Anarchy at Arby's

[fishbait]

Whenever I go to a McDonald's or such for a meal, I am always amazed at the reaction I get for not cleaning the table and disposing of the empty containers. People always give me nasty looks for refusing to be a 'bussboy' for the McDonald's Corporation. I have always felt that not having to do the dishes comes with the price of the meal.

What is more amazing to me is that the fast food industry has somehow trained the costomer to feel that it is his responsibility to clean up after himself. How did they do that?

There are no signs asking you to clear your stuff, no employee tells you that this is the rule. Yet, everyone, except me, seems to understand that this is an absolute requirement for dining there. It seems spooky to me. How are they able to manipulate the customer so easily and completely? What's next? Getting a squeegee with your Big Mac so you can do the windows?

[uneasy]

I never thought of that. You've convinced me. Fight the power! :)

[The Central Scrutinizer]

If you go to Steak n' Shake, it's a RESTaurant, instead of a WORKaurant. Or at least that's what the commercial says.

/Start Homer

mmmmmmm......Steak n' Shake fries.....slobber

/End Homer

[fishbait]

Originally posted by uneasy
I never thought of that. You've convinced me. Fight the power! :)

I'm kinda curious as to how many posters buy into this subtle manipulation and the reasons for it. The psychology of pursuasion here is really interesting to me.

[UnrepentantSinner]

Originally posted by The Central Scrutinizer
If you go to Steak n' Shake, it's a RESTaurant, instead of a WORKaurant. Or at least that's what the commercial says.

/Start Homer

mmmmmmm......Steak n' Shake fries.....slobber

/End Homer

Is Steak n' Shake any good? They've opened a few up around here, but I haven't tried it yet. I wish they'd have put one southbound on the road I commute home on. A burger at 7am really helps put me to sleep.

[BobK]

I never clean up at fast food places. I figure I'm providing job security for the person that has to clean the tables.

[fishbait]

Originally posted by BobK
I never clean up at fast food places. I figure I'm providing job security for the person that has to clean the tables.

Very noble of you.

My reasons are not so lofty. I simply refuse to go along with this strange ritual.

But, I have to give credit to the person at the corporate level who concocted it. It sure seems to be firmly entrenched in our behaviour.

[Denise]

I don't know how to respond to this..

It's a good idea for people to clean up after themselves. They have garbage cans nearby for you to do so, why is it a big deal to throw your trash away?

When in a regular restaurant, there is no way to dispose of your dishes so the waitress comes and takes them and later the busboy. You leave a tip for the service. I don't think one leaves a tip at McDonalds.

If everyone who ate at McDonalds did not remove their own trash, they would have to hire more people to do so and the price would go up. I always thought that was the fast food philosophy. Cheap and fast meals, no one waiting on you- or picking up after you.

[no one in particular]

fishbait, dude, a Double Cheeseburger is 99 cents! Ninety-nine fricken' cents! You pay 99 friken' cents for a Double Cheeseburger, you can throw away the wrapper.

It is not as though you are expected to wipe the table down, just throw away your trash.

[NoZed Avenger]

I never realised that my Mom was a corporate stooge for McDonald's. It was she that instilled the insidious idea that I should clean up after myself.

I had a freind in high school that gave the "job security" reason for leaving trash behind. Of course, he readily admitted that it was just a rationalization.

NA

[Wile E. Coyote]

This is a really interesting observation. I would think that if you left your trays on the table, then it would be more likely that an employee would wipe off the table when he cleared your trays.

This seems like a more sanitary behavior.

Of course, my mother taught me to clean up after myself, so I would never be able to leave a mess for someone else.

[Kilted_Canuck]

I work as the guy who clears the tables at Mcdonalds. I don't really mind if people leave their trays(except when they're less than 2 feet away from a garbage, and its on their way out :mad: ).

I'll clear the tray, spray it with sanitizer, and wipe that off. And no, you're not providing job security, if there's nothing for me to do, I just go back to the crew room and watch satillite tv.

[uneasy]

Is someone wants to talk about strange unspoken rules, a thread on tipping should be started (too lazy to look if it's there already).

There are some "fast food" restaurants that just take your order and bring your food to your table. Even if you throw away your rubbish, they will wipe off the table table if you left a mess. So they are doing everything but coming to take your order.

Now compare this some "real" restaurants that have a buffet. You get your own food. All they do is bring a drink (maybe) and clean your table.

In second case, people generally tip the workers. In the first, they don't.

Fast food workers get screwed on a regular basis. I've changed my mind; I'm going to clean up after myself. :)

[Sundog]

Hey, I agree. I'm going to do my part by refusing to flush the toilet in public restrooms.

[Brown]

Wherever you go, there are eating customs that people are simply expected to "know."

My parents told me, for example, that at smorgasboards in Skandanavia, no one stands in line. People simply go to the place where the food they want is being served. In the USA, this is deemed to be "cutting in line," and is rude. But in Skandanavia, the practice is customary, and is not deemed inconsiderate.

