# Clean your plate or eat somewhere else!
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clean-your-plate-or-eat-somewhere-else/541930
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [June 4, 2010, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clean-your-plate-or-eat-somewhere-else/541930 "2010-06-04T14:52:12Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 2
### Author:  [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)
#### Post date: [June 4, 2010, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clean-your-plate-or-eat-somewhere-else/541930/21 "2010-06-04T17:54:16Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#):
>
> Seriously. I think people should eat as much as their body needs at that time.
>
> And we have to bring our own reusable stuff to pack it up? I’ve never heard of a restaurant not having stuff with which to pack up leftovers.
They do, it’s $3 per. IF they serve you. The idea is to use a container that’s already made and reusable, not throwaway materials.
They’re still idiots.
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### Author:  [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)
#### Post date: [June 4, 2010, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clean-your-plate-or-eat-somewhere-else/541930/22 "2010-06-04T17:56:33Z")
> [@gwendee](#):
>
> … Also I didn’t find any address or directions for the restaurant. Maybe they really don’t want customers.
You could look [in the phone book](http://www.whitepages.com.au/wp/busSearch.do?subscriberName=Wafu&location=Sydney+NSW) 🙂
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### Author:  [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)
#### Post date: [June 4, 2010, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clean-your-plate-or-eat-somewhere-else/541930/23 "2010-06-04T18:12:20Z")
Why don’t they just serve smaller portions (than whatever their present standard is), and then give more (free, up to the present standard) if you ask for it?
> [@Valgard](#):
>
> There’s a wonderful breakfast spot near me that a few years ago took measures to be more “green” and they explained what they were doing & why. One example is that their huge pile of hash browns is now a smaller pile of hash browns - it’s still plenty of food (I have never walked out of there feeling hungry), they have just dialed it down a little bit, and they are more than happy to give you the older/larger portion (no extra charge) if that’s what you want.
Exactly.
The part about containers for takeout seems fine to me, though–bring your own containers, or buy the ones they sell. I prefer that policy for grocery stores.
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### Author:  [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)
#### Post date: [June 4, 2010, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clean-your-plate-or-eat-somewhere-else/541930/24 "2010-06-04T18:59:56Z")
> [@](#):
>
> Gee, if that many people aren’t finishing your food, maybe you put too much on there or it’s not that good.
I don’t know about their serving sizes, but I find that most places in my area put entirely too much food on my plate. Even when I order just an appetizer for a meal. I’ve also eaten at places where I get all excited about an offering, and when I take a bite, the food is absolutely repulsive.
I think that I wouldn’t burden this place with my presence.
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### Author:  [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)
#### Post date: [June 4, 2010, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clean-your-plate-or-eat-somewhere-else/541930/25 "2010-06-04T19:04:42Z")
I ate at a Chinese buffet in Amsterdam. There was a sign over the table, saying that if you don’t clean your plate, you’ll be charged _ **for an entire additional meal!** _
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### Author:  [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)
#### Post date: [June 4, 2010, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clean-your-plate-or-eat-somewhere-else/541930/26 "2010-06-04T19:09:58Z")
I wouldn’t eat at a buffet that would charge me for uneaten food. The whole point of a buffet is to decadently waste food.
But seriously, I don’t waste a lot of food at buffets but I often have a little bit left over.
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### Author:  [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)
#### Post date: [June 4, 2010, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clean-your-plate-or-eat-somewhere-else/541930/27 "2010-06-04T19:20:03Z")
> [@AuntiePam](#):
>
> So they take your containers back to the kitchen and load up your order? Bizarre.
Nah, they just mean for take-out or a doggy bag, it’s better to bring your own containers. We do this at a couple neighborhood spots that have take-out counters. We show up with Tupperware and margarine containers and they fit it in as best they can. At a couple places they’re used to us, so we can call in our orders and they start preparing it, but wait for us to arrive before packing it up in whatever containers we provide.
They don’t fill our containers to the brim or anything. They just prepare a standard order of whatever and then fit it best they can. It’s not as pretty, but we’re taking it home to eat on plates anyway.
ETA: The policy… do they surcharge you if you take the food home with you? Or do they only charge you the penalty if the food is going in the garbage?
