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Clean up after you, you inconsiderate pig (Fast food restaurants rant)

Commotion Ocean

I occasionally go to McDonalds or Burger King or KFC with the fairer half, Mrs. Dfeo on a Friday or Saturday night when out for pints. I know they're not examples of fine dining before anyone mentions it.

What really pisses me off, is seeing tables abandoned with trays, drinks and wrappers all over the place. How hard is it to keep everything on your tray when eating, and lift it up and put it in the bin when finished.

EVERY time I go to McDonalds, I make it my business to clear the table after me and if I leave a spill or a bit of sauce, I'll dab it up with a tissue.

And before anyone says it's the job of the staff to clear up; why can't you just lift your tray and put stuff into the conveniently-placed bins? Not only is it inconsiderate to leave a mess for staff to clean up, it's also the height of rudeness and inconsideration for the person using the table next.

Last night, I arrived in a packed-to-the-rafters McDonalds to tables that were strewn with rubbish and little puddle of liquid on the table.

Inconsiderate b*****ds.

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Wompa1

The first time I brought my wife to Ireland, on her very first day in the country, we were waiting for some of the better restaurants to start to open around 4pm but were getting tired so decided to just get fast food and head back to the hotel to sleep.

While we waited for our food she was shocked and disgusted that people weren't clearing up after themselves.

We then walked out of town toward the hotel, dodging dog **** on the path as we went. I still remember what she said as it seemed so spot on:

"I guess if they won't pick up after themselves, they aren't going to pick up after their dogs"

Sad state of affairs!

Arghus

Muahahaha wrote: »

Fast food managers deliberately under staff their restaurants to get customers to do the clean up shocker.

You direct your ire at the customers for not wanting to do the bosses work for him. Instead you should direct it at the boss who deliberately under staffs the restaurant.

Weatherspoons here and in the UK operate a food business where the prices of their daily specials are on a par with a buying a large Big Mac meal. The staff in Weatherspoons take your food to your table and then clear the plates afterwards. Last time I checked Weatherspoons was listed on the stock exchange and is a very profitable company whilst still operating on tight margins. If they can provide enough staff to keep their tables clean then so can McDonalds. There really is no excuse for it and really the only reason fast food restaurants do it is to increase profitability. By putting "Thank You" on their bins they think they are shaming customers into doing their work for them. More fool the people that do I say, if no one did it they would simply have to employ more staff. Not much wrong with that that I can see.

Dress it up whatever way you like, there's no shame in good manners.

A company doesn't print "thank you" on a bin because they want to shame you. They print it because they want to thank you - acknowledging your custom and doing something that's appreciated. Plus, it's nice.

Isn't it nice to be considerate? What does it cost you?

Muahahaha

Arghus wrote: »

Dress it up whatever way you like, there's no shame in good manners.

A company doesn't print "thank you" on a bin because they want to shame you. They print it because they want to thank you - acknowledging your custom and doing something that's appreciated. Plus, it's nice.

Isn't it nice to be considerate? What does it cost you?

Thats rubbish and you know it. Plenty of businesses put a "Thank you for your custom" sign on the door on the way out. Thats the place for it for a Thank You sign, not the fcuking bin in an obvious attempt to coerce customers into doing their work for them. This is the same American culture that has inflitrated Ireland to the point now that taxi drivers scowl because they think they deserve a tip for doing their job of driving you down the road. Which is ironic as tipping is mandatory in American food establishments but guess what, it is not mandatory in McDonalds. Ask yourself why that is, it is because McDonalds structured it that way so their staff are not tipped in the US. Thus giving them an extra advantage over conventional restaurants as it is known you dont have to tip in McDonalds. Suits the corporate guys at the top down to the ground but its pretty sh1t for the staff who do the same food service work but dont get a cent in tips.

And this argument isnt anything to do with good manners, or lazyness or anything of the other things bandied about here. If the staff dont want to clear tables then it is them who are lazy and they should find themselves a different job if it really bothers them that much. They are clearly not suited to working in a fast food restaurant and rather than moaning about it they should find a different line of employment that they will enjoy.

If customers clear their tray away there isnt a snowballs chance in hell that the table is getting wiped down. Ketchup, salt, split Coke or even babies puke might be on that table yet you already admitted in your previous post that even if staff do clear the tables they still might not bother their hole in wiping the table clean. Which sounds like lazy staff to me yet it is turned around to call the customers lazy when it is their very money that goes towards paying the wages. Also staff not cleaning tables is in direct contravention of the HACCP rules that all food handlers sign up to. Those hygiene rules are there for good reason, to prevent people in restaurants getting sick.

