Guests who never throw out their food at counter service locations

[Amy&Dan]

Bussing your table at a buffet restaurant is a bit different in my opinion in that most buffets use regular table service items, not disposable paper plate type things. I know my local buffet wants to keep the plates cleared bytheir own employees because its against health codes to reuse plates for a buffet and also they don't want guests dumping their plates into the bins themselves.

To me, if there is a trash can its there for me to use, sign or no sign to do so.

Often at WDW others are waiting for tables, the last thing I want to do is leave them my trash to deal with.

At Disneyland in California they have several counterservice locations where your food is served on a regular plate and a plastic, but not disposable glass. They are actually called buffeterias there. These are bussed for you and there are no trash cans or places to put the empty plates. Of course I just leave my plates there but I have to say it always feels weird to do so!

 

[Pumbaa_]

We call it the 'All about ME' attitude

Common courtesy and consideration for others goes so far in this world. Unfortuantely, there will always be those that only consider themselves.

 

[GoofyKeith]

And here comes my first post on the DIS Boards and it looks like it's a fairly contentious subject.

IMHO the definition of a Counter Service restaurant is that the service happens at the counter much as a Buffet Service happens at the buffet and a Table Service one at the table. In a CS restaurant, if you want tomato sauce, you go find it. If you want a packet of salt, you go get it. If you want a refill on your drink, you go to the refill station.

I think it is incumbent on the previous diners to pick up their debris and dump it in the trash cans. The difficulty that I see about leaving your meal remnants for a CM to bus is that the next family has to wait until that CM can get to the table if it is a particularly busy time. You could have the next diners standing with trays of food waiting for a table to be cleared. If the table is reasonably clear of the last family, you can at least use the table even though it may not have been wiped down. JMHO

 

[Amy&Dan]

And here comes my first post on the DIS Boards and it looks like it's a fairly contentious subject.

IMHO the definition of a Counter Service restaurant is that the service happens at the counter much as a Buffet Service happens at the buffet and a Table Service one at the table. In a CS restaurant, if you want tomato sauce, you go find it. If you want a packet of salt, you go get it. If you want a refill on your drink, you go to the refill station.

I think it is incumbent on the previous diners to pick up their debris and dump it in the trash cans. The difficulty that I see about leaving your meal remnants for a CM to bus is that the next family has to wait until that CM can get to the table if it is a particularly busy time. You could have the next diners standing with trays of food waiting for a table to be cleared. If the table is reasonably clear of the last family, you can at least use the table even though it may not have been wiped down. JMHO

Hey, Welcome to the Disboards! And your first post was excellent and right on IMHO!!!

 

[familyS]

We always take care of our trash and trays at CS. I usually wipe off the table with a clean napkin (or four), too.

However, I can understand that there are people who come from locations where bus people take care of it. Also, some people just rarely frequent CS and don't know it is acceptable for them to bus their own table. I like to give people the benefit of the doubt, they probably just don't understand.

Here in our part of NY we have some CS type places that do not provide trash cans in the dining area. They have signs explaining that employees take care of clearing the tables off (they actually use metal flatware and don't want it discarded).

 

[Ilovestitch]

The worst is when people leave their food at places with outdoor seating- and when they walk away a flock of crows, seagulls, etc. divebomb the area and make a huge mess.

I hate it after the parades sometimes people leave entire trays of garbage from Casey's right on Main St.

 

[pixdust]

We are taught as children growing up to clean up after ourselves at home, why would the case be different on vacation or just in public? To me that just treating the next family with a little respect. If the table was left for me in a tidy fashion then I will show my appreciation by extending the same rule of thumb to the next family/person that takes my place.

Toya

Toya, I think you hit it on the head, except that a lot of what I have seen is that as children WE SHOULD be taught to clean up after ourselves. I see more and more, where it doesn't look to me like some people are teaching their children anything but rudeness and how to be lazy. It is sad really. It is lke they are teaching them that they shouldn't worry about what they do or what kind of mess they make, someone else will clean up for you.
I just don't get it.

 

[hmp2z]

Should we then assume that we're expected to bus our own tables at buffet restaurants? Why not?

This post isn't logical - where are the bins for you to deposit your plates & silverware, and the trash cans for you to scrape in your food at buffet restaurants? You won't find them. You couldn't bus your tables at a buffet restaurant if you tried. Why not? Because you get TABLE SERVICE at buffet restaurants. Counter service is not table service. Disney very clearly differentiates between counter service and table service. If you want table service at counter service places, then you need to start campaigning for Disney to make those changes.

Again, it's just flat-out rude to make people who've been waiting for your table pick up YOUR trash. Any way you slice it, any way you excuse it, it's still inconsiderate and it's still rude.