I think it's nice that at fast food restaurants in the USA, it is customary to bus your own tables. In general, the food is served in such a way (i.e., with disposable wrappers and cutlery) that this is usually an easy thing to do. Also, the trash bins are usually proximate to the exits, so disposal of waste is convenient.

Typically a member of the restaurant staff wipes down the table to remove crumbs and spills. This takes only a few seconds, and the table is ready for someone else.

But not everyone bothers to clean up after himself. (I used to work the "lobby" at McDonald's, and I saw this quite a bit.) This is really inconsiderate to other customers, especially those who are waiting for a table. No one likes sitting at a table with someone else's mess on it.

Several years ago, I was quite surprised when I went to a Wendy's. When I finished my meal, I collected my waste and looked for a trash bin. I saw none. I looked some more, and still could find none. Eventually an employee noticed me and said, "Don't worry, sir, we'll clean up the table for you!" That was a new experience for me, and it seemed odd that I was not able to clear my table myself.

[Yahweh]

Originally posted by fishbait
Whenever I go to a McDonald's or such for a meal, I am always amazed at the reaction I get for not cleaning the table and disposing of the empty containers. People always give me nasty looks for refusing to be a 'bussboy' for the McDonald's Corporation. I have always felt that not having to do the dishes comes with the price of the meal.

What is more amazing to me is that the fast food industry has somehow trained the costomer to feel that it is his responsibility to clean up after himself. How did they do that?

There are no signs asking you to clear your stuff, no employee tells you that this is the rule. Yet, everyone, except me, seems to understand that this is an absolute requirement for dining there. It seems spooky to me. How are they able to manipulate the customer so easily and completely? What's next? Getting a squeegee with your Big Mac so you can do the windows?
That kind of thinking would make George Carlin proud.

Personally, I always clean up my mess. Everything is disposable, not a big deal.

[Yahweh]

Originally posted by Sundog
Hey, I agree. I'm going to do my part by refusing to flush the toilet in public restrooms.
You dont have to do that anymore, not in todays high-tech world! You just walk away from the can, it detects that you've left, and flushes by itself.

If you are a simple man who cant leave behind his lo-tech lifestyle, you can piss in the sink (if you have to do anymore than take a piss, there is usually a trashcan by the paper towels)...

[Yahweh]

Originally posted by Yahweh
If you are a simple man who cant leave behind his lo-tech lifestyle, you can piss in the sink
Or on the floor...

Toilets are merely suggestions, not mandatory...

[Trish]

Originally posted by uneasy
Is someone wants to talk about strange unspoken rules, a thread on tipping should be started (too lazy to look if it's there already).

There are some "fast food" restaurants that just take your order and bring your food to your table. Even if you throw away your rubbish, they will wipe off the table table if you left a mess. So they are doing everything but coming to take your order.

Now compare this some "real" restaurants that have a buffet. You get your own food. All they do is bring a drink (maybe) and clean your table.

In second case, people generally tip the workers. In the first, they don't.

Fast food workers get screwed on a regular basis. I've changed my mind; I'm going to clean up after myself. :)

I work at a "real" restaurant that has a buffet. I bring you water and a menu and get your drinks. You order the buffet. I remove the dishes that you use everytime you go through the buffet line. I ask if you need drink refills. I get paid $2.50 an hour. Your meal goes against what I must claim in tips. It's part of my total sales. I did 521.72 in sales on Saturday night, I claim 10% of my sales as my tips. So I claimed 52.17 in tips. My actual tips that night were only 42.00. I'm paid $2.50/hour because those tips are expected as a part of my income. In an 8 hour shift I made 62.00. That's less than is paid at McDonald's to an employee.

Tip your waitresses, it's how they earn their money.

[roger]

Did you notice that there is not a single sign up saying you aren't supposed to eat your meal at the counter? Yet people, being the sheep that they are, meekly shuffle off to the tables and morosely stuff their processed foods into their mouth.

Not me! I stand at the counter and eat it there!! Can you believe the nerve of the people behind me complaining that I am holding up the line??? What's their problem? I'm not breaking any posted rules!

[rachaella]

Originally posted by Trish


I work at a "real" restaurant that has a buffet. I bring you water and a menu and get your drinks. You order the buffet. I remove the dishes that you use everytime you go through the buffet line. I ask if you need drink refills. I get paid $2.50 an hour. Your meal goes against what I must claim in tips. It's part of my total sales. I did 521.72 in sales on Saturday night, I claim 10% of my sales as my tips. So I claimed 52.17 in tips. My actual tips that night were only 42.00. I'm paid $2.50/hour because those tips are expected as a part of my income. In an 8 hour shift I made 62.00. That's less than is paid at McDonald's to an employee.

Tip your waitresses, it's how they earn their money.

Here (Upstate NY) McDonald's employees make $7.50 an hour, so that puts you $2.00 ahead!

