Stop Doing This at Restaurants...

[Steve Kroll]

If you use the right detergent, you don't need to rinse the plates

Commercial dishwashers work a little differently. They're designed to clean fast and sanitize. They wash dishes in minutes, rather than an hour or more, like home units do. It might be different these days, but when I worked in a restaurant, you pre-scrubbed the plates before they went into the machine. They had to be somewhat clean going in, or food was baked on when they came out.

 

[CakePoet]

The machine I worked with from March to end of May, no need for scrubbing, the high pressure hose did that, you just rinsed the plates and put in to the machine.

 

[bakechef]

If you stack plates with food bits still on them, you have to rinse off BOTH SIDES of the plate before putting it into the DW.

I scrape but never rinse. Stuff can sit for a couple days and still comes out of the dishwasher sparkling clean. I imagine commercial dishwashers would give a similar result.

 

[bakechef]

Shrek is the table busser when we eat out. As Larry shows above, how could any wait staff object to this practice?

Rob stacks and tidies up and sometimes I find myself wiping up spots. We make a great team of weirdos.

He also likes to collect everyone's menu after they've ordered to "help" the waitress out.

 

[FrankZ]

I wonder how the person who wrote this would feel if we reverse this... things to not do when you are waiting on me:

Don't pre-bus the table. That's right, I like sitting and having dessert or coffee with dirty dishes spread around the table. And if you don't pre-bus I will stack them to get them out of my way so I can enjoy the meal I am paying for.

 

[Addie]

Good idea.
Keep an eye on my table so you can see when all of us are through. But don't hover over us at the same time. Don't make us sit there waiting for our check. Waiting, waiting, etc. Did it ever occur to you we might have plans for the rest of the evening? We would like to be on our way.

 

[Cooking Goddess]

It's surprising how quickly a server can deliver that bill to the table when everyone stands up and starts putting on coats/jackets!

 

[taxlady]

I wonder how the person who wrote this would feel if we reverse this... things to not do when you are waiting on me:

Don't pre-bus the table. That's right, I like sitting and having dessert or coffee with dirty dishes spread around the table. And if you don't pre-bus I will stack them to get them out of my way so I can enjoy the meal I am paying for.

What does "pre-bus" mean?

 

[Addie]

What does "pre-bus" mean?

It means they clear the table of all dirty dishes and barely leave your dessert and the utensil you are eating with and coffee cup or drink vessel. And they don't bother to refill your coffee cup. I guess you are supposed to eat your dessert without anything to wash it down. Some will even take away the water glass.

 

[Addie]

It's surprising how quickly a server can deliver that bill to the table when everyone stands up and starts putting on coats/jackets!

One evening I was out with my sister and we couldn't get the waitress to bring our bill. We stood up and put our coat on. Still no response. I had to assume it was the manager, but he went over to her to tell her we were leaving. "I am on my break. They can just wait." He came over with the bill and apologized. We left no tip. I hope she enjoyed her break. We had the feeling that her break was going to be longer than she expected the next day.

 

[taxlady]

It means they clear the table of all dirty dishes and barely leave your dessert and the utensil you are eating with and coffee cup or drink vessel. And they don't bother to refill your coffee cup. I guess you are supposed to eat your dessert without anything to wash it down. Some will even take away the water glass.

Then I really don't understand Frank's post.

 

[FrankZ]

Pre-bussing a table is when you remove the dirty dishes from the table.

I will start stacking you can't be bothered to remove dishes that I am done with.

Wait staff that goes to or comes from the kitchen empty handed annoy me.

 

[GotGarlic]

Then I really don't understand Frank's post.

That's not what it means. Pre-busing means removing the dirty plates (although I don't call it that) before bringing dessert. Frank was being sarcastic.

 

[taxlady]

Pre-bussing a table is when you remove the dirty dishes from the table.

I will start stacking you can't be bothered to remove dishes that I am done with.

Wait staff that goes to or comes from the kitchen empty handed annoy me.

That's not what it means. Pre-busing means removing the dirty plates (although I don't call it that) before bringing dessert. Frank was being sarcastic.

D'oh!

Yeah, almost any time that I, as a customer, stack the dishes, I am being sarcastic.

 

[GotGarlic]

Pre-bussing a table is when you remove the dirty dishes from the table.

I will start stacking you can't be bothered to remove dishes that I am done with.

Wait staff that goes to or comes from the kitchen empty handed annoy me.

Me too! That's one of the primary things I learned when I was a waitress in college. DH worked in restaurants in high school, so we both get annoyed and remark on that to each other, especially when we've been waiting a while for our food, or for the table to be cleared.

 

[CarolPa]

We have had the server leave the check while we were still eating and say "I'm going to leave this, but will be back to check on you." And they were. That way, if we wanted to leave when finished, we didn't have to wait for the check. We hate to sit there waiting.

 

[CarolPa]

Wait staff that goes to or comes from the kitchen empty handed annoy me.

What if they are going into the kitchen to see if your food is ready? Or coming out to see if you need anything else?

 

[GotGarlic]

What if they are going into the kitchen to see if your food is ready? Or coming out to see if you need anything else?

They should be picking up dirty dishes from wherever they see them, or offering more water or coffee as they go around checking on customers and food.

 

[Merlot]

One thing is for sure, you can't please everyone! Our preference is a pleasant server, we can be quite a bit of a Chatty Cathy/ chuck which apparently isn't always liked but we have met a lot of nice people on our travels. We also want our drinks, whatever they may be refilled and the check without waiting a long time!

 

[larry_stewart]

One thing that annoys me, is when the restaurant is not busy at all, and the waiter/ waitress disappears on you. If its prime time, craziness, its one thing, but when you go at an off time, and they don't check on you as you sit there patiently waiting for water glass to be filled, the check, or whatever. That annoys me the most.