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### Author:  [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)
#### Post date: [June 4, 2010, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clean-your-plate-or-eat-somewhere-else/541930/28 "2010-06-04T19:38:16Z")
According to the article they don’t charge you MORE if you don’t eat all your food. They give you a 30% discount if you eat all your food. That’s a bit of a difference.
It reminds me of a Dilbert cartoon, where the waiter at an all-you-can-eat resturaunt wants to charge Dilbert more because he “obviously” too more than he could eat.
Then Dilbert turns to Dogbert and says “Help.” Dogbert explains the sign says “All you CAN eat, not all you DID eat.” Thus he saved his owner once again 🙂
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### Author:  [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)
#### Post date: [June 4, 2010, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clean-your-plate-or-eat-somewhere-else/541930/29 "2010-06-04T19:44:28Z")
Sounds a bit too oppressively this-is-what-you-SHOULD-be-doing for me. I’m sure it’s coincidental that Australia fines its citizens for not voting, too. 😉
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### Author:  [@MTCicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MTCicero)
#### Post date: [June 4, 2010, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clean-your-plate-or-eat-somewhere-else/541930/30 "2010-06-04T19:51:54Z")
> [@silenus](#):
>
> [Link](http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37507696/ns/world_news-asiapacific/)
>
> _An Australian restaurateur fed up with the waste left by diners has ordered her customers to eat everything on their plates or pay a penalty and be banned from her eatery._
>
> Opinions? Personally I wouldn’t eat anywhere the chef had that kind of attitude.
This seems to be the prevailing attitude at the local Chinese buffets, from what I hear. I was thinking that it must be cultural\*, as this is definitely _not_ the prevailing attitude at the local Golden Corral.
\*I dined at a nearby Chinese restaurant (not a buffet) several years ago with the wife and some friends, and the wife and I ordered an appetizer of crab rangoon. It was a _huge_ order, and, as we both had entrées coming, we both at a few, and then left the rest to box up and take home with us. When our (older) waitress brought out our entrées, she looked at the plate of uneaten crab rangoon, looked at me, and fairly _yelled_, “Why you no finish dat? Why you no eat it?” It was mostly amusing, but also a little off-putting and infuriating, as well.
ETA: Ha! Just clicked on the link and noticed that the chef is Asian. My hypothesis stands!
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### Author:  [@Huerta88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Huerta88)
#### Post date: [June 4, 2010, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clean-your-plate-or-eat-somewhere-else/541930/31 "2010-06-04T20:48:44Z")
> [@MTCicero](#):
>
> When our (older) waitress brought out our entrées, she looked at the plate of uneaten crab rangoon, looked at me, and fairly _yelled_, “Why you no finish dat? Why you no eat it?” It was mostly amusing, but also a little off-putting and infuriating, as well.
At various periods in my life I’ve eaten in a lot of Chinese restaurants, often as the only or one of the only non-Chinese. I developed a theory, which is tentative but has not been vetoed by Chinese friends, as to why indeed Chinese waiters tended to get upset if I ordered “too much” (my friends and I tend to eat like snakes, one huge meal a day, so we’d usually get many many dishes, which often elicited a “too much!” protest (we always finished or on rare occasions took the leftovers, so there was no real downside). The theory goes that most rank and file Chinese patrons (first or second generation) are cheap (yes, yes but . . . I think most Chinese would confirm the penchant for . . . thrift and saving). I hypothesized that the waiters tried hard to prevent over-ordering so as to avoid being yelled at by Chinese clientele who felt they’d been tricked or negligently allowed to order “too much.”\* It was consistent with the very worried tone the waiters would take when they thought our ordering was getting out of hand.
An alternate hypothesis was that the Asian hospitality culture applecart gets upset if it looks like you didn’t like/want to finish the food they brought you.
\*this theory has potential flaws in it because IME, Chinese are often to maybe even frequently okay with doggy bags, so is it really “wasted?” – it’d work even better with Japanese, who IME are extremely uncomfortable with the concept of taking restaurant food home.
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### Author:  [@Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bam_Boo_Gut)
#### Post date: [June 4, 2010, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clean-your-plate-or-eat-somewhere-else/541930/32 "2010-06-04T22:32:40Z")
> [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](#):
>
> snip
>
> ETA: The policy… do they surcharge you if you take the food home with you? Or do they only charge you the penalty if the food is going in the garbage?
