Should Restaurants Store Your Doggy Bag?
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My good friend (and former boss/mentor) Steve Barnes has his readers in a tizzy in response to an email he received in which a restaurant-goer says an eatery refused to hold his/her doggy bag. The customer was going to a movie post-meal, and wanted their leftovers stored and refrigerated properly to pick up afterwards. The waiter/restaurant refused, saying it was against the law. Whether that’s true or not is up for someone with more time and legal expertise than me to figure out, but I have to say, even if it’s not illegal, the idea of asking a restaurant to do such a thing comes off as a bit rude if you ask me. Their job is to provide you a meal/experience, and send you on your way. Their job is serving and getting rid of food, not storing it. Restaurants bend over backwards to comply with countless food safety laws and Board of Health parameters over raw and prepared food, so having to worry about your leftovers simply isn’t their problem. Agree? Disagree? Comment here, or join Steve’s chain of comments here: ‘Illegal’ for restaurant to store doggy bag? – Table Hopping – Steve Barnes – Restaurants and Dining Blog – timesunion.com – Albany NY.
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I think the solution here is logical and perfectly legal: finish your damn dinner! The stomach can expand far beyond what one might presume…If you can’t finish your meal, give me a call. For a nominal fee, my hollow legs and I can come help you out.
Katie, you should advertise these services on craigslist … restaurants might hire you to take care of said leftovers instead of having to wrap them up. How green is that! No bags/foil/containers to use, it just goes straight to you.
In response to another comment. See in context »People are so much more willing to be rude to a server/restaurant employee than to anyone else. It’s incredible. I’m always amazed at what people whom I normally consider polite are willing to ask of restaurants.
“Please change this menu item so drastically that it barely resembles its original incarnation.”
- Or –
“I’d like to speak to the manager. I recently went to a restaurant that served the food of a similar ethnicity and I wanted the food I got here to be the same thing.”
I’m wondering if the request was made before or after the check was paid and tip left. If the person making the request was a good tipper I certainly would have put it in the fridge for them.
I agree it borders on entitlement to ask a restaurant to store your doggy bag for you. But, interestingly enough, I have gone to a few restaurants, like A Voce, which wraps up your leftovers and stores them until you’re ready to leave, handing you a coat check ticket. I was really impressed by this kind of elegant service.
I agree, Robin, and think it comes down to a case of luxury and how the restaurant wants itself perceived. A high-end restaurant like A Voce (killer ricotta, btw) will likely oblige, but don’t expect to get your Chili’s fajitas held while you go see ‘Transformers’
In response to another comment. See in context »I went to a restaurant recently where I couldn’t finish my meal (which must have been HUGE because I’ve been known to finish mine and my companions’) and they offered to wrap it up. I said, “Oh, I’d love to take it home, but we’re going to the movies.” They then offered to keep it for me–which I thought was amazingly thoughtful.
Graham’s right– a lot of diners are rude (I’ve worked the other side of the table), but so are a lot of waiters/restaurant owners. It’s refreshing when they try to accommodate.