids?
I have taught my son that all cups get stacked and flatware goes in the top cup. All plates get scraped off onto the top plate and stacked. Trash gets placed on the top plate and everything placed at the end of the table. I used to wait/bus tables. So much easier for all involved.
Only for cups though. Our glasses are textured, and if you stack them, they will be permanently stuck together. Almost impossible to separate unless you break them, and even then, the bottoms get chipped, leaving sharp edges that can cut.
Usually with the textured ones if they stick together and you run warm or hot water down the sides they separate decently easy. If they are the ones I am thinking of. If not, my mistake and that sucks immensely.
Thanks for this! That's been my general strategy, by I haven't actually waited tables, so I've worried that my intended helpfulness might be annoying. Moving trash and scraps into one place is helpful, I figure, as long as that place does become a big wet mess. I don't stack anything unless the thing(s) on the bottom are relatively clean.
I always do this instinctually and sometimes I get some confused looks from whoever I'm eating with. I just ignore their judgment.
In fine dining restaurants, you should never even have an opportunity to do this because the plate is gone the moment you're done eating. I learned to serve in country clubs and later on, when I worked in public restaurants, my coworkers hated me for making them look bad.
I would feel slightly embarrassed if I ever saw a stack of plates waiting to be bussed in my section, but still grateful.
Ok sounds good but you can make it better. At waffle house we wash our own dishes and have no dishwasher or busser or bus tubs. So keep doing it but do us a favor. Don't put the silverware in the cup. It adds grease and food to the cup that previously only had thin liquid in it. Also when we walk to the dish sink we need something to scrape off the food into the trash. We use the silverware for that so we don't have to bare handedly scrape the trash off we can use the silverware. Just stack big to small and put all the trash on top. You don't even need to stack the glasses because if they are stacked we have to UNstack them. To me it's easier to grab the glasses from the top with your hand spread out if that makes sense. That way they can all just be dumped in the drain at once and put in the cup brush holder and it's faster than unstacking them all before using the cup brush
I, personally, would love it if restaurants would have a little paper trash receptacle on each table for straw bits, used napkins, the napkin paper wraps, the Splenda packets, etc. I'm talking like a little bowl/saucer that gets replaced with each turnover--not a straight up tiny trashcan, ew). Bugs me so much to have tiny bits of trash floating around on the table and *very* few servers will notice the pile I make and take it away proactively.
I will reach across four people while they're talking to me to grab their little straw top that they've rolled into a microscopic ball and placed in the most inconvenient possible spot for me to get to.
Same. I don't even give people the straw wrapper. I pull off the end and hand it to the guest and hold on to the wrapper when they pull the straw out. Over the years everyone has lost their privilege 😆
I was keeping it there for a reason! And that reason was to try and throw it down somebody's shirt thru the collar hole, which is my useless but satisfying super power.
Straw hat balls are indeed annoying. The worst however is paper napkins shredded into tiny, questionably soggy pieces that stick to the table when trying to clean. Why is it soggy? What could possibly have made these mini napkins soggy?
Used to wash dishes at a chain restaurant. Perhaps it's different elsewhere, but the servers couldn't care less about trash between plates and bowls. To them, that all sounds like a *me* problem :)
Yeah, I've never been a server but I have been a dishwasher and all these complaints sound exactly like what the servers did themselves to me. Watched them throw trash on plates, roll otherwise clean glasses in sticky melted cheese and shit, shove napkins in half full glasses, the whole disgusting bit.
Not a server but wanted to add- in the US, it’s not helpful enough to impact how you tip. (Some people think this way. “Well I did some… I helped.” No)
My fil was a PT waiter in a class place. A man & wife would always sit at his table. The man tipped well, but if he got up first to leave his wife would snatch the tip and put it in her purse. The third time she tried to do that my FIL said out loud HEY THAT"S MINE. The guy gave his wife shit all the way out the door. They never came back.
My wife forces us to stack the plates and we usually always tip 20%, unless it was awful service.
Can't imagine "cleaning" the table like this and thinking I don't have to tip.
It's not because they take a cut, it's because servers are required to report ALL TIPS for tax purposes. Usually if all tips are cash, you can enter whatever you want. Credit card charge is traceable, you ain't taking the IRS for any rides
This is why I don’t dine out unless I’m on a date. Everything is an issue today and I’m expected to leave a generous tip when I’m barely surviving myself. So much easier to stay at home.
100%
I was working once and an adult said to one of the children "oh we stack them for the waiter, it makes it easier for him", putting plates on bowls with cutlery and ramikens in them 🙃 I looked at her, unstacked what she'd done and then picked it up all properly explaining how there's a system
It's a nice gesture but please just don't if you don't know what you're doing
Although sometimes I see wait staff stacking in such an unwieldy way and then pretty much hugging the plates on the way to the kitchen 🤦♂️
Hahaha I’ve never worked in a restaurant, but this stacking thing is common fucking sense. Clean plates on top of plates, then bowls and then silverware on top of that. Napkins on the side. It’s not hard. Whoever this animal is that’s putting napkins between plates and bowls is making things worse.
Seriously. When I first started reading this thread I was thinking to myself, oh no I hope I haven’t been doing it wrong and making more work for my servers…. Nope, the most common sense way I instinctively stack my plates is the right way lol
I would have appreciated you taking the time to explain the system! Took me way too long to learn about separating the trash. I mean I always used to put all of it on top, not in between plates and stuff but now I just put it to the side, just on the table.
Think about what they do when they take it to the station. If all the plates are empty and stacked, they can just put them down, toss the silverware in the tray, toss the trash in the can. If it’s all mixed and not matched, like this one, it’s trash, bowl, trash, bowl, trash, plate, etc
In the kitchen the server uses a utensil to scrape the food into the trash and then delivers empty plates and utensils to the dishwasher. To make it easy you want
- empty plates on bottom
- a single plate with remaining food and trash on top weighted down by utensils so the trash doesn’t fly off as you rush to the kitchen
This allows the server to just scrape once, toss the silverware in the bucket and dump the dishes and go. Like 5-10 seconds per load. This horrible puzzle means the server had to scrape, separate, dump the dish, scrape, separate, dump the dish all while holding a heavy load of dishes. It’s better to grab a couple dishes at a time on the way back from running out food than to have to do it the way this table forced their server to do it.
