Restaurant Table Comparison Splits Opinion On How Different Generations Treat Servers

Ally Perry • Writer and Editor

Sep 14, 2021 8:00 PM EDT

Eating out is one of life's simple pleasures — if you're the customer, that is. Whenever you walk into a restaurant to have a meal, there's a whole host of people working behind the scenes to make sure your every need is catered to. In return, it's important to show your appreciation for this, including everything from your manners to how much you tip.

However, how far we should take our eating out etiquette can be a contentious subject, as one video has recently proved. After going for a meal, @sallymander_ filmed the table her party had been eating at and the table of the customers next to them, claiming it showed the changing attitudes of younger generations in comparison to older ones. The difference between the two was that her table had neatly stacked their plates for their server to take away, but the older table had left a mess.

While some praised Sally for her attempt at being considerate, other viewers were less convinced by the display of gratitude. Some believed that they were doing the server's job for them, whereas others who had worked in the hospitality industry suggested that it could be frustrating when customers clear up dishes in the wrong way. As if that wasn't enough, some older people also took offense at the idea that they would not do the same. Perhaps the one lesson to be learned from this controversy is that if you clean up after yourself, you don't always need to tell the world about it.