Anyway I couldnt care less. I will continue on leaving my tray and staff will continue on clearing it up as per their job description that they signed up to when they applied. If clearing a few tables is such an onerous task I really pity them when they finish college and get out into the real world.

Arghus

Muahahaha wrote: »

Thats rubbish and you know it. Plenty of businesses put a "Thank you for your custom" sign on the door on the way out. Thats the place for it for a Thank You sign, not the fcuking bin in an obvious attempt to coerce customers into doing their work for them. This is the same American culture that has inflitrated Ireland to the point now that taxi drivers scowl because they think they deserve a tip for doing their job of driving you down the road. Which is ironic as tipping is mandatory in American food establishments but guess what, it is not mandatory in McDonalds. Ask yourself why that is, it is because McDonalds structured it that way so their staff are not tipped in the US. Thus giving them an extra advantage over conventional restaurants as it is known you dont have to tip in McDonalds. Suits the corporate guys at the top down to the ground but its pretty sh1t for the staff who do the same food service work but dont get a cent in tips.

And this argument isnt anything to do with good manners, or lazyness or anything of the other things bandied about here. If the staff dont want to clear tables then it is them who are lazy and they should find themselves a different job if it really bothers them that much. They are clearly not suited to working in a fast food restaurant and rather than moaning about it they should find a different line of employment that they will enjoy.

If customers clear their tray away there isnt a snowballs chance in hell that the table is getting wiped down. Ketchup, salt, split Coke or even babies puke might be on that table yet you already admitted in your previous post that even if staff do clear the tables they still might not bother their hole in wiping the table clean. Which sounds like lazy staff to me yet it is turned around to call the customers lazy when it is their very money that goes towards paying the wages. Also staff not cleaning tables is in direct contravention of the HACCP rules that all food handlers sign up to. Those hygiene rules are there for good reason, to prevent people in restaurants getting sick.

Anyway I couldnt care less. I will continue on leaving my tray and staff will continue on clearing it up as per their job description that they signed up to when they applied. If clearing a few tables is such an onerous task I really pity them when they finish college and get out into the real world.

The length of your rant begs to differ.

A thank you sign on a bin seems entirely appropriate to me because it's an acknowledgement of something done, not because of an obligation, but because you had the personal courtesy and grace to do it.

You say the debate has nothing to do with manners and lazyness. Well, obviously, you would say that as your attitude reflects badly on yours, or lack therof.

No-one is asking for extra tips or asking for extra money from you, you've brought up that irrelevant point yourself.

And I would say that your final jibe about how people will find it tough "when they leave college and get out into the real world" betrays your condescending attitude towards the people who happen to work in a fast food restaurant. In the real world it's a job for some people.

spurious

As with so many things, the reason/answer/cause is parenting. It is the reason one person is a filthy pig and the reason another is not.

Watch the parents get up and leave their filth and you see them training the spawn to do the same.

Jesus.

Wompa1 wrote: »

The first time I brought my wife to Ireland, on her very first day in the country, we were waiting for some of the better restaurants to start to open around 4pm but were getting tired so decided to just get fast food and head back to the hotel to sleep.

Yeah right

spurious

Deleted User wrote:

Please don't put your full, half full, or even nearly empty cup in the bin. Place it on top of the bin, or better yet, leave it and the tray on the table.

Or purchase a size you will finish.

Elliott S

If people are going to be little piggies, they should at least own it. Coming up with some noble reason for not binning your rubbish is laughable. You're just not bothered, that's all there is to it.

Poor Uncle Tom

Elliott S wrote: »

If people are going to be little piggies, they should at least own it. Coming up with some noble reason for not binning your rubbish is laughable. You're just not bothered, that's all there is to it.

mmmmm, any place that serves little piglets? you can keep your trays, papers and 8n irons, I just want to get stuck into a dozen of the little f**kers. The clean up, just burn the table afterwards.

HellSquirrel

I always do, and so does my fiance. Maybe it's just how we were reared, but neither of us will leave a restaurant, especially one that has the bins for doing just that (fast-food places on the rare occassion we're there) without cleaning our table. He's worked in restaurants long enough to know how to stack things efficiently too, so he'll often stack the crockery to make it easier to clear - I know there's two streams of thinking on whether or not that helps the staff, but he does know what he's doing and isn't going to balance a plate on a gravy jug!

It takes five seconds to clear up after yourself (assuming you weren't fluhooluck with the ketchup all over the table), although I'd give a pass to people corralling small children or elderly people who might have difficulty carrying a tray to the bins, I really don't see the issue with it.