[fishbait]

My original comment has nothing to do with sanitary behavior or what I was taught at home. When I am invited to someone's home for a meal I always offer to help clear the table. Cleaning up after myself is not the point here.

The point is that McDonald's offers a service and invites you to enter into a contract with them. They provide the meal and you pay for it. My point is that they have somehow manipulated us into doing part of the job for which you have paid. These posts only confirm my point. No big deal? Yeah, sure! Jeesh! Some of you sound as though you believe it is a civic duty to pay McDonald's so you can do your part to increase their profits.

This is corporate manipulation pure and simple. Some posters point out that they were taught to clean up after themselves; well, don't you think that the fast food psychologists know this and take advantage of your civilized rituals? They use your notions of proper behavior to make an extra buck! I resent being manipulated in this way.

Now, if they had a sign that said, " 10% Discount for Busing Your Table", I could go along with that. I'd still pay full price and not bus the table but, at least I wouldn't feel manipulated into being an unpaid employee of McDonald.s.

[kittynh]

well, I always eat off the tray if I have to eat at a McDonalds. I get a tray for the kids too (they give me a weird look). I think the tables aren't very clean wiped down with a germy cloth. Plus, if you are working at McDonalds, hey you deserve a break today! I'll clean up after myself.

[RSLancastr]

Originally posted by kittynh
I think the tables aren't very clean wiped down with a germy cloth.I think that is the same germy cloth which is used to wipe the trays, Kitty.

[JesFine]

Originally posted by roger
Did you notice that there is not a single sign up saying you aren't supposed to eat your meal at the counter? Yet people, being the sheep that they are, meekly shuffle off to the tables and morosely stuff their processed foods into their mouth.

Not me! I stand at the counter and eat it there!! Can you believe the nerve of the people behind me complaining that I am holding up the line??? What's their problem? I'm not breaking any posted rules!

But I bet you open the door to the restaurant yourself don't you, sucker! Not me! I wait outside, even if it is raining, until an employee (not another customer mind you) opens it for me. Oh, no, I will NOT fall for any corporate brain-washing to get me to exert any physical effort whatsoever at a so-called "convenience restaurant"!

I'm still trying to figure out how to get these fascists to chew my food for me, but I will get back to you once I do.

[fishbait]

The number of posts defending McD's is a pretty good indication that their corporate psychologists are doing a good job! It's unsetteling to me that so many people can be manipulated so easily and then defend the manipulator using some very wacky arguements.

W

[fishbait]

Originally posted by kittynh
well, I always eat off the tray if I have to eat at a McDonalds. I get a tray for the kids too (they give me a weird look). I think the tables aren't very clean wiped down with a germy cloth. Plus, if you are working at McDonalds, hey you deserve a break today! I'll clean up after myself.

What makes you think the trays are any cleaner than the tables?

It's nice that you are doing your part to relieve McDonald's employees of their heavy work burden, but I would think that your concern for cleanliness would compell you to complain to the management about the germy tables.

[aerosolben]

Originally posted by JesFine


But I bet you open the door to the restaurant yourself don't you, sucker! Not me! I wait outside, even if it is raining, until an employee (not another customer mind you) opens it for me. Oh, no, I will NOT fall for any corporate brain-washing to get me to exert any physical effort whatsoever at a so-called "convenience restaurant"!

I'm still trying to figure out how to get these fascists to chew my food for me, but I will get back to you once I do.

Not only that, but I bet all of you use the toilet in the bathroom when you have to take a crap! I sure as hell don't! I crap in the middle of the floor!
Those sleazy corporate strategists in New York think they can capitalize on the knowledge than my mother told me to use the toilet when I was growing up, but I'm fightin' the power! I'm not doing their employee's job of picking up feces in the eating area for them; that bathroom's a long walk away! Let someone who's getting paid trudge all the way down there!

[Flo]

Originally posted by fishbait
The number of posts defending McD's is a pretty good indication that their corporate psychologists are doing a good job! It's unsetteling to me that so many people can be manipulated so easily and then defend the manipulator using some very wacky arguements.

W

What is unsettling to me is that people actually EAT there. I always thought McD was a corporation dedicated solely to provide tourists with clean toilets in cities all around the World ... ;)

[coalesce]

I bus my own table at a fast-food place, not because I'm a corporate stooge, or because I'm "fighting the power." I do it because I want to, not because I have to. You make a mess, you clean it up. Simple.

Michael

[coalesce]

Originally posted by roger
Did you notice that there is not a single sign up saying you aren't supposed to eat your meal at the counter? Yet people, being the sheep that they are, meekly shuffle off to the tables and morosely stuff their processed foods into their mouth.

Not me! I stand at the counter and eat it there!! Can you believe the nerve of the people behind me complaining that I am holding up the line??? What's their problem? I'm not breaking any posted rules!