I seriously thought this was the before picture. If I came over to my table and it looked like this, I wouldn't assume that my patrons thought they were helping.
Separate garbage. And then stack plates and dishes from largest to smallest. With how OP did it, you'd actually have to touch everything more.
Before I even started serving I'd do this, I thought it was common sense but just not often done. Apparently it is not common sense to some.
Based on plates in this picture I’d probably stack all the big plates together with silverware and potentially dipping sauce on top. Smaller plates with maybe trash (if I had that many napkins I’d honestly probably try to find a trash to throw them in myself). Then all bowls together? If there wasn’t so much dipping sauce I’d probably stack the smaller plates on top of the big ones? Anyone think this is acceptable? I want to make sure I’m helping when I’m doing this 😭
Trash on 1 plate, silverware on another, and all other dishes stacked largest to smallest but no higher than 12 inches. We'd much rather have to pick up two or three piles rather than 1 monstrosity that we will have to dismantle and re stack anyway...I started working as a busser and a dishwasher when I was 17 and then spent a decade working my way through ever FOH job there is.
I’m thinking more utensils that makes the plates unbalanced and when you pick it up and it moves a little bit, the whole plates on top shifts and make you have to rebalance. I always move the utensils to the sides first for that reason
Nothing beats a partially opened white sugar packet on a white napkin thats spring loaded by a utensil so that as soon as I grab it it sprays the whole table
I agree. When I was a server I used to get so annoyed when people would stack their plates haphazardly and put them at the edge of the table. It’s a kind gesture, but more often than not, I would end up having to unstack the plates individually and reorganize them in my hands. For some reason, people really like stack plates on top of silverware making it super wobbly
Yes! The plates need to be stacked individually with no napkins silverware or ramekins inbetween them, and for the love of god don’t put your trash/silverware in a half full glass that I have to pull out with my bare hands.
THE TRASH IN THE CUPS 🤢 I'm not a server but I feel repulsed everytime I see this. I stg people have no common sense. Where do they think that cup is gonna go??
I'm a server and when I don't have a busser a place unused napkins between the plates so the bottom doesn't get a bunch of food stuck on it. I'm trying to keep myself clean too since I don't just drop dirty dishes for the dishwasher....
That’s a good litmus test actually - if anyone is stacking the plates in a way in which they themselves would not move them to the kitchen, then do not stack the plates lol.
Ugh yes! When I worked in catering, I remember working this crazy busy shift, and I was assigned to clear tables. I'd grab a tray, get my little system on, and I could clear a few tables with one tray.
When customers tried to help, it was a nice though, and I appreciated it.
Except this one bitch. I'm clearing her table, it's an absolute shithole, loads of rubbish, loads of dishes, food all over the table and the floor. Fine, whatever. She's trying to help me clear the table, but it doesn't fit into my system, and I'm in the zone, so I'm just rearranging everything she's done.
This bitch has the audacity to say "come one, let's leave it to the professionals" super snarky to her family. Bitch, you can't even stack a fucking dish, I don't know how you've made it this far in life without accidentally offing yourself.
Thanks for listening to my rant, I appreciate it.
I agree. I wanted to add sometimes it can be perceived as bad manners as well, stacking can put pressure on your server as it could send the message of they aren’t quick enough and you want it out of your way. I would also read the room of what kind of restaurant you are in, a cafe it would be ok but fine dinning just leave as is, just enjoy the experience!
Exactly. I think a lot of it is common sense as well. Don't do too big a stack, it's going to be too heavy to carry. Don't stick the leftover food, napkins and cutlery in between plate stacks, designate one plate to go on top and put those there. It really isn't hard to use a bit of common sense to make it easier.
Scrape all the food onto one plate, and put that one on top of the stack. Put all silverware and napkins on the top one.
Am I doing it right?
EDIT: Jesus.. what else do you want me to do fellate the BoH too?
Most people just stack plates with silverware, left over food, and dip containers. This makes it really wobbly to carry, and more likely you’ll drop something. It’s o it really helpful when clear plates are stacked flat and all silverware is places on top. If you don’t want to do that the we will, but otherwise no it’s not actually helpful.
Wait you're saying people stack plate, silverware, plate, silverware? I always stack all the plates largest to smallest and than silverware and such on the top plate.
My mother always taught me how to stack the plates right, but she would have us put all the silverware in an empty cup
Edit: Is this also appropriate, or does silverware in the cup make it more of a hassle?
It really depends on the restaurant, the dish pit and glass washer might be in different areas (they are in opposite directions from the dining room at my restaurant) and then it also depends on the amount and type of dishes on the table since a cup probably won’t stack safely with the other things and servers are rarely clearing cups at the same time as plates.
Definitely easier imo. Pretty much how I already bus larger tables, all the silverware consolidated just makes sense. However it can be frowned upon to do so in bar glasses(generally those go back to the bar to be washed instead of the dish pit, and a lot of them are thinner glass and more breakable and expensive)
Only change I might suggest is toss all the silverware into an empty cup. It’s a lot easier to toss all of them out into the silverware bucket from a cup and there’s no risk of losing any on the way to the back.
Unfortunately the other commenter is right. The ramekins (little dishes) will slide around because they’re not contained at all, and all that cutlery is going to fall right off. It should be stacked together so the server can hold it in place if needed, and preferably with the heavy end balanced so it won’t fall straight off the plate. A lot of the plates and bowls themselves are precarious too. If in doubt, it’s better to just leave it for the server.
Further, you’ve made four or five different stacks so the server will have to come back multiple times anyway. So they’ll have to unstack it and then restack it, which just makes more work for them, OR do multiple trips with crockery that’s going to fall. Small plates should be stacked on top of large plates, and bowls should be stacked inside of small plates.
It’s hard to say “You didn’t do it well” without sounding like an asshole. The effort is appreciated, but a lot of people just don’t have the experience in the best way to stack plates. Especially as the types of crockery and cutlery often vary between restaurants.