Besides, I don't like leaving my mess for someone to clear up. And from my own experience waitressing (god I hated that job), I was always grateful when people made a bit of effort to be considerate.

JustTheOne

People are just inconsiderate arseholes in general I have noticed.

Advbrd

JustTheOne wrote: »

People are just inconsiderate arseholes in general I have noticed.

I have to disagree. Most people I have encountered in life are considerate. You just tend to remember the ar$eholes.

homerjay2005

whats worrying about this is that almost 20% of people actually believe they shouldnt clean up after themselves.

no wonder places look a mess when every 1 in 5 acts like a pig. and its not just exclusive to restaurants either - the state that some people leave their seating areas on planes, especially after medium hall flights where more food is served, is an embarrassment for this country.

you get off some flights and its like a bin was tipped over in some seats, such is the mess.

TerrorFirmer

Personally I'd always clear away my tray, it takes a few seconds and it's just good manners. At the very least, I'd expect someone to at least leave their rubbish on the tray to make it easier for the worker to just pick it up and take it to the bin - it's disgusting seeing people leaving behind a table with wrappers, tissues, bits of food etc just strewn over the table.

Obviously you can't clean up after yourself in a proper restaurant in the same manner so it's a stupid comparison, but in the same show of manners, most people try and ensure that they're tidied to a degree that makes it easist for the waiter or waitress to take them away - you wouldn't leave your plate in the centre, a dirty fork thrown elsewhere, a knife smeared with food on the other side of the table, dirty napkin on the floor, etc, would you?

Elliott S

homerjay2005 wrote: »

whats worrying about this is that almost 20% of people actually believe they shouldnt clean up after themselves.

I know and some of them offer up weak justifications too. Shameless.

homerjay2005 wrote: »

no wonder places look a mess when every 1 in 5 acts like a pig. and its not just exclusive to restaurants either - the state that some people leave their seating areas on planes, especially after medium hall flights where more food is served, is an embarrassment for this country.

you get off some flights and its like a bin was tipped over in some seats, such is the mess.

I know, what is that about? Cinema seats too. "It's someone else's job" is never an excuse to be a slob. It'd be like someone not putting their own dirty underwear in their laundry hamper simply because they hire a cleaner.

Inspector Coptoor

meeeeh wrote: »

Yeah right. All you are doing is putting somebody under more pressure. Fast food places are set up and priced with customer's cleaning after themselves taken into account. You really think McD would sacrifice their profit margins with employing extra cleaning staff.

That has nothing to do with me though.
If I pay for food in any restaurant, I don't clean up after myself.
you're not just paying for the food, you are paying for the service.

I will put everything I use on the tray and leave it on the table.

meeeeh wrote: »

But yeah keep inventing reason for the lack of manners. .

"Inventing reasons".....
do you hear yourself?

meeeeh wrote: »

I bet you also dump stuff through the window of the car too to keep council staff in their job.

Well, you bet wrong.
That is something I have never done and never will do.

Elliott S

Inspector Coptoor wrote: »

That has nothing to do with me though.
If I pay for food in any restaurant, I don't clean up after myself.
you're not just paying for the food, you are paying for the service.

I will put everything I use on the tray and leave it on the table.

Well, as long as you own your slobbishness, then that's your call. Fast food restaurants have a self-service ethos, as do even some paying restaurants. And you are paying a lot less usually, no matter what people say. And even in service restaurants, most people will do their best to be neat. You're not going to head into the kitchen with your plate and cutlery. Whereas in a fast food place, everything is set up for easy dumping of disposable plates, cups etc. You said you put everything on the tray. It would then take about five seconds extra to dump the contents of that tray in the bin. It's laziness, nothing else. And you're not "sticking it to the Man" either by not dumping your detritus, you're sticking it to a very busy, low paid worker who doesn't get tips like the servers in proper restaurants do. Go you. Woo.

Advbrd

I clean up after myself at fast food restaurants, drop the stuff in the bin apart from the drinks/ice. My kids do the same as it is the norm for them. They have also commented on others not doing this which they see as wrong. I am perfectly happy with this and could not give a crap what others think of what we do in this instance. We also take our litter with us from the cinema, beaches, local forest park and other outdoor areas. If you can bring it with you, you can bring it home.

My little guy, when he was about 4 picked up litter that some scrote had just thrown literally two foot from a bin on a perfectly clean walkway. Scrote actually had to walk around the bin to avoid it. Little guy said "silly man" which was overheard by the scrote. He stared at me for a moment looking like he was going to challenge me but thought better of it when he interpretted the look I was giving him.

Anyway, that's just me and mine.

lawred2

Kelvin Jolly Racquet wrote: »

This old chestnut.