By that logic, I should be allowed to put a pen in someone's eye who I did not approve of, simply because ithere's no posted rule prohibiting me from doing so. Just as there's no posted rule saying you must go to a table or outside to eat your meal. It's just common sense.

And if your post was meant in jest, and I misinterpreted it, Roger, I apologize.

Michael

[bjornart]

Originally posted by fishbait
My original comment has nothing to do with sanitary behavior or what I was taught at home. When I am invited to someone's home for a meal I always offer to help clear the table. Cleaning up after myself is not the point here.

The point is that McDonald's offers a service and invites you to enter into a contract with them. They provide the meal and you pay for it. My point is that they have somehow manipulated us into doing part of the job for which you have paid. These posts only confirm my point. No big deal? Yeah, sure! Jeesh! Some of you sound as though you believe it is a civic duty to pay McDonald's so you can do your part to increase their profits.

This is corporate manipulation pure and simple. Some posters point out that they were taught to clean up after themselves; well, don't you think that the fast food psychologists know this and take advantage of your civilized rituals? They use your notions of proper behavior to make an extra buck! I resent being manipulated in this way.

Now, if they had a sign that said, " 10% Discount for Busing Your Table", I could go along with that. I'd still pay full price and not bus the table but, at least I wouldn't feel manipulated into being an unpaid employee of McDonald.s.

It's so simple, if you don't like it, don't do it, or don't eat at McDonald's at all. It's not like it's a pile of filthy dishes you have to deal with. It's a tray, some empty wrappers, and a few left-over fries. The trash can is on your way out, it takes a few seconds of your time.
The contract you enter into when walking into a McDonald's include clearing the table, or not, depending on your mood. If you clear your own table service could be faster for the other customers (if it's crowded) or you could be pulling some poor sod away from the TV (if it's not so crowded).
If no one cleared their table, then McD's would have to change their concept, but there is nothing inherently manipulative in the fast food system. People go there of their own free will, they clear their tables, and they _don't_ _have_ _a_ _problem_ _with_ _this_. If you think McD's makes too much money, don't eat there.

[BillyTK]

On the occasions when I've no alternative but to eat at a fast-food place (motorway service stattions, grrr!), I always clean up after myself, not because I'm being subtly manipulated by corporate psychologists, but because I'm subverting the system by helping people like Kilted_Canuck to spend more time watching television, and this increasing their reward-to-labour ratio.

[hgc]

Originally posted by fishbait
The number of posts defending McD's is a pretty good indication that their corporate psychologists are doing a good job! It's unsetteling to me that so many people can be manipulated so easily and then defend the manipulator using some very wacky arguements.

W Talk about being manipulated! You're apparently one of those suckers that eats at MacDonald's and other fast "food" restaurants. While you eek out a tiny victory for slovenliness, they're laughing all the way to the bank.

If you want to really get at MacDonald's, only order from the $1 menu. Too much of that going on really cuts into their profits.

[kittynh]

well, defending the tray. It is covered with a throw away paper that has a garish picture of their newest McBurger. When there isn't a tray with a covering, I use a napkin as a placemat (as taught to me by my grandmother).

[roger]

Originally posted by coalesce
And if your post was meant in jest, and I misinterpreted it, Roger, I apologize.

Well, yes, it was in jest.

[roger]

Why am I reminded of this thread?

http://www.randi.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?s=&threadid=22768

[coalesce]

Originally posted by roger


Well, yes, it was in jest.

Thanks, because I hate it when I'm unecessarily obtuse.

Michael

[Trish]

Originally posted by rachaella


Here (Upstate NY) McDonald's employees make $7.50 an hour, so that puts you $2.00 ahead!

I suppose that once you consider I'm paying taxes on more than my actual income, it might just equal out with the people at McDonalds.

[shemp]

Originally posted by Trish


I work at a "real" restaurant that has a buffet. I bring you water and a menu and get your drinks. You order the buffet. I remove the dishes that you use everytime you go through the buffet line. I ask if you need drink refills. I get paid $2.50 an hour. Your meal goes against what I must claim in tips. It's part of my total sales. I did 521.72 in sales on Saturday night, I claim 10% of my sales as my tips. So I claimed 52.17 in tips. My actual tips that night were only 42.00. I'm paid $2.50/hour because those tips are expected as a part of my income. In an 8 hour shift I made 62.00. That's less than is paid at McDonald's to an employee.

Tip your waitresses, it's how they earn their money.

I eat once in awhile at a Chinese buffet restaurant near my home, and I am amazed to see people not leave a tip! Ever since I was a little shaver, I have known that you leave a 10% tip at a buffet, yet some dullards seem to think the service should be free.

[Dragonrock]

Fishbait, you are a troll, I don't mean an Atheistworld.com/Franko/Jedi Knight style troll, I mean a troll who just throws things out to see what you get. You and your three friends (who may or may not have acne, but that one does have a greasy fingerprint on his glasses) just sit and laugh at the computer when you get a response. If you really leave your tray on the table then you are a pig. However, I suspect, like in the test thread that was mentioned above, you are just making noise.

