My family and relatives gathered together for Mother's Day Brunch yesterday at an all you can eat Japanese Restaurant.
The place was great - it wasn't buffet. Wait staff took the order, and came back with food that was hot. Buffets are never really my favorite, as there are always line ups (unless it is in a really upscale restaurant where they really control the flow of people), and some guests just grab the food as if it is the last meal they eat. When there is seafood, that's even worse. People will just take more than the usual portion, as if the platter was the last one from the kitchen.
It's funny how at an all you can eat restaurant, that people's greedy habits surfaces readily. By the fact that it is all you can eat, guests can order as much as they want for a flat fee. So if they didn't have enough, they can always order more. It's a popular concept in restaurants that serve Japanese food in Toronto right now.
So what did I notice?
* a person got all excited seeing food that he did not order, and took a piece from each dish. By the time this person's order arrived, he had no room to eat it, and pushed the food to everyone else.
* another person thought the wait time for food was too long, and didn't have faith that the order was taken by the wait staff. So he kept on ordering more, until he realized that he over-ordered.
* two people ordered the same type of pop. When the wait staff put the pop in front of one, the other grabbed it, thinking it was his. The wait staff was just about to put down the other pop to the person who grabbed the first one. I guess he didn't realize that he wasn't the only one who ordered pop.
By the way, these behaviors are non-existent in a restaurant where food is paid by the plate. Only at a buffet or all you can eat place that I can observe people's greed. I guess some would feel that if they don't eat more than the flat rate's worth, then they'd lose out.
The following is a list of etiquette for dining at a buffet or all-you-can-eat restaurant:
For Buffet -
1. Line up, don't cut in, unless the person in front of you is waiting for an entree that needs to be served by someone, and you will be passing that particular entree.
2. Take a portion for yourself only, not piling your whole plate with the food from the same platter with everyone else waiting behind. The exception to this applies if you are taking a plate back for a senior person. Even then, take enough for one person, not the whole table.
3. If you are not sure whether you'd like a particular food but want to try, take a a very small portion only. If you like it, you can always come back for more.
4. Watch out for your kids - keep them by your side. Kids tend to get excited at a buffet, and it's easy for them to run into someone and cause an accident. Keep them in their seat once seated.
For All-You-Can-Eat:
1. Order as much as you can eat, no more than that. Afterall, you may always order more afterwards.
2. If you are with a large group of people, and the wait staff do not remember what each specific person ordered (and plunks down food on anywhere on the table), try remember what you have ordered so that you do not take others' dishes.
3. Please - don't bring a plastic bag and put food in there. These places offer food to be eaten on premise, not to take home.
4. If someone takes food that you have ordered by mistake, do not fret. Just order again.
5. If your order hasn't arrived, do not order more. Just let the wait staff know that you are waiting for an order to come.
For both Buffet and All-You-Can-Eat:
* remember it is not the end of the world tomorrow, so don't eat like it is the last day of your life!