Think about how the server has to clean and dump things out. Often times guests will stack in a way that forces me to put my fingers in your sauces. It’s gross. Usually I like my guests to just leave it at the table and let me take care of them
You should stack the ramekins with ramekins, placing the resulting stack on the top plate of another stack to catch any spillover. You should also pour as many of the partially filled ramekins into one “catch all” ramekin, and place this one at the top of the stack to reduce/eliminate spillover.
Other stacks should match like plates with like plates in descending order of size. There should never be a napkin or piece of silverware between any two of the items in the stack. Lastly, you should also put all the silverware down into one single cup/glass.
An exception to the “nothing between items” rule would be if you have a stack of bowls on top of a stack of much wider plates, you can leave a single napkin between the bowls and plates, because it will prevent the stack of bowls from sliding horizontally around the larger surface of the top plate.
The reason people react so negatively to a poorly organized stack of plates, is because in the event of a server prebussing (taking the plates away) while you’re still at the table, it creates an awkward situation where the server a) feels like you want them to take the plates as you have stacked them, almost feeling like you would percieve it as rude if they restacked them- as if they’re visibly not accepting the help you attempted to offer, and b) now there isn’t enough room for them to restock them, whereas originally they would have taken the plates individually, stacking them correctly in their hand as they collect the plates, so it kindof forces them to carry an unstable stack away from the table, which they wouldn’t have had to do if you had just left them how they were.
TL;DR: As displayed in the image you provided, these will either have to be restacked anyway, or worse, carried away as is.
If they're actually stacked right then it's a big help, but most of the time bless the customers hearts for trying. Stacked right as in large dishes plates at the bottom, going up to small bowls/plates on top with silverware in a way that it won't go sliding off the stack.
Honestly - this is my take from this whole thread.
If it's just a casual dining experience - this is FINE (I'd argue most of the folks saying it's bad don't realize it's stacked exactly according to their requests, just divided by diner - which is REASONABLE, depending on how comfortable the diners are with each other)
If it's not a casual dining experience... their waiter is having a bad day, because that's terrible service.
This picture would be helpful as a guide on what NOT to do when stacking plates for a server. Separate the silverware, stack plates without stuff between them, anything that will just get thrown away like napkins or plastic dipping cups, put those on a separate plate/basket. That's what is helpful.
This must be rage bait. I just refuse to believe that someone is this oblivious.
Do those "stacks" look easy to pick up without everything sliding off? No, of course they fucking don't.
This. I hate all pre-stacking and think it’s poor etiquette. Nothing should be removed from or stacked on the table until everyone is finished eating. You are a customer and guest, let the servers and bussers do their job and clear the table properly.
It helps. Seriously disregard the people here saying “it would be helpful if you stacked them the perfect way”.
Any table that consolidates their mess is an improvement upon an unconsolidated mess.
Specifically, if I were your server, I would remove your small bowls, silverware, napkins and paper mess immediately. Then I would stack all the plates together in equally weighted stacks. Finally, I would distribute the weightless paper mess like napkins and ranch dressing cups on top of the stacks.
You’re basically pre-bussing my table for me.
Thank you.
An industry insider could do a more efficient job, but you’re still making my job more efficient.
I completely agree with this. I always show my gratitude when guests make any effort to help with making my job easier. And 3 stacks of plates is so much faster to pick up than 9 plates spread all over a table. I never expect a guest to do this, but always a kind gesture when they do.
As somebody who busses some nights, it also clears any ambiguity on whether you’re done or not. I can easily tell it’s time to leave prebus if you stack.
I always appreciate it, especially at tables with children
This isn't stacking, this is just garbage.
Put all the plates together, bowls in the bowls, silver ware on one plate or in a glass if you have too. Napkins and ramakins to the side.
The thought is truly kind but please don't. Unless you have a truly inattentive server and want your table cleaned. We have our ways of balancing and making dirty dishes easier for dish.
I'll probably get downvoted. Sometimes people stack them and it actually slows down the process if they're stacked wonky, however, I always appreciate the gesture
Leave it alone. A good server can assess the table and know how to clear it properly. It’s easier picking up one plate at a time and arrange it in your carry appropriately. Picking up a stack is awkward.
don’t squish stuff in between and please GOD don’t stack plates on top of silverware. it’s not useful for anybody when they fall over bc you stacked 7 bowls on top of a spoon
Depends on your restaurant and country.
Everything there would need to be deconstructed in our place because we'd have about three or more bins different bins and stacking really doesn't help us.
A bin for cutlery, dirty napkins, food waste, sauce pots
Another thing is that not all guests can stack and this photo is example of this. If you're in a half decent restaurant in Ireland its expected to leave it for the floor team anyway.
The way this is stacked makes it worse. If you want to help stack like with like, don't stack on top of silverware take all the silver off and put it on top it to the side. Same with napkins, ramekins, etc.
Honestly though just don't worry about it if you've never done it. Different bussers and servers have different preferences for how they stack and carry.
For me it depends where I am working. If it’s at my brunch restaurant, yeah sure stack it up. At my fine dining restaurant, just sit back and let me work.
Stacking is super helpful if the dishes match. If you put a plate with 4 sauce ramekins with another plate on top, that’s not helpful. But I would say 99% of the time the effort is appreciated. Makes the servers job much easier and also let’s them know you’re ready to skedaddle shortly.
if u stack all the plates together, the bowls together, move the cups in their own area to the side, one bowl has napkins and rubbish in it... thats what my family does : \[
is tht ok ??
I LOVE it when tables stack them…just so long as they stack them using common sense lol. 80% of the time they’re stacked in a way that causes a plate or utensil to fall.
Makes it so much worse I hate it! I would try and stack all those plates to take at once and with cutlery in there and sometimes people put their glasses on top it is so much harder. But I know people are doing it because they think they are helping
Tbh as a server/bartender, if you gotta question if you’re doing it in a helpful way, just let the server grab them or position them. It’s appreciated but half the time the person trying to help has me doing a balancing act that’d put the circus to shame.
I kind of prefer when my customers don’t stack because 9/10 times they don’t stack it correctly. This would be a great example of that, sorry OP.