[Kilted_Canuck]

Originally posted by RSLancastr
I think that is the same germy cloth which is used to wipe the trays, Kitty.

Those same germy cloths are also thrown in the same germy washing machine, with the same germy sanitizer solution.

[kookbreaker]

Originally posted by fishbait
Whenever I go to a McDonald's or such for a meal, I am always amazed at the reaction I get for not cleaning the table and disposing of the empty containers. People always give me nasty looks for refusing to be a 'bussboy' for the McDonald's Corporation. I have always felt that not having to do the dishes comes with the price of the meal.


So what color were the wolves that raised you?

[Checkmite]

Count me as one of the unfortunate victims who has been brainwashed by his mother (my first one, anyway) to clean up after himself at fast food restaurants. That evil woman's indoctrination, coupled with a few years' work at McDonald's, impressed upon me that leaving trash on the table does not in fact guarantee anyone's job security, and identifies the trash-leaver to other customers as a general slob; thus, the only true justification for leaving said trash is basic laziness.

[Bluegill]

Originally posted by shemp


I eat once in awhile at a Chinese buffet restaurant near my home, and I am amazed to see people not leave a tip! Ever since I was a little shaver, I have known that you leave a 10% tip at a buffet, yet some dullards seem to think the service should be free.

One night last week, my wife and I went with some friends and their kids to Gattiland. For those of you who’ve never been to Gattiland, it’s this horrendous industrial food ‘n’ fun complex with a sprawling pizza buffet, games, a giant television, an understaffed counter for redeeming tickets for chintzy prizes, and one of the scummiest, food-encrusted carpets you’ll ever see. In short, it’s heaven for children. They pack the place for much of the day, outrunning their parents amid the flashing lights and clamour of the game machines and ten-foot TV. I don’t know any little kids who can resist it, though it pushes me right to the edge of sanity.

Anyway, as I talked with my friends, I noticed a young woman walking around bussing tables. I watched her and thought, “Man, at least I don’t work here.” After I watched her for a few minutes, I amused my friends by walking over and asking her how much she made per hour. $7.

Though I knew that $7.00/hour was not such a bad wage, and that no one was forcing her to work that job, I still had a lot of sympathy for her. It looked to me like hardly anybody left tips there, and I was feeling generous, so I left a $5.00 tip on our table, even though our meal (“admission”) had been twelve dollars for the two of us.

[Trish]

Originally posted by shemp


I eat once in awhile at a Chinese buffet restaurant near my home, and I am amazed to see people not leave a tip! Ever since I was a little shaver, I have known that you leave a 10% tip at a buffet, yet some dullards seem to think the service should be free.

Thanks.

Though I knew that $7.00/hour was not such a bad wage, and that no one was forcing her to work that job, I still had a lot of sympathy for her. It looked to me like hardly anybody left tips there, and I was feeling generous, so I left a $5.00 tip on our table, even though our meal (“admission”) had been twelve dollars for the two of us.

Nice, but there is a difference.

Federal minimum wage is $5.15/hour, unless you earn tips, where minimum wage is $2.15/hour. I do earn slightly better than waitstaff minimum. An employer is expected to pay their waitstaff to the minimum of $5.15 if they are unable to earn it through there tips, i.e. a slow week in the dead of winter with two or three customers. However, some employers will try not to do this.

[Brown]

Originally posted by Bluegill
One night last week, my wife and I went with some friends and their kids to Gattiland. For those of you who’ve never been to Gattiland, it’s this horrendous industrial food ‘n’ fun complex with a sprawling pizza buffet, games, a giant television, an understaffed counter for redeeming tickets for chintzy prizes, and one of the scummiest, food-encrusted carpets you’ll ever see. In short, it’s heaven for children. They pack the place for much of the day, outrunning their parents amid the flashing lights and clamour of the game machines and ten-foot TV. I don’t know any little kids who can resist it, though it pushes me right to the edge of sanity.In another thread, people are discussing whether or not to have kids. When I reached a point in my life where I was deciding whether or not to have kids (and I was seeing a nice young lady who made no secret of the fact that she wanted lots of kids), I happened to hear my co-workers talking about a similar establishment. The tagline for this establishment is "Where a kid can be a kid," but hearing my co-workers talk, the tagline should be "Welcome to Hell."

Oh, the horrors I heard. And the really scary thing was that there was no way to avoid this place if you were a parent, because every kid had to have at least one birthday party at this place. It was enough to make me take the notion of celibacy seriously.

Now, if the parents thought this place was a nightmare (for the two or three hours they spent there), imagine what it must be like to work there.

[Samus]

Originally posted by rachaella
Here (Upstate NY) McDonald's employees make $7.50 an hour, so that puts you $2.00 ahead! Maybe where you live in upstate NY, but not where I live! I worked at McDonalds for $4.25/hr, and these days, I think the starting salary is still under $6/hr. Maybe if you work the closing shift you can get a little more, but not much.

