Do you save sauce packets,ect.. from resturants?

**cebsme** · 05-17-2007, 01:00 PM

Growing up I always thought my mom was crazy for saving extra sauce packets and such from restaurants. Now more and more I find myself saving everyone i dont use that im given or grab ( i dont grab a ton more than i think i will use just to save them.) That and cups, little cups with lids, i wash them out and reuse them. So i wondered how many people do this? And what do you use them for?

My mom used to grab about 50 ketchup packets everytime we went out to eat, and fill up the ketchup bottle. I just use them for my husbands lunches, for camping, and picnics.

**guest56464** · 05-17-2007, 01:11 PM

Oh yes, I do the same thing. Or sometimes when we're out I'll just walk into a place and ask for sauces. They usually give it if I say I just went through drive thru.

**Neeley** · 05-17-2007, 01:13 PM

No because we only take what we will use and if given too many we hand them back or leave them on the table.

I worked as a manager of a Lonestar Steakhouse for a few years and all of those extra napkins, packets of ketchup, mayo, mustard, salt, sugar etc... are really expensive. We missed making our budgeted food costs a few times because of the cost of "to-go" items, which meant we missed our bonuses. They are a part of the food costs involved in running a restaurant whether it is fast food, fine dining or somewhere in between. The restaurant does not get them free and utimately someone has to pay for them and the cost of them gets passed on to the consumer in the end.

I do reuse plastic drinking cups from places like Captain D's, large Icees, Taco Bell etc....I will wash out the cups and give them to the kids when they go to the ballpark or out playing. I would rather not give them my good drinking glasses since I know I would never get them back.

**McD** · 05-17-2007, 01:19 PM

I do with soy sauce and sweet and sour sauce. If you drizzle sweet and sour sauce over chicken and bake it, it's really good.

I use the soy sauce to make fried rice.

**cebsme** · 05-17-2007, 01:21 PM

I realize that they arent free. Im talking about when i go through the drivethru, im not going to specifically ask for a certain amount, and some of the workers are overzealous in the amount they hand out. If take more than i need when i sit down someplace i take the leftovers home because ive asked every restaurant we eat at in town has the same policy if it was on the table it has to be thrown away. I used to work fast food. Our boss even had the same policy if it went over the counter it doesnt came back in. Any food item that had a mistake had to be tossed or given to the customer free with a replacement. Any sauce packet on the tables or not in the containers where they were intended to be stored had to be tossed away. Ive seen that many places.

**justpeachy92** · 05-17-2007, 01:31 PM

I don't grab more then what I think I will need when we go to places that have them, but if I do take 4 ketchups and we only use 3 I will keep the extra one, I have some in a ziplock baggie in the car for when I hit the drive thru and they don't give me any/I forgot to ask for some. I also have a little cup on the door of the fridge I will put some in if they are ever needed for a packed lunch.

**cheriede** · 05-17-2007, 01:43 PM

The only sauce packet that I will take home are from Chick-Fil-A. My husband and daughters like the Honey Mustard and BBQ, so if we get extras I will bring them home. I just have to remember to take them out of the diaper bag. One time, I forgot to take them out one time and I put my daugther in the child care while working I was working out. I came back and she was cover in Chick-Fil-A Honey Mustard.

Also, I will take extra hand wipe packets if they put them with our meals. I have 4 kids and you never know when they will come in handy. I've actually had to use them for diaper wipes because I failed to adequately prepare for a trip. After my 4th child, my mind is pretty much shot and it's a wonder we have made it this far.

I save some of the restaurant cups for my children to use. They tend to go through a lot of cups and I've seen how they treat stuff.

**itsahumanzoo** · 05-17-2007, 02:04 PM

I always save the extras, although my husband throws them away without me noticing. I also save the parmesan cheese packets from pizza hut. So when I take leftover pasta to work for lunch I can put the cheese on top!

**Radish4ever** · 05-17-2007, 02:08 PM

Cherie, did you have to go and mention Chick-fil-a? LOL I looooove that place!!!

As far as the packets go, if they are given to us, then we keep them.... especially lite mayo (one of our Chickfilas used to carry this and I would use them for tuna later on) and soy sauce. I actually just bought my first-ever bottle of soy sauce at the store the other day. LOL

**Cricket1** · 05-17-2007, 02:58 PM

I keep the extras from what we're given. Let me tell ya--my boys LOOOOVVVE the sweet and sour sauce from McDonalds so I hoard those extras.

**jlaporte** · 05-17-2007, 03:18 PM

i do the same thing with sauces naokins everything!!my husband is a mgr at KFC. so i know all about not meeting bonus because of paper costs!!!but if were going to eat at a fast food place they can't reuse it so if we dont bring them homw they'd go in the trash! my mom used to think i was crazy for doing this but now she saves hers for me. we never have enouph ketchup. my sons litterally drink it or drown there food with it. yuck. with me it's honey mustard...but only from kfc.it's thr best tasting.then agian i am biased because it supports my family.

**Ceashels** · 05-17-2007, 03:20 PM

I save the extras we get too. I also fill a ziptop with duck, soy, and mustard sauce and soy and hand them back to the driver when we get chinese. The best though is the honey mustard and the horseysauce from Arby's. They go on everything.

**momof42003** · 05-17-2007, 03:33 PM

If we are given extra we keep it... Taco Bell is the worst... I do not need to buy hot sauce for quite a while.. We also have sweet and sour sauce, soy, and the extra sauces McDonalds gives us... Each time I order mozzerella sticks from Arbys they automatically give me marina sauce.. Have quite a few of those too.... We save the extra napkins (usually kept in the car for quick clean ups), straws, and the once in a while extra spoon/fork utensils..

When eating in we take and use only what we need...

**Missy** · 05-17-2007, 05:03 PM

seems like when we go to mc d's or other drive throu's they load our take out bag with sauces. So I keep the ones we don't use. I keep them in a tupperware container and eventually will use them for bagged lunches/ etc.