Cheers!
Heather W

 

[ShesAPirate]

Should we then assume that we're expected to bus our own tables at buffet restaurants? Why not? We have to gather our own food there, don't we? So by your logic we should just assume that we should be bussing our trash as well.

David

I can answer this very simply -- when you're at a buffet restaurant, do you see any trash cans available for public use? Do you have access to the kitchen so you can give your plates, utensils, glasses, etc., to the dishwasher? No, you don't.

Is there somewhere people can throw away their trash? If yes, then do it.

Is there nowhere for anyone to place their garbage, and are busboys walking around with trays to clear the tables? If this is the case, then don't worry about it. Sit back and have a good time, and tip your waiter - who in turn tips the busboy for cleaning off your table.

I want it to be understood that I'm not singling anyone out, or judging anyone. I guess I'm just baffled, because I don't understand why this is such a sticking point for some people. Yeah, you're on vacation -- that doesn't mean you abandon all the rules* of every day society. When you're home, at Panera or McDonalds or whatever, do you leave your garbage on the table? Maybe you do, I don't know. I just don't see why anyone would.

(*For those who are hooked on semantics, by "rules", I don't mean hard and fast, written in stone, signs-all-over-the-place rules. I mean the guidelines by which we live. Kind of like the pirate code, ya know? )

 

[Amyg]

Wrong! I have managed counter service restaurants. We never expect the guests to clean up. That is our job and there are people to do that job. When a customer does clean up its great but no way do we expect them to do so. They are our guests and we treat them as such whether its counter service or table service. It's just good businesses.

Of course you don't "expect" guests to clean up after themselves but as a courtesy to the next guests, people should. It is not a difficult task.

I don't go around "looking" for stuff like this BUT when it's the only table available and my family ends up having to clean someone elses mess it's annoying.

That said...Lewisc said:

"Other guests may see CMs clearing tables and assume that service is being provided in that CS restaurant. If I noticed a CM clearing the tables as guests left I might leave some or all of my stuff at the table."

I do agree with this statement as I have experience it first hand. We saw CM's cleaning up at Sunshine Season's and couldn't decide if we should take our own trash or leave it for the CM's. We just went ahead and took it as we normally would have at any other counter service place.

 

[MrsPiglet]

OK, People, you are telling me after I eat my free food (free dining) I am suppose to pick up my icky trash? I thought I could leave a mess for the staff to clean up. How rude of them to expect this!!!

Yes just rude to leave your trash behind anywhere , even at DW.

 

[caracap]

I have 3 kids 3 & under, and I try my hardest to clean up CS & TS as much as I can. At TS I gather all the plates for the waitress, and silverware and pile it on the end of the table, and pick up any crackers or food my youngest throws onto the floor. I also try to clean up the floor as much as I can in CS places. That's just me. Last year, at Disney somebody was waiting for our table, and I even wiped it down with a Wet One for them. That's just me.

 

[ElizabethB]

Let's not give WDW any ideas about bussing our own dishes at buffets. I can see how it easily could work -- put your dirty plates here, your glasses there. Or, even worse, they may start with disposable plates and cups at the buffets.

The thing is -- businesses are always eager to save money on labor costs. By bussing our own tables, and calling those who don't do so rude, we are just providing free labor to corporate America.

I live in a place where most people bag their own groceries. I moved here from a place where customers never bag their own groceries. I don't get the whole bagging your own groceries thing . . . and I don't do it. I wait for the groceries to be bagged. I'm not going to remove one more cost from the supermarket's bottom line. I'd rather pay higher food prices. Sorry, if those in the line behind me think I'm rude for holding up the line because I won't "pitch in" and bag my own groceries. Too bad. If we're willing to bag our own groceries, stores will certainly let us!

We enjoy eating at Wolfgang Puck Express at DTD. Although it is counter-service, they have wait people there to serve the food and help with cleanup. I always let them serve me, I let them clean up and I give them a nice tip. I figure the person is there because they need a job, they are doing a job and I'm happy to provide a tip. I think employing people who wouldn't otherwise have jobs is a good thing. Is it just me?

As I said before, I bus my table at counter-service restaurant. But, I do not judge those who don't.

And, I hope we don't get to the point where DH and I get dirty looks if we don't organize and stack our dirty plates and silverware at table service restaurants. Yikes! Where does it end?

 

[maxiesmom]

Toya, I think you hit it on the head, except that a lot of what I have seen is that as children WE SHOULD be taught to clean up after ourselves. I see more and more, where it doesn't look to me like some people are teaching their children anything but rudeness and how to be lazy. It is sad really. It is lke they are teaching them that they shouldn't worry about what they do or what kind of mess they make, someone else will clean up for you.
I just don't get it.