Of course, I haven't worked at McDonalds in a number of years, and my salary now exceeds the hourly rate I once earned cooking burgers and saying "thank you, come again." :)

[Dragonrock]

Strangely enough, the CSI Miami on Monday night was about a girl who was kidnapped and killed at one of those "food and fun" places. According to the show, those places are know as hangouts for perverts.

[Checkmite]

Originally posted by Dragonrock
Strangely enough, the CSI Miami on Monday night was about a girl who was kidnapped and killed at one of those "food and fun" places. According to the show, those places are know as hangouts for perverts.

I can believe that. I'd been to a couple such places as a kid, and in one of them (a locally owned one, not a national chain), I recall noticing and finding it odd that a man all by himself had entered and sat down for pizza at such a place.

[Dragonrock]

Originally posted by Joshua Korosi


I can believe that. I'd been to a couple such places as a kid, and in one of them (a locally owned one, not a national chain), I recall noticing and finding it odd that a man all by himself had entered and sat down for pizza at such a place.

The only one I've been to wouldn't let you in without a kid.

[HarryKeogh]

to not take 5 seconds to throw your trash out at a fast food joint speaks volumes about you. ok, maybe not volumes but two words, inconsiderate slob.

[The Central Scrutinizer]

Originally posted by UnrepentantSinner


Is Steak n' Shake any good? They've opened a few up around here, but I haven't tried it yet. I wish they'd have put one southbound on the road I commute home on. A burger at 7am really helps put me to sleep.

Yes. Hands down the best burgers and especially fries of any fast food joint.

[dmarker]

Originally posted by Joshua Korosi


I can believe that. I'd been to a couple such places as a kid, and in one of them (a locally owned one, not a national chain), I recall noticing and finding it odd that a man all by himself had entered and sat down for pizza at such a place.


Could be that he was an employee having a quick meal before his shift. Many restaurant people do that because the discounts on meals.

The kids' restaurant in my city has black light markers to match kids up with their handlers. Yes, I went there with my niece. And I'm not going back without ear plugs. Of course, I think that leash laws should be manadory for children under four so this might color my opinions a bit.

[Peach Jr.]

The kidlet pizza and fun places here all give out wristbands when a group enters. They are checked, I hear, at the end of the visit when you leave the restaurant, to see if everybody matches up. Supposedly, this will take care of the problem of child molestors walking away with somebody's kidlet.

If I have an ounce of breath left in my body, my daughter will NEVER eat at this place. Ever.

As for McD's, I used to work at Burger King in a large city. Sometimes we had to bus people's tables, sometimes we just scrubbed them with a rag and disinfectant. I don't ever remember getting paid more when I had to clean up after others. If it bothers you to clean up after yourself, perhaps it would be better to pay a bit more and go somewhere that has buspeople. :)

[Checkmite]

Originally posted by dmarker

The kids' restaurant in my city has black light markers to match kids up with their handlers.

I suppose; we had stamps - remember, this is a few years ago. In any case, it could've just been a parent who'd stepped outside for a smoke or something.

Yes "loud" is a good way to describe such places. Also "dark", "breezy", and "cold", as IIRC the air conditioner was always set to "arctic" or something equivalent. Black lights, arcade games, skeeball, ballpits, etc, etc....both places were the same, and both times I left with something approaching a headache. I don't think I'll ever take my hypothetical kids to such a place.

[jimlintott]

I find it annoying to sit at what appears to be a clean table only to find it encrusted with the fallout from the last slob that ate there. I leave my trash behind to tell the staff that this table is dirty. It will also tell other patrons that this table is dirty. Clearing your trash to leave a clean appearing but dirty table is a cruel joke. Please leave your garbage behind so the attendent staff can tell which tables need attending. I have never seen a fast food joint that didn't have someone cleaning tables.

[CSX2]

I remember when I was in high school the local Roy Rogers restaurant had a sign in the dining area, complete with Roy's smiling face, that said it was good western manners to clean your table when you've finished. This irked me and has stuck with me for all these many years. I do not bus my own table at these restaurants. I agree that it is better to leave the tray and encourage the establishment to clear and clean the tables between each use (germy rags notwithstanding).

I spent quite a few years in the restaurant and service industry and firmly believe that bussing the tables is the job of the restaurant and not the customer. They all call themselves restaurants and offer a dining room. Snack bars, roadside stands, etc. are a different story.

And to those that would call me an inconsiderate slob, I don’t go out of my way to make a mess or spread my wrappers and such onto other tables. I simply eat my meal and leave. I usually place all of my trash on the tray just as I would place my fork and knife on my empty plate to assist the bus person at other restaurants.

And on the subject of tipping…

Always tip well and over-tip generously when the occasion warrants it. It takes so little and can really make someone’s day.