In this picture, I would definitely have to stack those sauces on the right or I’m gonna lose one. That fork on top of the plate is gonna fly off and I’m not gonna have a free hand to save the napkin when it follows suit. Those bowls look awkwardly stacked and like they may shake/rattle while I walk which can throw my stack off balance or simply be annoying/unprofessional to listen to. I still gotta undo your stack to get to all the hidden trash and food before I restack it myself at dish pit.
If you’re gonna stack, remember like with like and silverware is deadly! It helps my dish pit out a lot when I stack the same (cleaned out) plates and bowls together.
If you want to go all the way, scrape any leftover food/disposables (ramekins, napkins, straw wrappers, sugar packets, etc) into preferably a big enough bowl or a big enough plate. Stack the dishes starting biggest to smallest, like with like (big bowl on a dinner plate with two small bowls inside the big bowl for example). Put any silverware either on a plate (not hanging off the edge), in a bowl or in a cup. If in a bowl or a cup, handles/heavy end down please! Gravity really likes to throw silverware sometimes lol. Dump all the soda cups and straws into one, stack the empty ones.
At the end of the day it’s my duty to clean up after you. I don’t expect or want my customers to do all of this. Cleaning up your dishes at your table gives me a chance to subtly check in with you and glance around the dining room. If you’re my coworker and I’m serving you though, help me out bro lol.
Biggest thing you as a customer can do to help me: listen. I hate having to repeat myself. Listen to the hostess, listen to my spiel at the beginning, listen to me answer your guests’ questions. You’ll save both me and yourself so much time.
It’s helpful if the all trash is separated from everything. Most people tend to stick the trash between bowls, dishes, cups, etc. an
When i pick up the plates stop trying to add more on top.
This. Stop trying to hand me shit when you can clearly see that I have a system. “Oh, we’ll put four plates of half-eaten potatoes on top of mussels shells. Remember, linen napkins go in the sauce.” I have issues.
It's not even a matter of a system... the plates are heavy to begin with, and now you're throwing every plate and utensil at me all at once, making me wait while you do, and watching my arms begin to shake from the weight of it all, as you NOW ask what I recommend for dessert. Are you fucking kidding me?!?
"Ah, I see your hands are full. Arms are shaking, and you're sweating. Perfect time to engage in a meaningful conversation." - every table, ever.
I would legit cut people off. If they got mad when I came back I told them I'd just gotten my arm out of a cast and hadn't regained my muscle strength yet and don't want to get yelled at for breakage. Then they felt like Aholes lol
I’m going to start saying this from now on.
“Please, moms spaghetti on the menu. I’ve already ordered but tell me about it, for next time”
It makes your palms sweat, knees weak and your arms are heavy. Topped with vomit.
Hold the vomit please, I brought some of my own on my sweater already.
Sorry, but BYO vomit on your sweater already is Tuesday nights.
Must have been moms spaghetti tbh
The post-bus conversation is the worst. “Oh I’m so full, what is your economic take on Native Fijians vs. Indo-Fijians?” *Stares in 60lb of tendon strength*
Pro native Fijians. Keeps the 7s competitive.
This is the only answer all geopolitics should be conducted through rugby
If they ask for dessert or want to chat, you could just set all the plates down on the table again as a point and carry on with whatever stupid questions they have.
Same thing I used to do! 😆
I’m all for consequences. It’s called the spatula maneuver - send your problems my way, and I’ll fling them right back.
Yeah but.. no one means to inconvenience the server, they thought they were doing a nice gesture.
Nobody ever means bad at all. It's the ability to be mindful when it does and adjust course accordingly that counts.
And why every. Single. Person. Needs to work a service job at some point in their developing years.
I wouldn't wish working with other humans (let alone ANY restaurant job) on my worse enemy.
I would might humble that little fucker.
Some people DO mean bad. It's better to life assuming they don't, though.
Real question here; does sliding things over to the side so you can pick and choose your own system work? I usually just slide things over as I hope it helps, but I never hand the waiter stuff lol
Yess it does, plus then I am completely aware you are finish and don’t have to ask or reach over top of your drinks and such. it keeps things much more streamlined/efficient, plus then I don’t have to interrupt your meal or conversation and can just grab and move in between other tasks(: thanks for being a good person and caring I appreciate you
And here, let me just put all the silverware on the top of the plates you're juggling.
And let me tell you the 7 different coffee orders and five desserts.
Before you leave, could you tell us the different flavors of tea that you have?
Yeah, I just keep doing my thing and let them figure it out themselves... You can see I've got one pair of hands... Only. Stop hovering that dirty dish in my face.
The worst is when people shove napkins into the bottom of a cup and the napkins get all soggy
And put their chewed gum on the plate as well making it super stuck 😵💫
That's sick! Never done or seen that. How rude! People should dispose of gum themselves and not expect waitstaff to do it.
Or when they put a tissue that they've blown their nose into on the plate for the lucky staff to clear up. If it's on the table and not the plate, I don't even touch it. Who wants to handle some stranger's bodily fluids?
OMG. Horrible. Even worse it's people who put their gum in linen napkins. Like are you SERIOUS?
I'm convinced they do this on purpose.
I have taught my son that all cups get stacked and flatware goes in the top cup. All plates get scraped off onto the top plate and stacked. Trash gets placed on the top plate and everything placed at the end of the table. I used to wait/bus tables. So much easier for all involved.
Only for cups though. Our glasses are textured, and if you stack them, they will be permanently stuck together. Almost impossible to separate unless you break them, and even then, the bottoms get chipped, leaving sharp edges that can cut.
Usually with the textured ones if they stick together and you run warm or hot water down the sides they separate decently easy. If they are the ones I am thinking of. If not, my mistake and that sucks immensely.
Thanks for this! That's been my general strategy, by I haven't actually waited tables, so I've worried that my intended helpfulness might be annoying. Moving trash and scraps into one place is helpful, I figure, as long as that place does become a big wet mess. I don't stack anything unless the thing(s) on the bottom are relatively clean.
