Restaurant Buffet Rules of Etiquette

A restaurant buffet can be an economical and delicious option for a dinner out, but it should not be an experience akin to lining up at a feeding trough. Understanding the appropriate etiquette for eating at a buffet can help diners enjoy a myriad of different tastes and treats without deteriorating into a feeding frenzy.

Why Etiquette is Important

Just because a restaurant may not have linen napkins, fine china, and a cultured wine list does not mean that it cannot be an enjoyable dining experience. Proper table manners and etiquette can make any meal a pleasant affair, whether it is at a Chinese buffet restaurant, a grill buffet, or any self-serve restaurant.

There are six key rules to restaurant buffet etiquette. By observing each rule, diners can make their multiple trips to the salad bar, grill, and dessert stations a delightful way to share a meal.

1. Patience is paramount.

Because diners are jostling for the best position to snag another portion of steak, fries, vegetables, or salad, lines can be hard to define at a buffet. As you approach a popular buffet station, note whether or not a lot of other diners are congregated around the same station, and if they are politely wait your turn to choose your servings. Do not reach into the same dish as another diner, even if multiple serving utensils are available, and be patient if the dish must be replenished.

2. Use a plate, not a platter.

All-you-can-eat buffets inspire gargantuan servings, but it is better to make an extra trip for a second helping than to heap your plate into a mountain. Particularly for popular dishes such as steak or seafood, take only an appropriate portion to help ensure there is plenty for everyone to sample. Add breads, vegetables, and other dishes to your plate before choosing the prize dishes to be sure you won't overload a heaping helping.

3. Cleanliness counts.

Wait staff in buffet restaurants will clear away used plates between servings, and diners should never reuse the same plate when they return to the buffet. Clean plates may be delivered to your table or they may be available at serving stations, but if a plate is not as clean as possible, do not leave it for the next diner - set it aside or give it to a passing server instead. When scooping up buffet helpings, always use the designated utensils to prevent mixing foods, and take care when moving food from the serving dish to your plate to avoid accidental spills.

4. Serve food, not sarcasm.

Buffet restaurants may offer a wide range of options for diners to sample, but one thing they don't offer is gourmet cuisine. Diners should be aware of what is available at a buffet and not make snide comments about its quality or condition, particularly if comparing it to non-buffet restaurant fare. If a dish isn't what you expected, simply leave it on your dirty plate to be cleared away rather than complaining about its quality or your unmet expectations.

5. Thank you for saying please.

Many buffet restaurant patrons assume that because they are serving their own food, simple polite phrases such as please and thank you are no longer necessary. This only encourages a herd-like mentality for inconsiderate diners. Instead of grabbing your food as if it's your last meal, say please and thank you to the wait staff, buffet line servers, and other personnel who attempt to make your dining experience a pleasant one. These simple words can make your meal more pleasant, both because you know you're being a polite customer, and because such good manners are a rarity that you may find your table cleaned faster and your drinks refilled sooner because you are considerate.

6. Tips on tipping.

Even though a buffet restaurant's staff is less involved in serving food than in a traditional restaurant, that does not mean that tips are unnecessary. Without the help of the wait staff, diners would be faced with stacks of dirty plates, empty glasses, and picked-over food trays instead of the tempting buffet they came to sample. While truly horrendous service may warrant a lower tip, a gratuity of ten to twenty percent of the initial tab is considered appropriate for buffet restaurants.

By being a polite customer and following these simple rules of restaurant buffet etiquette, customers can serve themselves heaping portions of the smiles, friendliness, and excellent service that can be found at any restaurant, regardless of what dishes may be served under the sneeze guard.