[DavidJames]

We always clean up the table after we eat. Why, we think it's polite and also considerate of those that come after us looking for a table. I don't think our cleaning up takes the place of wiping down the table properly, the restaurant should take care of that.

Oh, and I also return my shopping cart to the store or carrel in the parking lot.

[xouper]

roger: Why am I reminded of this thread?
http://www.randi.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?s=&threadid=22768I was thinking the same thing. The username gives it away. I'm also reminded of this one:
http://www.randi.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?s=&postid=1869997639it#post1869997639

UnrepentantSinner: Is Steak n' Shake any good? They've opened a few up around here, but I haven't tried it yet. I wish they'd have put one southbound on the road I commute home on. A burger at 7am really helps put me to sleep. The ones I've been to are open 24/7 and you can order breakfast or dinner anytime.

The Central Scrutinizer: Yes. Hands down the best burgers and especially fries of any fast food joint.I would rate their fries far inferior to McDonald's fries. I'd rather eat fries from Wendy's or Burger King before I'd choose Steak n Shake fries. But I do like their burgers, especially the Frisco melt. I usually just get a burger and a chocolate shake.

[LFTKBS]

This thread's a bit old, but it's new to me, so . . .

1) How much effort does it take to throw away your trash at MickeyD's or any other fast food joint? It's not about the corporation, it's about the people who work there. Make their job a little easier. Are you the guy who shops at Wal-Mart who, after looking at an item and deciding that you don't want it, merely drops it on the ground?

a) "but it's job security for them!"
rebuttal to a) The last time I heard that argument, I was nine years old, and I was the one saying it. Leaving soda cans on the ground for the janitorial crew to clean up is not job security for them. It gets dirty enough without inconsiderade slobs leaving their trash around.

b) "they won't clean it up unless they can see a mess."
rebuttal to b) That's right, those employees I see wiping tables without trash on them were mere hallucinations of mine. Thanks for pointing that out.

2) Are you the guy who leaves his shopping cart in the middle of a parking space so I get to stop the car, get out, move it myself, get back in the car, and park? I hate you. Push the d*** cart ten feet to the little docking area.

a) "but I'm a special, delicate prince who can't be bothered with menial work!"
rebuttal to a) You are only special in that you are especially lazy.

[Marvel Frozen]

If you can't be bothered to spend 2 seconds to throw away your own trash, then you're nothing but a lazy slob.

[MoeFaux]

I throw away my own trash. I put my shopping cart back with the other carts. And even more of a sign that I've worked bad jobs -- when I'm at the shopping mall, I'll ALWAYS refold clothing perfectly if I've mussed it up.

[UnrepentantSinner]

Originally posted by MoeFaux
I throw away my own trash. I put my shopping cart back with the other carts. And even more of a sign that I've worked bad jobs -- when I'm at the shopping mall, I'll ALWAYS refold clothing perfectly if I've mussed it up.

I think people who do these sorts of things (I'm one of them as well) have been on the receiving end of having to clean up after the slobs and inconsiderate folks who act like everything in a dining or retail establishment is their's for the ravaging. About the only thing I'm guilty of is tossing my cigarette butts instead of looking for a trash can. Luckily it's windy in Texas and they usually are blown down a storm drain in short order.

[Dragonrock]

Originally posted by MoeFaux
...when I'm at the shopping mall, I'll ALWAYS refold clothing perfectly if I've mussed it up.

I used to do that until my syster got a job at a clothing store and told me that she'd rather do it herself then have a customer do it. She says that no matter how carefully the customer folds it, the items never stack right unless she folds them herself. According to her, the best thing to do is fold it neatly, but don't try to make it perfect, all that does it make it harder for her to figure out which item is causing her stack to fall.

[MoeFaux]

Originally posted by Dragonrock


I used to do that until my syster got a job at a clothing store and told me that she'd rather do it herself then have a customer do it. She says that no matter how carefully the customer folds it, the items never stack right unless she folds them herself. According to her, the best thing to do is fold it neatly, but don't try to make it perfect, all that does it make it harder for her to figure out which item is causing her stack to fall.

Ah, but I've worked a couple retail jobs, I know exactly how the clothes should be folded. I also put clothes back where I found them after trying them on, instead of making the clerk do it.

Yeah, the consideration stems from being somebody else's slave about the house/job. I had white trash slobs for parents, and was cleaning up after them starting at age 6. Then working at several cleaning jobs, retail jobs, and other jobs where I was always picking up someone else's mess, I just always felt better about myself if I helped out as a customer. I can't imagine making someone else do it for me, because I remember how much those slobs were loathed by other coworkers.

[billydkid]

Originally posted by fishbait
Whenever I go to a McDonald's or such for a meal, I am always amazed at the reaction I get for not cleaning the table and disposing of the empty containers. People always give me nasty looks for refusing to be a 'bussboy' for the McDonald's Corporation. I have always felt that not having to do the dishes comes with the price of the meal.

What is more amazing to me is that the fast food industry has somehow trained the costomer to feel that it is his responsibility to clean up after himself. How did they do that?

