If you just finished your meal at an eatery and are wondering whether to clear the table – the one word answer is ‘no’. The longer answer is that it depends on the setup and type of eatery.
Some food courts require you to stack the crockery and cutlery in a designated place, fast food outlets appreciate the paper cups and plates being thrown in to the allocated bins and other places are forever praying that their patrons don’t (whether inadvertently or purposely) stuff a napkin or fork in their bag on their way out.
If it is NOT a ‘please clear it on your own’ kind of place, please leave all the utensils as they are on the table. Your silverware should be placed on your plate to signify that you have ended your meal, your napkin should be placed on the table as you get up and hollowware can remain with the greasy spoons in them.
If a member of the wait staff walks up to clear the table while you are still at the table and finds it difficult to reach a particular piece of tableware, handing it to him or her is the nice thing to do. Otherwise, don’t take it upon yourself to clear the table.
From an etiquette perspective, there are a few reasons for this piece of advice:
01. If you are with company, your action can create an air of unrest and prompt others to conclude the conversation
02. The wait staff’s own practice can be disturbed
03. The action of sliding food particles from one plate to another is a distasteful activity to be engaged in as a patron of a restaurant
04. The table ends up looking dismal and untidy with a tall stack of greasy plates and food particles
I was just about to move on to a different type of etiquette after having spent a few weeks discussing mostly dining etiquette when this topic loomed and I found it to be an interesting question to answer. I have written on a similar topic in the past and you can read it at https://fullofetiquette.com/2023/01/09/what-is-the-etiquette-of-this-place/. For everyone out there who has been wondering what the best course of action could be after a meal, I hope this helps. If you have more dining etiquette related questions, send them my way to fullofetiquette@gmail.com
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