They follow you home … 😃
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### Author:  [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)
#### Post date: [June 5, 2010, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clean-your-plate-or-eat-somewhere-else/541930/33 "2010-06-05T00:00:49Z")
> [@Bam\_Boo\_Gut](#):
>
> They follow you home … 😃
. . . and if necessary, they check your trash.
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### Author:  [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)
#### Post date: [June 5, 2010, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clean-your-plate-or-eat-somewhere-else/541930/34 "2010-06-05T00:42:13Z")
This guy’s attitude makes me want to bring my own food from home and leave it lying on the plate, just to see his head asplode.
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### Author:  [@Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aji_de_Gallina)
#### Post date: [June 5, 2010, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clean-your-plate-or-eat-somewhere-else/541930/35 "2010-06-05T01:01:03Z")
What if I “accidentally” drop my leftovers? Do I still get my discount?
My plate was clean
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### Author:  [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)
#### Post date: [June 5, 2010, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clean-your-plate-or-eat-somewhere-else/541930/36 "2010-06-05T02:43:20Z")
I ate at a buffet-style place recently which charges extra if you leave too much food on your plate. The advice was very clear: “There’s plenty of food. Take only what you need. If you want more, you can always come back”.
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### Author:  [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)
#### Post date: [June 5, 2010, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clean-your-plate-or-eat-somewhere-else/541930/37 "2010-06-05T03:54:19Z")
In a buffet type place, I can see charging more if you really leave a ton on your plate. I’ve seen people stock up several plates and have a few bites. That’s on them for taking it in the first place. But in a proper restaurant, you get what the chef serves, and at least for me, it’s usually always more than I can eat. Rarely have I \*ever \*finished everything on my plate, and I usually don’t even order appetizers, salad, soup or dessert. I just get an entree. It’s still too much.
> [@Marxxx](#):
>
> According to the article they don’t charge you MORE if you don’t eat all your food. They give you a 30% discount if you eat all your food. That’s a bit of a difference.
Hmm. The article seems to have it both ways. According to them, if you don’t eat everything you will “pay a penalty” however if you do finish you get a 30% discount. So does that mean they charge an additional amount on top of the original price, or is that 30% considered the penalty?
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### Author:  [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)
#### Post date: [June 5, 2010, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clean-your-plate-or-eat-somewhere-else/541930/38 "2010-06-05T04:02:18Z")
What a storm in a yu-nomi.
I have eaten there years ago and the owner/chef circulates among the diners all the time, making sure that people are happy and assessing how hungry they are.
She is simply asking that people don’t order more than they need. She would rather you order two things that you will finish than 5 things that you will eat bits of. It wouldn’t be a concern if she was running a western restaurant - people don’t order three different mains and eat bits of them but you often see it amongst greedy people in Asian places. That’s why she suggests sharing the plates.
Oh, and she won’t care about people not going. She has long refused entry to singles and people she doesn’t want in the place. And business seems not to suffer.
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### Author:  [@MTCicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MTCicero)
#### Post date: [June 5, 2010, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clean-your-plate-or-eat-somewhere-else/541930/39 "2010-06-05T04:14:27Z")
> [@don\_t\_ask](#):
>
> Oh, and she won’t care about people not going. She has long refused entry to singles and people she doesn’t want in the place. And business seems not to suffer.
What a silly bunt.
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### Author:  [@Apocalypso](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apocalypso)
#### Post date: [June 5, 2010, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clean-your-plate-or-eat-somewhere-else/541930/40 "2010-06-05T04:59:15Z")
> [@don\_t\_ask](#):
>
> Oh, and she won’t care about people not going. She has long refused entry to singles and people she doesn’t want in the place. And business seems not to suffer.
Wait wait wait…they deny single people service? Do they ask for proof that you’re married? What about divorcees? And what other people doesn’t she want in the place? Damn this sounds discriminatory. I definitely couldn’t see myself eating somewhere that was so uptight and prejudiced about every little aspect of it. Do they check the kind of car you drive and deny SUVers? Reject people that buy clothes at Wal-Mart (although I can kinda get behind this one :p)
The funniest thing about this is their web site has the tagline “guilty free” all over it. :rolleyes:
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