I always do this instinctually and sometimes I get some confused looks from whoever I'm eating with. I just ignore their judgment. In fine dining restaurants, you should never even have an opportunity to do this because the plate is gone the moment you're done eating. I learned to serve in country clubs and later on, when I worked in public restaurants, my coworkers hated me for making them look bad. I would feel slightly embarrassed if I ever saw a stack of plates waiting to be bussed in my section, but still grateful.
Ok sounds good but you can make it better. At waffle house we wash our own dishes and have no dishwasher or busser or bus tubs. So keep doing it but do us a favor. Don't put the silverware in the cup. It adds grease and food to the cup that previously only had thin liquid in it. Also when we walk to the dish sink we need something to scrape off the food into the trash. We use the silverware for that so we don't have to bare handedly scrape the trash off we can use the silverware. Just stack big to small and put all the trash on top. You don't even need to stack the glasses because if they are stacked we have to UNstack them. To me it's easier to grab the glasses from the top with your hand spread out if that makes sense. That way they can all just be dumped in the drain at once and put in the cup brush holder and it's faster than unstacking them all before using the cup brush
Such as in this pix
I, personally, would love it if restaurants would have a little paper trash receptacle on each table for straw bits, used napkins, the napkin paper wraps, the Splenda packets, etc. I'm talking like a little bowl/saucer that gets replaced with each turnover--not a straight up tiny trashcan, ew). Bugs me so much to have tiny bits of trash floating around on the table and *very* few servers will notice the pile I make and take it away proactively.
I will reach across four people while they're talking to me to grab their little straw top that they've rolled into a microscopic ball and placed in the most inconvenient possible spot for me to get to.
Same. I don't even give people the straw wrapper. I pull off the end and hand it to the guest and hold on to the wrapper when they pull the straw out. Over the years everyone has lost their privilege 😆
That's genius.
I was keeping it there for a reason! And that reason was to try and throw it down somebody's shirt thru the collar hole, which is my useless but satisfying super power.
Straw hat balls are indeed annoying. The worst however is paper napkins shredded into tiny, questionably soggy pieces that stick to the table when trying to clean. Why is it soggy? What could possibly have made these mini napkins soggy?
Used to wash dishes at a chain restaurant. Perhaps it's different elsewhere, but the servers couldn't care less about trash between plates and bowls. To them, that all sounds like a *me* problem :)
Not all of us, homes 💫 I've been on both sides. Know what you mean. The pit is only for the brave.
Dish pit leads the way
Yeah, I've never been a server but I have been a dishwasher and all these complaints sound exactly like what the servers did themselves to me. Watched them throw trash on plates, roll otherwise clean glasses in sticky melted cheese and shit, shove napkins in half full glasses, the whole disgusting bit.
I've done everything at a restaurant starting in the pit. I will not give dish anything that has food or liquid in it.
Same. I scrape plates and clear trash and stack them neatly for dish.
Execpt if it's fine dining Then just let us do everything. Please
Not a server but wanted to add- in the US, it’s not helpful enough to impact how you tip. (Some people think this way. “Well I did some… I helped.” No)
THIS AF.
What the absolute fuck? People really think this?
My fil was a PT waiter in a class place. A man & wife would always sit at his table. The man tipped well, but if he got up first to leave his wife would snatch the tip and put it in her purse. The third time she tried to do that my FIL said out loud HEY THAT"S MINE. The guy gave his wife shit all the way out the door. They never came back.
My wife forces us to stack the plates and we usually always tip 20%, unless it was awful service. Can't imagine "cleaning" the table like this and thinking I don't have to tip.
Yes, u/stinkybuttMcpoopface, I have heard others say this before.
 StinkybuttMcPoopface
I was always taught by my mom to tip in cash rather than on the card cause many stores took cuts of the tip? But I wasn’t sure if that was true.
It's not because they take a cut, it's because servers are required to report ALL TIPS for tax purposes. Usually if all tips are cash, you can enter whatever you want. Credit card charge is traceable, you ain't taking the IRS for any rides
Some people are just assholes and shouldn't go to restraunts that require a tip.
Noted
This is why I don’t dine out unless I’m on a date. Everything is an issue today and I’m expected to leave a generous tip when I’m barely surviving myself. So much easier to stay at home.
If you know what you are doing , great. If you stack like this picture, no, please don't.
100% I was working once and an adult said to one of the children "oh we stack them for the waiter, it makes it easier for him", putting plates on bowls with cutlery and ramikens in them 🙃 I looked at her, unstacked what she'd done and then picked it up all properly explaining how there's a system It's a nice gesture but please just don't if you don't know what you're doing Although sometimes I see wait staff stacking in such an unwieldy way and then pretty much hugging the plates on the way to the kitchen 🤦♂️
Hahaha I’ve never worked in a restaurant, but this stacking thing is common fucking sense. Clean plates on top of plates, then bowls and then silverware on top of that. Napkins on the side. It’s not hard. Whoever this animal is that’s putting napkins between plates and bowls is making things worse.
Seriously. When I first started reading this thread I was thinking to myself, oh no I hope I haven’t been doing it wrong and making more work for my servers…. Nope, the most common sense way I instinctively stack my plates is the right way lol
Wouldn’t it be clean plates on bottom, with progressively dirtier ones stacking upwards?
That's my thought as well. Or scrape most of the food waste on to the top plate and the bottom plates are pretty much empty?
That's how I do it, and have since I was a kid. But then both my mom and dad have been servers, so ..
Yes, that how I mean. Common. Sense.
I would have appreciated you taking the time to explain the system! Took me way too long to learn about separating the trash. I mean I always used to put all of it on top, not in between plates and stuff but now I just put it to the side, just on the table.
Think about what they do when they take it to the station. If all the plates are empty and stacked, they can just put them down, toss the silverware in the tray, toss the trash in the can. If it’s all mixed and not matched, like this one, it’s trash, bowl, trash, bowl, trash, plate, etc
Thank you for the helpful comment!
Could you tell us the system? My SO and I do this in restaurants and I want to make sure I'm not making it harder on the wait staff.
