The Great Stacking Debate In Utah: Restaurant Cleanup Etiquette Explained

Going to a restaurant can be such a fun experience but the real question is whether or not the servers appreciate you trying to clean up.  

That’s right, a TikTok video has sparked some debate on whether you should be stacking your plates, bowls, etc. It’s also adding to how you should do it too. Jorj Fuchs posted a video a few days ago about stacking her plates with the caption “two girls who work in food service cleaning up our mess (they hate when we do this).”  

Presumably, the “they” in question are other servers.  

The video has over 850k views and a ton of comments arguing about the correct restaurant cleanup etiquette.  

So, does Utah follow the rules? Well, probably not but I have seen quite a few people stack their plates while I have been eating out. 

Some commenters have argued that you shouldn’t stack your plates if you can’t do it correctly. The consensus seems to be that you put all the utensils on top because otherwise, it makes it difficult for the server and the stack can be unbalanced.  

Here are some of the comments: 

“Rule is there’s a stack of all plates and the utensils on top of that. Then another plate with just the trash bc it’s hard to fish out all the garbage.” 

“plates, bowls, then all the trash and leftovers in top bowl! also for fun i like to put all my utensils in the cups.” 

“one time a lady got mad at me for doing this while I was doing it bc the bottom of the plate gets dirty ;-; but it feels wrong leaving them!!” 

“as a server when i go out to eat i stack the plates make trash plate & put utensils in a cup w the handle facing up so they don’t have to fish it out” 

The top comment on the video had this to say. 

“It’s the stuffing napkins in bowls or drinks that gets annoying, bc then I have to fish them out and they’re all soggy :/ love the plate stacking tho” 

So, basically, if you’re trying to do the right thing, you need to collect all the trash and put it into one spot on top along with all of the utensils. Make sure you stack your plates nicely and leave the trash out of cups. I’d also hate to have to fish things out from someone's used cup.  

This is not your mother’s house. Be considerate.  

How does Utah stack up? (Get it?)