Well, instead of taking it out on the patrons, why don't you complain to the establishment about the state of the place?

Sounds like the place you frequent is under staffed. Cleaning up after you is nice, but that is not the customers responsibility in the end. It's managements.

It's a simple courtesy. A gesture that shows that you are mature enough to coexist within a shared society.

Gwynplaine

Darkglasses wrote: »

I'm aware of this, but I think it would be wise if there were more signage around restaurants advising people that this is a thing.

Because common sense is not very common.

Walter H Price

I cant say this is somthing i've ever really given a second thought too. I'd never go out of my way to make a table dirtier or leave it messy , somtimes i clear it somtimes i don't, just dosn't seem like that big a deal.

It does p!ss me off a bit when a place is packed and you go to sit down and somone has like evidently mashed chips into the floor or cover the bale in slat or sauce and you've to clean it yourself , but if its just a tray left there or that its no biggie to either put it over at the bin or chuck it on the table beside or that.

My OH would go mad now if you went to walk out without cleaning up but it would never bother me at all either way if im not in a rush i'd probibly do it if i am probibly wouldnt bother.

meeeeh

Inspector Coptoor wrote: »

That has nothing to do with me though.
If I pay for food in any restaurant, I don't clean up after myself.
you're not just paying for the food, you are paying for the service.

I will put everything I use on the tray and leave it on the table.

"Inventing reasons".....
do you hear yourself?

Well, you bet wrong.
That is something I have never done and never will do.

I'm sure you are proud of yourself.

Minderbinder

lawred2 wrote: »

Kelvin Jolly Racquet wrote: »

This old chestnut.

Well, instead of taking it out on the patrons, why don't you complain to the establishment about the state of the place?

Sounds like the place you frequent is under staffed. Cleaning up after you is nice, but that is not the customers responsibility in the end. It's managements.

It's a simple courtesy. A gesture that shows that you are mature enough to coexist within a shared society.

What is so special about these fast food places? Instead of being adequately staffed they had the clever idea of brainwashing their customers into thinking we should work for them.

The more people that don't help them, the sooner they'll improve their service.

Credit to them for making this a social etiquette where by it's frowned upon if you don't clean up after yourself after paying 12 for a burger and chips. I won't be participating however.

sashafierce

This post has been deleted.

lawred2

Minderbinder wrote: »

What is so special about these fast food places? Instead of being adequately staffed they had the clever idea of brainwashing their customers into thinking we should work for them.

The more people that don't help them, the sooner they'll improve their service.

Credit to them for making this a social etiquette where by it's frowned upon if you don't clean up after yourself after paying 12 for a burger and chips. I won't be participating however.

Well I don't know about yourself but I've never paid €12 for a burger and chips outside of somewhere that provides seated table service.

Seated table service is not self service which is the category that McD, Bk, SuperMacs etc all fit into. I would have thought that the words self service in themselves were self explanatory to even the most dimmest of dim people.

Nobody is expecting you to clear your own table where there is table service.

But hey - you keep on fighting the good fight.

HensVassal

Kelvin Jolly Racquet wrote: »

This old chestnut.

Well, instead of taking it out on the patrons, why don't you complain to the establishment about the state of the place?

Sounds like the place you frequent is under staffed. Cleaning up after you is nice, but that is not the customers responsibility in the end. It's managements.

Hmmm, one could argue that it's not the customer's responsibility to put their wad of shit-caked toilet paper into the jacks and flush the whole mass of paper and faeces away. Slinging the paper onto the floor and walking out of the public utility without even flusing should be acceptable, yes?

jimgoose

As I understand it, it's sort of the done thing in those places, to pop whatever trash/waste remains on your tray and empty the lot into the provided bins. It's partly what makes those places cheap-and-cheerful. It doesn't bother me - they're all staffed by minimum-wage kids who have enough to do.

HensVassal

darkpagandeath wrote: »

People get paid to clean up.

Do you throw your rubbish on the footpath rather than putting it in the bin just because there are council workers paid to tidy the streets?

bur

Have always cleared up after me. Mam and Dad always did so just the done thing.
People definitely clean up after themselves a lot less i've noticed. will help themselves to the free wifi but won't clear a table after. animals.

another subtle tell that as a society, we have gone to shite.

ohnonotgmail

sashafierce wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

HensVassal wrote: »

Hmmm, one could argue that it's not the customer's responsibility to put their wad of shit-caked toilet paper into the jacks and flush the whole mass of paper and faeces away. Slinging the paper onto the floor and walking out of the public utility without even flusing should be acceptable, yes?

I love the analogies that some are making. Hyperbole much?