What do you do about food on the floor at restaurants?

ladychicago · June 2011

When you take your child out to eat and food ends up on the floor (maybe a decent amount of food if it is a particularly awesome day), what do you do? Do you try to pick it up? Do you apologize profusely to the waiter and give a big tip? Do you just leave it be and not say anything? Does it depend on how nice the restaurant is?

I always feel SOOOO bad, but it also feels a bit awkward (and isn't always possible if I'm alone) to try to clean it all up myself. Just curious what others do....

Mouseygail · June 2011

I usually pick up the big pieces that I can get to easily..and I think we tip pretty well to begin with, so I don't feel too bad.

The last time I tried to pick it up though, the waitress told me to stop being silly, that it was her job and they clean up after the table leaves anyways, so dont stress

emmyloustu · June 2011

We usually just leave it. If it is really, rally bad, we will take a napkin and try to get some up, but I agree, it feels awkward. Sometimes, I will apologize. I don't worry too much about it though!

Mrs.Reem · June 2011

I try to clean it up and leave a nice tip. My kids draw enough attention that I'd feel bad not cleaning it up.

UNLESS my waiter/waitress was particularly hideous. Then forget it. Wink

mrsolsenk12 · June 2011

If dh and i are together we will try to clean it up. If i am alone, or with a friendi just apologize a lot. Most waiters/waitresses are used to messy kids and dom't seem phased by it.

DavezWife · June 2011

I waited tables (and bartended) for YEARS, and while I never expected the parents to clean up after their kids mess on the floor, I always appreciated the effort. (so did the bussers, they got beat up enough). I didn't expect an extra tip, either.

Now a days, I grab a napkin and kinda sweep up the mess a bit and scoop it up into the napkin, at least a little. Of course, I also stack my plates with all the silver lined up on top, and wipe the table. lol. Drives. Davez. Nutz.

Now the crayons on the floor? OMG, pick them up. Many a server has dropped a plate slipping on those suckers. lol.

Alicia13 · June 2011

We always tip well....but any extra tip is usually directly related to the size of the mess.

oct11bride03 · June 2011

If she makes a huge mess, I ask for extra napkins and pick up as much as I can.

We were at an IHOP last summer and I was on the floor picking up pancake and the manager actually came over and told me to stop. He said, "we have people for that" and got the swiffer thing himself and came over to clean up.

GuitaristsGirl · June 2011

Most of DS's mess tends to be on either side of his high chair, so it's easy to reach (and also super obvious), and we do pick up. Davez, I never served, but we also stack the dishes and wipe off the table

PrincessShay80 · June 2011

I just leave a big tip and let them take care of it. Crayons and stuff like that I pick up, but not food. I do wipe out the high chair when we are done though- I won't leave food in that.

kme930 · June 2011

Mouseygail:
I usually pick up the big pieces that I can get to easily..and I think we tip pretty well to begin with, so I don't feel too bad. The last time I tried to pick it up though, the waitress told me to stop being silly, that it was her job and they clean up after the table leaves anyways, so dont stress

This is what we do! Much easier when it's the two of us with Will vs. just me. Thanks for posting this, though - good to know what everyone else does (and the experience of those who have waited tables)!

itsmevkb · June 2011

It it's easy stuff to pick up I try and keep up with it during the meal. If I look down at the end and there's a mess I may pick up some big chunks but maybe not. Mainly I just leave a big tip.

ejgballerina · June 2011

I try to clean up as much as possible. Obviously the little crumbs are hard. I was a server in college and I know what a PITA a messy table is if they don't have a busser and have to do it themselves. The more time it takes for them to clean up a table, the less often that table gets sat which means less money for their shift. Servers work their butts off like no one else so I definitely am way more anal than most about leaving a somewhat clean-ish table. I also am a really good tipper, unless the service is just beyond horrible. If it's a weekend evening and there is obviously a busser working to clean up, I'm not as attentive to detail about trying to clean everything up since I know the servers have to tip the busser out. But I do try to make everything easier for them!

CHI-06 · June 2011

PrincessShay80:
I just leave a big tip and let them take care of it. Crayons and stuff like that I pick up, but not food. I do wipe out the high chair when we are done though- I won't leave food in that.

Ditto this

dusk42 · June 2011

I leave an extra tip, but if she is dropping big things (big spears of broccoli, etc.), I'll pick them up after she drops them. I have given up on picking up Cheerios.

dana316 · June 2011

I leave it, apologize (but not profusely) and pad the tip.

LucyPevensie · June 2011

I'll do a mini clean-up but I too have had a waitress say "you don't need to do that! stop!" very nicely. She also remarked she had NEVER seen any other parent do that, ha ha!! So I don't go crazy. We don't leave a giant mess - but we definitely leave at least a small one. And we pad the tip - even more so if the server was particularly nice to us and to Jack.

marcuej · June 2011

My DH is super anal about cleaning up the kids' messes when we leave a restaurant. I'm not nearly as worried about it as he is, but will pick up any big messes that are left. We also tip well, but even did before we had kids. We still tip the same amount as before.

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