There are no signs asking you to clear your stuff, no employee tells you that this is the rule. Yet, everyone, except me, seems to understand that this is an absolute requirement for dining there. It seems spooky to me. How are they able to manipulate the customer so easily and completely? What's next? Getting a squeegee with your Big Mac so you can do the windows?

I detest Arbies above all the other chains. First of all, although I kind of like the deli style sandwiches they sell now, but that crud they call roast beef makes me wretch. Secondly, it invariably takes me at least 10 minutes to get my meal and it has taken much longer on occasion. I can't ever think of Arbies without thinking of that episode of the Simpsons where the kids are stranded onan island one of the twin girl characters says "I'm so hungry I could eat at Arbies."

[michaellee]

Cleaning one's own trash after eating inside of a popular fast-food restaurant might be an easy task for the majority of you--

and I would be more than willing to do so if only for a few inconveniences I am subject to-

ones that make no sense to me and therefore in protest I leave my empty wrappers and tray for others to clean up.

What inconveniences?

Lets take Carls Jr. for example.

I order:

Double Bacon Western Cheesburger
Largest French Fries available
Soft Drink

Carls Jr advertises regularly on television, showing some dopey guy or gal eating a burger and dripping the saucy contents thereof all over wherever the dinee is located.

Q. What does this tell us? A. Sloppy, drippy, messy- get it all over the place burger.

So when my order is presented on that brown tray, the first thing I do is to confiscate the two items that will enable me to really enjoy my meal.

Catsup or Ketchup
and
Napkins

This is where I begin to lose my desire to clean up after myself.

I've got a half pound dripping burger, a huge carton of french fries, and what else?

Well, I had to grab 455 napkins, because each napkin could easily be mistaken for a zig-zag rolling paper.

I also had to request or take 56 ketchup packets, because each one holds enough ketchup to cover, on average, 2-3 fries maximum. Whats up with that? At least put enough into one packet so you can use more than remains inside the damn thing.

I must use 129 of the napkins, laid out on the table, as the french fry/ketchup dipping zone, and 73 of the napkins to place each of the 56 empty ketchup packets on so I don't later find red stains on my brand new $165 Nikes or on my shirt or pants.

The remaining 253 napkins are used as a "body bib", to protect all clothing from that special dripping sauce that, "If you don't get it all over the place.." then you don't know eatin!

Plus the fact that the largest table in the place, supposedly for 4, can only fit one tray, let alone 4!

So, if successful in my dining foray, I am too full to even think about collecting 455 soaked, rolling-paper sized piece of crap napkins; same goes for the 56 half-torn, half empty, red tomato sauce dripping, too-small ketchup packets.

I could very easily toss the burger wrapper into the trash bin, but why?

When Carls Jr. provides napkins of a realistic size and absorption rate, as well as a ketchup packet that holds at least enough ketchup to cover 4 fries, then I will think about cleaning up myself.

Till then, which is never, tough for you if you want to sit where I sat.

[Psi Baba]

The inverse to this, of course is libraries, where you are explicitly instructed not to reshelve books. I've always had a hard time with this. I completely understand that most people would not understand the coding system and probably will put it back in the wrong place, and therefore, the librarians will not know that the book isn't where it is supposed to be until someone else needs it. But this just goes against my grain. "Wait, you want me to just leave all the books I've taken from the shelf lying on the table?" That's not what my mother taught me. Often I can remember exactly which two books the book I selected was standing between, and I'll sneak it back into place. Ooh, the anarchy!

[NoZed Avenger]

Originally posted by Psi Baba
The inverse to this, of course is libraries, where you are explicitly instructed not to reshelve books. I've always had a hard time with this.

Thank goodness -- another one!

I thought I was alone in this. I also snuck books back (yes, I know it's not a word).

[SRW]

The habit of cleaning up after ourselves come as least partly from eating in school cafeterias. I remember as a kid that unless you cleaned up you could not purchase an ice cream on Fridays.

[Dragonrock]

Originally posted by Psi Baba
The inverse to this, of course is libraries, where you are explicitly instructed not to reshelve books.

I worked in the library in grade school so I know the sorting system. I even used to know the major and some of the minor catergories of the Dewey decimal system. I reshelve my books and I even move books if I see they are wrong. I am very sneaky about it as I don't want questions from the librarian. I guess us book putter-backers are all going to library hell.

[Dorian Gray]

If you can't be bothered to spend 2 seconds to throw away your own trash, then you're nothing but a lazy slob.

The people in fast food restaurants already are too lazy to cook their own food.

Do you change your own oil? Install your own tires? Build your own furniture?

Didn't think so.


If I leave my trash on the table, someone has to clean it up. That person gets paid. If a lot of people do this, there have to be TWO people doing the cleaning.

So by leaving trash on the table, we are creating more jobs than George Bush.

[Pvt. Stash]

I prefer Efficient ! :)