Servers on TikTok started a debate about restaurant etiquette after saying you shouldn't stack plates at the end of a meal
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- Two servers have ignited a debate about restaurant etiquette.
- They stacked their plates at the end of the meal, saying they know some waiters find it annoying.
- While some do think it's a hassle, others said it was helpful.
Two servers ignited a debate about restaurant etiquette with a TikTok showing them stacking their plates at the end of their meal.
Jorj Fuchs and her friend, who both work in food service, stacked their plates at a restaurant they were visiting, saying they know fellow servers find it annoying.
"Two girls who work in food service cleaning up our mess," Fuchs wrote in a caption, adding, "They hate when we do this."
The correct etiquette in restaurants has been a topic of much discussion on TikTok, including whether to confront customers who don't tip, and comparisons over how baby boomers and Gen Zs leave their tables in restaurants.
People in the comments on Fuchs' video, which amassed over 800,000 views, were divided on whether servers really do find it a hassle when customers try to do their jobs for them.
One fellow server said she appreciated the effort, but trying to be helpful in this way can end up making a "bigger mess."
Another said a server got angry at them for stacking their plates, because the bottom got dirty. "But it feels wrong leaving them!!" they added.
"As a server, don't do it if u can't stack properly," one comment reads. "But thank you to those who do."
Many commenters seemed to agree there was a correct way to help out the staff, and that was not to stuff napkins into any cups or sauce left on the plates.
"I don't wanna fish ur utensils or napkins out of food or any type of liquid," one person wrote.
"It's the stuffing napkins in bowls or drinks that gets annoying, because then I have to fish them out and they're all soggy," said another. "Love the plate stacking though."
Many servers said they usually appreciated guests stacking the plates, especially if the restaurant is busy, and if they make one "trash plate" with all the leftovers on it.
"It's better than leaving a huge mess!" one server wrote.
"Just make sure the silverware isn't gonna fall off the plate," said another. "That's all I care about lol."
Another tip to note was not to slack plates on top of silverware, several servers pointed out, because it makes the tower unsteady.
"You don't find out until you almost drop 6 plates on grandma," one said.