What’s the best way to leave your table at a restaurant to help out the staff? Servers are weighing in after one TikToker expressed her own opinion on the matter.
Jade (@jadesandwich) shared her gratitude for patrons who stack their plates after eating, with one caveat.
“But please stop doing anything that would make me touch ketchup,” she wrote, getting more specific in her video’s caption. “Like putting all your silverware onto a pile of ketchup,” she added.
Stacking plates to be cleared away after dining in is a controversial practice. Jade is clearly a fan, as are many of her commenters who have worked at restaurants.
“Absolutely refuse to leave a restaurant without stacking and pushing everything to the front of the table,” wrote @ssippipp. “Bussing tables is a nightmare.”
“I worked as a dishwasher for a couple months and now I always clean up and stack,” @rainy.daze.jd agreed.
But that opinion is far from universal. Last year, professional etiquette coach Maryanne Parker told People that stacking plates can be “extremely frustrating for the server, because they have to carry it.”
“They have a particular number of plates that they can carry. They don’t know to break something. They know their restaurant,” she added.
Dirty Habit service captain William Bonilla similarly told TODAY, “As much as we appreciate the effort to assist us, it really just makes it harder for us to clear and clean a table.”
So while the verdict seems to be mixed in terms of actually stacking dishes, service industry workers replying to Jade’s TikTok had some other suggestions, at least, for things not to do.
“NEVER stick napkins in your drink cup,” wrote @rigor.morris.
“Omg if you stack plates put the silverware ON [THE] TOP PLATE NOT IN THE MIDDLE,” @gulliblecheeks suggested.
“Stack order is plates, napkins (to cover food so workers won’t [accidentally] touch it when bussing tables), THEN. silverware,” said @novaxxbri.
@jadesandwich like putting all your silverware onto a pile of ketchup #bartender #restaurantlife #ketchuphater ♬ Myaap Getting To It Unreleased – Myaa 🅿️
If all of this didn’t help clear things up for you, don’t worry—you’re not alone.
“I’ve seen so many of these with different rules atp I’m about to go back to not stacking,” admitted @isaiahdsax.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Jade via TikTok comment.