Women Asked To Leave Restaurant For Wasting Food

[staceyy]

My daughter called me this morning and read me an article about a family who were kicked out of an" all you can eat " restaurant because they were wasting food. The restaurant employees said the patrons would fill up their plates, take one bite, and throw the rest of the food away. They said they observed this family doing this on several different occasions.So they asked them to leave and not come back. They said this was an "all you can eat", not an "all you can waste" restaurant.

I understand the employees being upset, as I also hate to see food wasted. However, I also feel that if someone pays for their food, they're entitled to do what they want with it. If this infuriates the employees so, I feel they should not have an "all you can eat" restaurant. The story can be found at DesMoinesregister.com. Be sure to read the opinions that follow the article.

[Darlene]

My take~When they are piling on the same food that they just poo pood and not eat it again they are just wasting food and I'm with the owners on this one. The owners have the right to bar anyone who doesn't behave.
If it were an occasional "I tried this it's not to my liking" I'd understand. And to not help your children make choices about what they would really eat is just not right.
Just my opinion.

[staceyy]

Okay, I'm rethinking my position. An "all you can eat" restaurant is different from a regular restaurant In a regular restaurant you pay for your food and leave and no one cares if you then throw it away. In an "all you can eat restaurant, the food is meant to be eaten in the establishment. Therefore, I feel they have the right to police what happens there. I am against waste and feel people should act responsibly.

[baxjul]

My opinion is that they were not paying for "all they can eat" as they were just pretty much wasting it. If you were to add up the cost of how much they wasted, how much would it be? Probably alot!

[Kimberlina]

I agree with Julie and Darlene- and the owners. It is "All You Can Eat," NOT "All You Can Dump In the Trash." I could throw away a LOT more food than I can eat. The article says that they have eaten there often- surely by now they know what they like and what they don't like, and at 5 and 7, the kids are old enough to be taught a lesson about not wasting food. Also, $5.95 is REALLY cheap for dinner, so I highly doubt they are making any money when the family is dumping all that food. Why on earth would you give a child 4 egg rolls, especially if you have the attitude that this woman does, that kids won't always eat what you give them? Let them try one, and if they like it, you can always go back for more.

I wonder if she lets them do this at home? "Go ahead, honey, dump that whole box of cereal into your bowl. It's okay if you only eat two bites and then throw it away. There's another box in the pantry. Heck, why don't you do it again tomorrow?" If she actually had to pay for the food a la carte, I can bet you she wouldn't allow all that waste. She is being a bad steward. I'd love to hear what Dave Ramsey's (non-financial) take is on this.

Of course, I am not a buffet fan anyway. They always MAKE lots of money off me- I hardly eat anything at them and avoid them like the plague.

[frugalandsimple]

I'm with the owners on this one and agree with the above posters has to say.

[Hollyhandi]

I was at an all you can eat place yesterday.
I don't think we wasted anything . It was all very good.
I was thinking of this story while we were there.

[missymomof3]

I have to agree. There is no reason why someone should allow their kids to waste that much food. Like my grandmother used to say "Waste not, want not!". I would never allow my kids to do that! Some people just think that it's not theirs, so who cares! That just bugs me to death.

[Vannie]

I'm with the owners on this one and agree with the above posters has to say.
__________________
Jill

I have to agree. I just saw this story on AOL video ths morning and was just getting ready to e-mail it to a friend. Like Kimberly, I am not a fan of buffet restaurants. I only go when I am the "odd" one and everyone else wants to go, then I eat very little. But I have seen waste, and it's not just the kiddies who pile their plates. It is appalling when this happens. I think some people have the wrong idea about buffet restaurants, I doubt very much that they pile food on a plate the same way at home.

Good Morning America: Family Banned From All-You-Can Eat Buffet
http://us.video.aol.com/video.index....pmmsid=1642177

[Nada.Leona]

I'm wondering what kind of example this is setting for the children. Certain establishments are created so people can benefit from them, not be abused by them -- this is like a person going to a library and tearing the page they want out of every magazine and then leaving them there for other people. Just makes no sense to me. You make use of establishments like this, you don't abuse them mercilessly. That's just silly.

[Kimberlina]

SO I watched th video and found it VERY ironic that Wendy Dersham, the mother, says "What you can eat, you take." If the story is remotely accurate, that isn't what her family was doing.

"What you CAN EAT, you take." Obviously she doesn't believe her own statement.

Also, it is only $2 for kids, so if they are throwing away lots of food, the restaurant is probably losing a LOT of money on this family.

[KKCondrey]

We use to eat at a Chinese Buffett that had a sign at the bar that said.....Please do not take more than you can eat, you may be charged for excess food left on plates.....or something like that.

I never saw them charge anyone extra, but I also never really saw anyone pile so much food on their plates there, that you couldn't tell what was what.

[Lorri]

When I think of an all you can eat buffet it is normally so you can try new things or have a SMALL amount of all the things that you like. I have to agree with the owners on this one too. Please take what you want but eat what you take.