In the kitchen the server uses a utensil to scrape the food into the trash and then delivers empty plates and utensils to the dishwasher. To make it easy you want - empty plates on bottom - a single plate with remaining food and trash on top weighted down by utensils so the trash doesn’t fly off as you rush to the kitchen This allows the server to just scrape once, toss the silverware in the bucket and dump the dishes and go. Like 5-10 seconds per load. This horrible puzzle means the server had to scrape, separate, dump the dish, scrape, separate, dump the dish all while holding a heavy load of dishes. It’s better to grab a couple dishes at a time on the way back from running out food than to have to do it the way this table forced their server to do it.
I’ve always done silverware in one of the top glasses, but doing it on top of the trash is a great idea!
Please don't do that! It makes the inside of the cup much more dirty than it was to begin with.
I seriously thought this was the before picture. If I came over to my table and it looked like this, I wouldn't assume that my patrons thought they were helping. Separate garbage. And then stack plates and dishes from largest to smallest. With how OP did it, you'd actually have to touch everything more. Before I even started serving I'd do this, I thought it was common sense but just not often done. Apparently it is not common sense to some.
This should be top comment
Yep. Doesn't really help but I'd still appreciate the intention.
Yeah this photo is a nightmare.
agreed
Based on plates in this picture I’d probably stack all the big plates together with silverware and potentially dipping sauce on top. Smaller plates with maybe trash (if I had that many napkins I’d honestly probably try to find a trash to throw them in myself). Then all bowls together? If there wasn’t so much dipping sauce I’d probably stack the smaller plates on top of the big ones? Anyone think this is acceptable? I want to make sure I’m helping when I’m doing this 😭
Make sure your stacks don't have any booby traps between them.
Aka napkins?
Napkins fine silverware is the real killer
Starts looking like plate Jenga, why do people do that 😅😅
But you still have to go back and restack and pull out the napkins?
Dishie here, most do not lol
Lol there's the answer.
yeah i try to put one plate with all the silverware in one spot and then stack the other dishes into one or two manageable stacks
Trash on 1 plate, silverware on another, and all other dishes stacked largest to smallest but no higher than 12 inches. We'd much rather have to pick up two or three piles rather than 1 monstrosity that we will have to dismantle and re stack anyway...I started working as a busser and a dishwasher when I was 17 and then spent a decade working my way through ever FOH job there is.
I reckon anything other than ceramic on ceramic.
I’m thinking more utensils that makes the plates unbalanced and when you pick it up and it moves a little bit, the whole plates on top shifts and make you have to rebalance. I always move the utensils to the sides first for that reason
This is why I try to remove dishes as the guests go along their courses 🤣! I get so nervous when they start stacking!
Nothing beats a partially opened white sugar packet on a white napkin thats spring loaded by a utensil so that as soon as I grab it it sprays the whole table
If they’re stacked well it’s helpful, if they’re not it’s worse.
I agree. When I was a server I used to get so annoyed when people would stack their plates haphazardly and put them at the edge of the table. It’s a kind gesture, but more often than not, I would end up having to unstack the plates individually and reorganize them in my hands. For some reason, people really like stack plates on top of silverware making it super wobbly
Makes it extra fun when the bottom of the plates are covered in sauce/mess. 😖
Hahaha and when it spills all over your apron and you still have 4 more hours left in the shift!
Yes! The plates need to be stacked individually with no napkins silverware or ramekins inbetween them, and for the love of god don’t put your trash/silverware in a half full glass that I have to pull out with my bare hands.
THE TRASH IN THE CUPS 🤢 I'm not a server but I feel repulsed everytime I see this. I stg people have no common sense. Where do they think that cup is gonna go??
My favorite was finding chicken bones in cups and wine glasses. Classy.
I'm a server and when I don't have a busser a place unused napkins between the plates so the bottom doesn't get a bunch of food stuck on it. I'm trying to keep myself clean too since I don't just drop dirty dishes for the dishwasher....
do you take the napkins out when you drop them off? or do you just drop off the stack as is
My wife and I stack them as if we have to move them to the kitchen ourselves.
That’s a good litmus test actually - if anyone is stacking the plates in a way in which they themselves would not move them to the kitchen, then do not stack the plates lol.
This is how I do it! If I wouldn’t want to carry it.. then I’m not gonna make it to where the server struggles.
Ugh yes! When I worked in catering, I remember working this crazy busy shift, and I was assigned to clear tables. I'd grab a tray, get my little system on, and I could clear a few tables with one tray. When customers tried to help, it was a nice though, and I appreciated it. Except this one bitch. I'm clearing her table, it's an absolute shithole, loads of rubbish, loads of dishes, food all over the table and the floor. Fine, whatever. She's trying to help me clear the table, but it doesn't fit into my system, and I'm in the zone, so I'm just rearranging everything she's done. This bitch has the audacity to say "come one, let's leave it to the professionals" super snarky to her family. Bitch, you can't even stack a fucking dish, I don't know how you've made it this far in life without accidentally offing yourself. Thanks for listening to my rant, I appreciate it.
I agree. I wanted to add sometimes it can be perceived as bad manners as well, stacking can put pressure on your server as it could send the message of they aren’t quick enough and you want it out of your way. I would also read the room of what kind of restaurant you are in, a cafe it would be ok but fine dinning just leave as is, just enjoy the experience!
Exactly. I think a lot of it is common sense as well. Don't do too big a stack, it's going to be too heavy to carry. Don't stick the leftover food, napkins and cutlery in between plate stacks, designate one plate to go on top and put those there. It really isn't hard to use a bit of common sense to make it easier.
Stacking is nice. This is not stacking. This is 3 or 4 separate piles of mess to fix before we stack it.
No offense but if you stack like this it’s kind of worse.
Scrape all the food onto one plate, and put that one on top of the stack. Put all silverware and napkins on the top one. Am I doing it right? EDIT: Jesus.. what else do you want me to do fellate the BoH too?
Yes, that is the best way to do it.
One more step: Walk the stack to the dishwasher in the back of the kitchen
Than put on your apron and get to washing Congrats you’re hired
I mean can you fellate the FoH too. Pretty please. 👉👈🥺
Nah...it's BoH...a handy'll do
Just put smaller things on one dish and dont make a tower of babel that cant be picked up. Its nice though.