Unfortunately you are right on! You cannot believe how many times I have heard "Don't pick that up, it is their job to clean up after us" at the store I work at. Nowhere in my job description does it say that I am a maid, yet I have to act like one. If you are wondering what happened to customer service, well I have to spend so much time picking up trash and junk that it takes away from my time to really assist customers.

And to anyone who thinks they are making a statement by not picking up after themselves, or bagging their own groceries, you are not. Do you think anyone that has the power to change things notices when you are holding up a line? The only thing you are doing is making more work for the people who are there to help you. If you find it offensive to pick up after yourself, or bag your own groceries, you need to call or write and let the head of that company know! We constantly hear that our store needs more salespeople. Tell me about it! I am now doing the work that used to be assigned to 3 people! But unless the majority of customers write in and complain (not yell at the people who are working) nothing will ever change.

 

[ElizabethB]

Trust me -- if I'm waiting in a line that is too long at the supermarket, I'm the first to summon the manager and let him/her know! In corporate America, top executives are making salary packages that leave everyone else completely in the dust. We need to insist on hiring more help if needed. We do not need to bus our own dishes and bag our own groceries so an even bigger pile of cash can land in the laps of those who need it least.

 

[jberry5]

If you're expected to leave a tip (i.e. table service, buffets, etc. at WDW), you can leave your trash. Your tip is for service beyond the actual food.

The justification that the counter service places have CMs, so they can bus the tables makes no sense to me. WDW has CMs that clean the restrooms, should we then assume that we can do our business and then leave without flushing? I mean there aren't any signs that I'm aware of telling me I'm supposed to flush when I'm finished. Seriously though, it seems in these cases, WDW does staff CMs if some guests do not do what is generally expected, not that the hiring of said CMs is proof that you aren't expected to clean up after yourself.

 

[lilyv]

I don't shop at grocery stores that require me to bag my own groceries. Personal choice, problem solved.

If I elect to dine at a counter service restaurant, I understand that in exchange for a speedier/cheaper meal, I will receive less personal service. That's OK!

I clean up after myself at a CS because it allows the next person or family have a place to sit quickly. How much time does this take? Maybe 5 seconds, tops? It's just common courtesy.

 

[maxiesmom]

Trust me -- if I'm waiting in a line that is too long at the supermarket, I'm the first to summon the manager and let him/her know! In corporate America, top executives are making salary packages that leave everyone else completely in the dust. We need to insist on hiring more help if needed. We do not need to bus our own dishes and bag our own groceries so an even bigger pile of cash can land in the laps of those who need it least.

In my work experience, the store manager is NOT the one who controlls payroll. That is done at the home corporate office, which is who needs to be contacted with any complaints regarding lack of help. The corporate office gives out how many payroll dollars each store has to spend. And each year it is less and less. So even though I applaud you for complaining to the store manager, all they can do is resuffle the help that they have. They cannot see to it that there is more help. And before you can say well the store manager can pass it on, that is not how it works. That store manager is then told that they are not utilizing the payroll they are given properly. If you want to see more help you need to let the home office know!

 

[wendy46001]

Wow I’m surprised to see people are trying to justify leaving there trash ...

I get that in some parts of the world it isn’t done...but by the second or third visit to a counter service place at WDW they should correct their behavior....

Who ever said when in Rome is correct...

In Disney you use the available trash container and clean off your table

 

[melmlantz]

What was said about managers versus the home office is true. People don't hire more help just because the customers complain---they can't. Businesses like grocery stores and restaurants are allotted X amount of dollars for certain areas: labor costs, food costs, overhead, etc. They have to stay within those amounts.

Also, I agree and understand that the heads of these corporations are making a LOT of OUT money. However, please understand that your table-service waitress, your counter-service cashier, and your grocery cashier are NOT making that money. In fact, they are usually ridiculously underpaid. Here in PA, waitresses make $2.83 an hour. It is way under minimum wage everywhere you go, because they get tips. They make okay money, but not THAT much money. Not a ridiculous amount. When I was still serving, those little things that people did made my day---stacking the plates, not leaving a huge mess, keeping good watch over their children. And, sometimes I was appalled at the things that people would do just because I would be the one to clean it up.

As far as counter service, though... there's no excuse for that. Those people do not get paid minimum wage to leave their cashier station and pick up the food. I am sure occasionally they would like someone to go clean up and make sure things are sanitary and tidy; however, to do that for every guest would be insanity. It would cause things to run much slower. And these places will never, ever hire extra people to do that---it costs entirely too much money. (Nor do I feel they should need to, at a CS place).

Trust me -- if I'm waiting in a line that is too long at the supermarket, I'm the first to summon the manager and let him/her know! In corporate America, top executives are making salary packages that leave everyone else completely in the dust. We need to insist on hiring more help if needed. We do not need to bus our own dishes and bag our own groceries so an even bigger pile of cash can land in the laps of those who need it least.