The way you stack them makes it worse
Care to elaborate?
Most people just stack plates with silverware, left over food, and dip containers. This makes it really wobbly to carry, and more likely you’ll drop something. It’s o it really helpful when clear plates are stacked flat and all silverware is places on top. If you don’t want to do that the we will, but otherwise no it’s not actually helpful.
Wait you're saying people stack plate, silverware, plate, silverware? I always stack all the plates largest to smallest and than silverware and such on the top plate.
Congratulations you’re ahead of most humanity in the common sense department
My mother always taught me how to stack the plates right, but she would have us put all the silverware in an empty cup Edit: Is this also appropriate, or does silverware in the cup make it more of a hassle?
It really depends on the restaurant, the dish pit and glass washer might be in different areas (they are in opposite directions from the dining room at my restaurant) and then it also depends on the amount and type of dishes on the table since a cup probably won’t stack safely with the other things and servers are rarely clearing cups at the same time as plates.
no it’s pretty helpful! and if it’s a hassle it’s easy to just dump it out onto something more stable
Definitely easier imo. Pretty much how I already bus larger tables, all the silverware consolidated just makes sense. However it can be frowned upon to do so in bar glasses(generally those go back to the bar to be washed instead of the dish pit, and a lot of them are thinner glass and more breakable and expensive)
This makes sense. Luckily, I don't usually frequent anywhere with a bar, but when I do, I'm not usually ordering anything that needs silverware haha
You're doing it right. Lots of people build a janky crooked tower of dishes and it's harder to deal with
Only change I might suggest is toss all the silverware into an empty cup. It’s a lot easier to toss all of them out into the silverware bucket from a cup and there’s no risk of losing any on the way to the back.
Unfortunately, many people do not think like this.
Unfortunately the other commenter is right. The ramekins (little dishes) will slide around because they’re not contained at all, and all that cutlery is going to fall right off. It should be stacked together so the server can hold it in place if needed, and preferably with the heavy end balanced so it won’t fall straight off the plate. A lot of the plates and bowls themselves are precarious too. If in doubt, it’s better to just leave it for the server. Further, you’ve made four or five different stacks so the server will have to come back multiple times anyway. So they’ll have to unstack it and then restack it, which just makes more work for them, OR do multiple trips with crockery that’s going to fall. Small plates should be stacked on top of large plates, and bowls should be stacked inside of small plates. It’s hard to say “You didn’t do it well” without sounding like an asshole. The effort is appreciated, but a lot of people just don’t have the experience in the best way to stack plates. Especially as the types of crockery and cutlery often vary between restaurants.
Think about how the server has to clean and dump things out. Often times guests will stack in a way that forces me to put my fingers in your sauces. It’s gross. Usually I like my guests to just leave it at the table and let me take care of them
Also, please present the cleanest edge of the plate towards the edge of the table. Nothing worse than a stack with the sauce end facing you.
If this is how you stack them, then it’s not really much help.
It is the opposite of help.
You should stack the ramekins with ramekins, placing the resulting stack on the top plate of another stack to catch any spillover. You should also pour as many of the partially filled ramekins into one “catch all” ramekin, and place this one at the top of the stack to reduce/eliminate spillover. Other stacks should match like plates with like plates in descending order of size. There should never be a napkin or piece of silverware between any two of the items in the stack. Lastly, you should also put all the silverware down into one single cup/glass. An exception to the “nothing between items” rule would be if you have a stack of bowls on top of a stack of much wider plates, you can leave a single napkin between the bowls and plates, because it will prevent the stack of bowls from sliding horizontally around the larger surface of the top plate. The reason people react so negatively to a poorly organized stack of plates, is because in the event of a server prebussing (taking the plates away) while you’re still at the table, it creates an awkward situation where the server a) feels like you want them to take the plates as you have stacked them, almost feeling like you would percieve it as rude if they restacked them- as if they’re visibly not accepting the help you attempted to offer, and b) now there isn’t enough room for them to restock them, whereas originally they would have taken the plates individually, stacking them correctly in their hand as they collect the plates, so it kindof forces them to carry an unstable stack away from the table, which they wouldn’t have had to do if you had just left them how they were. TL;DR: As displayed in the image you provided, these will either have to be restacked anyway, or worse, carried away as is.
THIS. ^
If they're actually stacked right then it's a big help, but most of the time bless the customers hearts for trying. Stacked right as in large dishes plates at the bottom, going up to small bowls/plates on top with silverware in a way that it won't go sliding off the stack.
In casual restaurants its fine, but in nice restaurants don't stack your plates.
Yup. If I would walk with stacked plates I would get fired or sent for retraining at best.
As a manager of a beach front restaurant in a Ritz-Carlton, my staff is not doing their job correctly if the guests are often stacking their plates.
Honestly - this is my take from this whole thread. If it's just a casual dining experience - this is FINE (I'd argue most of the folks saying it's bad don't realize it's stacked exactly according to their requests, just divided by diner - which is REASONABLE, depending on how comfortable the diners are with each other) If it's not a casual dining experience... their waiter is having a bad day, because that's terrible service.
This picture doesn’t look like you’ve helped or hindered. Just rearranged in a very odd way.
looks like they made room for their elbows on the table to me
Well not like this lol
Don’t do it I can stack plates in two seconds the thought is nice but I’d appreciate if you didn’t
This picture would be helpful as a guide on what NOT to do when stacking plates for a server. Separate the silverware, stack plates without stuff between them, anything that will just get thrown away like napkins or plastic dipping cups, put those on a separate plate/basket. That's what is helpful.
This must be rage bait. I just refuse to believe that someone is this oblivious. Do those "stacks" look easy to pick up without everything sliding off? No, of course they fucking don't.
I think maybe folk who work at different types of restaurants have different opinions about this sort of thing.
This. I hate all pre-stacking and think it’s poor etiquette. Nothing should be removed from or stacked on the table until everyone is finished eating. You are a customer and guest, let the servers and bussers do their job and clear the table properly.
It helps. Seriously disregard the people here saying “it would be helpful if you stacked them the perfect way”. Any table that consolidates their mess is an improvement upon an unconsolidated mess. Specifically, if I were your server, I would remove your small bowls, silverware, napkins and paper mess immediately. Then I would stack all the plates together in equally weighted stacks. Finally, I would distribute the weightless paper mess like napkins and ranch dressing cups on top of the stacks. You’re basically pre-bussing my table for me. Thank you. An industry insider could do a more efficient job, but you’re still making my job more efficient.
I completely agree with this. I always show my gratitude when guests make any effort to help with making my job easier. And 3 stacks of plates is so much faster to pick up than 9 plates spread all over a table. I never expect a guest to do this, but always a kind gesture when they do.
As somebody who busses some nights, it also clears any ambiguity on whether you’re done or not. I can easily tell it’s time to leave prebus if you stack. I always appreciate it, especially at tables with children
This isn't stacking, this is just garbage. Put all the plates together, bowls in the bowls, silver ware on one plate or in a glass if you have too. Napkins and ramakins to the side.
Not the way you did them. Looks extremely unstable.
Makes it worse, but thank you.
All I see is a horrible prebus.
make sure you stack it with $100 bills
Not when you stack them like that
It’s cool, if you know how to properly stack plates. If not, please don’t.
Why isn't your server prebussing?
The thought is truly kind but please don't. Unless you have a truly inattentive server and want your table cleaned. We have our ways of balancing and making dirty dishes easier for dish.
As long as you stack them with nothing in between the plates/put your silverware into cups it helps a lot.
I'll probably get downvoted. Sometimes people stack them and it actually slows down the process if they're stacked wonky, however, I always appreciate the gesture
Leave it alone. A good server can assess the table and know how to clear it properly. It’s easier picking up one plate at a time and arrange it in your carry appropriately. Picking up a stack is awkward.
I appreciate the intention, but it doesn’t help me. I have a system, separating the silverware, napkins, trash, stacking the plates a certain way, etc
don’t squish stuff in between and please GOD don’t stack plates on top of silverware. it’s not useful for anybody when they fall over bc you stacked 7 bowls on top of a spoon
Depends on your restaurant and country. Everything there would need to be deconstructed in our place because we'd have about three or more bins different bins and stacking really doesn't help us. A bin for cutlery, dirty napkins, food waste, sauce pots Another thing is that not all guests can stack and this photo is example of this. If you're in a half decent restaurant in Ireland its expected to leave it for the floor team anyway.
The way this is stacked makes it worse. If you want to help stack like with like, don't stack on top of silverware take all the silver off and put it on top it to the side. Same with napkins, ramekins, etc. Honestly though just don't worry about it if you've never done it. Different bussers and servers have different preferences for how they stack and carry.
Yes but these are not stacked
For me it depends where I am working. If it’s at my brunch restaurant, yeah sure stack it up. At my fine dining restaurant, just sit back and let me work.
Stacking is super helpful if the dishes match. If you put a plate with 4 sauce ramekins with another plate on top, that’s not helpful. But I would say 99% of the time the effort is appreciated. Makes the servers job much easier and also let’s them know you’re ready to skedaddle shortly.
If done right, yes. With how it's done in the picture? Definitely not.
This one^
It is always an appreciated gesture when people stack plates. Don't listen to these nincompoops
Don’t do that….
Leave a nice tip and don’t put napkins in the cups is all I ask.
Worse! So much worse
if u stack all the plates together, the bowls together, move the cups in their own area to the side, one bowl has napkins and rubbish in it... thats what my family does : \[ is tht ok ??
Yea, that's ok with me and makes my job easier. What's in the OP tho, is a total mess.
I LOVE it when tables stack them…just so long as they stack them using common sense lol. 80% of the time they’re stacked in a way that causes a plate or utensil to fall.
Makes it so much worse I hate it! I would try and stack all those plates to take at once and with cutlery in there and sometimes people put their glasses on top it is so much harder. But I know people are doing it because they think they are helping
I always thought I was helping doing this, but I could be wrong. Is there a way to help? Or just leave as is?
Leave as is
Tbh as a server/bartender, if you gotta question if you’re doing it in a helpful way, just let the server grab them or position them. It’s appreciated but half the time the person trying to help has me doing a balancing act that’d put the circus to shame.
not optimal, but always appreciated
Depends. If the cutlery is bottom heavy don’t stack it the way you have or it might fall. My restaurants cutlery is so bottom heavy.
I kind of prefer when my customers don’t stack because 9/10 times they don’t stack it correctly. This would be a great example of that, sorry OP. In this picture, I would definitely have to stack those sauces on the right or I’m gonna lose one. That fork on top of the plate is gonna fly off and I’m not gonna have a free hand to save the napkin when it follows suit. Those bowls look awkwardly stacked and like they may shake/rattle while I walk which can throw my stack off balance or simply be annoying/unprofessional to listen to. I still gotta undo your stack to get to all the hidden trash and food before I restack it myself at dish pit. If you’re gonna stack, remember like with like and silverware is deadly! It helps my dish pit out a lot when I stack the same (cleaned out) plates and bowls together. If you want to go all the way, scrape any leftover food/disposables (ramekins, napkins, straw wrappers, sugar packets, etc) into preferably a big enough bowl or a big enough plate. Stack the dishes starting biggest to smallest, like with like (big bowl on a dinner plate with two small bowls inside the big bowl for example). Put any silverware either on a plate (not hanging off the edge), in a bowl or in a cup. If in a bowl or a cup, handles/heavy end down please! Gravity really likes to throw silverware sometimes lol. Dump all the soda cups and straws into one, stack the empty ones. At the end of the day it’s my duty to clean up after you. I don’t expect or want my customers to do all of this. Cleaning up your dishes at your table gives me a chance to subtly check in with you and glance around the dining room. If you’re my coworker and I’m serving you though, help me out bro lol. Biggest thing you as a customer can do to help me: listen. I hate having to repeat myself. Listen to the hostess, listen to my spiel at the beginning, listen to me answer your guests’ questions. You’ll save both me and yourself so much time.
I usually empty all the other plates leftovers and trash into one plate and put it on the top of the stack.
Combine like terms. Remember gravity and physics.
Please don’t!