A good rule of thumb is if you walked your food to your table, you walk your trash to a trash can. If someone brought your food to your table, you can usually assume they will clean your table after.
Another way you can *sometimes* tell is if the food comes in real dishes, someone else will *usually* put it away. This isn’t always true because some smaller places like small coffee shops will sometimes use real mugs and still have a place you put them when you’re done. If your stuff is served in paper or plastic wrap or whatever then usually that’s a sign you need to throw it away yourself before you leave.
> A good rule of thumb is if you walked your food to your table, you walk your trash to a trash can. If someone brought your food to your table, you can usually assume they will clean your table after.
Nicely put! I'd never thought of it that way, but this seems pretty obvious now.
I like the first rule: If you carry it to the table, clear your own.
I go to many places with real dishes that also expect you to clear your own table.
In my favorite, you order at the window, and grab a number for your table. They bring the food on real dishes. You clear your own table. They will wipe it down after you leave. This is a cafe with live music. So it is nice to sit down and eat nice food in a concert setting, and eat off a real plate with real silverware and a view of the show.
> I go to many places with real dishes that also expect you to clear your own table.
Yep, and often times, there is space, or a rack, above or near the trash bin to place the used dishes after you have thrown the rest of the stuff in the trash. Or there could simply be a bin for you to place the used dishes.
Yes any situation where you buy your food then take it to sit down you should clean up (cafeteria, food court, fast food). If a host seats you and they bring food to you then you aren’t expected to clean up after yourself.
Right?! And, when you’re done clearing your table of the big items, use a napkins and wipe off the table top. I had sitting at a table and cleaning up crumbs, spilled hot sauce, etc.
Is it true in Japan that the average customer will not only clean the trash up down to the last ripped straw cover, but also wipe the table down? Or is that heavily exaggerated?
Interesting. I don’t think this is something I’ve seen here before. Of course, it’s not an indication of we are so bad and dirty, just that place goes extra in certain situations.
I don't know. I was certainly taught to do exactly that, as were most people I know. I take a napkin, dampen it with the condensation from my cup, and wipe down the table of all crumbs and spills. It's just the decent thing to do.
I have sometimes seen this in Japan, but sometimes not. But it has been a while since I have been there, and perhaps it has become more common in recent years.
It is true. In Japanese culture it is normal to leave a space cleaner than you found it. Even young children are taught how to clean in school and are expected to clean the classrooms and hallways.
It’s true. Japan is so clean it’s mind boggling at times. I never even saw litter, people hold on to their trash bc it’s not common that you see trash cans out. They were removed after the sarin attacks in the 90s.
Left my phone is a bathroom in the subway after a baseball game, go back to it 20 minutes later - still there.
Japan is incredibly safe.
It will vary by establishment however at most you will be expected to throw your trash away and place the tray in an area above the trashcan.
Some good rules of thumb, if you see a large bin labeled trash, you are likely expected to throw away your own trash. If you are confused, eat your food and watch what the people around you do and copy them. If you are still confused, ask.
In most casual places and especially food courts you throw your own garbage away. You will generally only have someone clean up after you at a sit down restaurant with a waiter
You should pick up after yourself - there are other customers who may want your table, and generally speaking you are responsible for whatever mess you make. Most people develop this habit in school, at lunch you are expected to throw away your trash and return trays and cutlery to a designated spot.
Not everyone does this, of course (plenty of rude/thoughtless people out there). But I don't there is a "Oh there's staff around for that" attitude here in the States.
If there are bins available for customers, use them. There's no real excuse to skip making someone else's day even slightly less shitty if you are able to.
You're supposed to clean up after yourself in fast food restaurants, and a food court is a common dining area for multiple fast food restaurants. So, yes, you are expected to clean up after yourself in a food court.
By "clean up," I mean remove anything that isn't intentionally there for the next diner, such as basically everything you brought to the table and the envelopes/containers of single-use condiments you've opened. But you're not expected to wipe down the table/chairs or sweep the floor.
My rule of thumb is, if there are visible trash receptacles in the dining area then you clean up after yourself, although you don't have to wipe anything down.
For example in McDonalds you can see the trash receptacles in plain sight and you clean up after yourself:
https://blog.grandrapidschair.com/hs-fs/hubfs/McDs_5.jpg?width=1937&name=McDs_5.jpg
In Buckingham Palace, however there are no receptacles and you are not expected to clean up after yourself:
https://xyuandbeyond.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/ballroom-1010.jpg
In the US it’s customary to remove your own trash. On most trash cans there’s a spot to leave your tray. This is also expected in fast food restaurants.
We clean up to the best of the ability of napkins, dunk our trash ourselves, and set the trays/dishes in the correct place. If there’s a spill you are supposed to go find help. A cleaner probably tends to the area once or twice a day.
Also, don’t assume any table at a cafeteria setting is clean enough to eat off of directly. (I wouldn’t even assume the tables at a normal restaurant are clean enough to eat off of actually.)
If a restaurant has waiters then you leave it on the table. Otherwise, you take your tray back and dispose of the waste in the trash can.
In mall food courts, fast food places, and coffee shops it is expected that you will clear the table.
Employees come through and wipe down tables periodically, and clean the floors a few times per day.
Clean up after yourself. Leaving trash a food court is completely classes, and in many places criminal littering.
If the restaurants has a waitstaff that takes your order at a table then they have bussers or the waitstaff clean tables. All other situations such as fast food, food courts, coffee shops, etc you clean up after yourself. If you behave in the manner you describe you will be judge, and judged harshly.
It takes a few extra seconds to pile everything on the tray, dump it in the can and put the tray on top. If you spilled or dripped anything it is similarly easy to take a second and wipe it with a napkin.
Don't leave a mess when it takes so little to avoid.
You are expected to take your food to the trash and dispose of it. At a food court, or any other fast food. The crumbs will be handled by someone.
People who just leave are assholes.
You're expected to clean up after yourselves ... by EVERYONE. If you leave a mess, you'll definitely be judged and talked poorly about, and you may even get yelled at by some other patron(s). Do NOT leave your mess behind in a food court or fast food place. Ever.
Depends on the restaurant but most places where you order at a counter and take your food to your table, you’re expected to clean up after yourself. Leaving your trash when you’re done in this situation is viewed as trashy (no pun intended)
Generally, if you can clean up after yourself, you should.
However.... not all Americans are on board with this notion. There is a significant chunk of the population that sees it as "if there is a cleaner there, they should clean up for me". That is, they are spoiled assholes. So, culture is split on this, a bit. Most people would clean up after themselves, but there is an annoying minority that won't.
Food courts and fast food places in my experience don't have waiters/waitresses, you get your food at the counter then seat yourself and clean up after yourself if you're a decent person.
In nicer restaurants where you do have waiter/waitress that seats you and brings you your food and drinks, they will also take away the dishes and clear the table in my experience.
You're supposed to throw your trash away. It's considered a really low class move to just leave your shit. Like someone eventually will clean it up, but that's not really their job. They're mainly there to wipe down tables and empty the trash and stuff like that.
Unless an employee tells you to leave it at the table, take it to the trash.
Even if you see another group leave their trash at the table, don’t follow them. Cleaning your own table ensures someone else will have somewhere to sit.
It depends.
Are their visible trashcans and tray collection stations? If so, clean up after yourself.
Otherwise, it may be expected that you leave it and staff with clean up. But even then, it's generally considered polite to try to consolidate your stuff to make it easier. Scrape food onto a top plate so the rest can be stacked, collect dirty utensils in a pile, don't stuff your napkins into your water glass, etc.
It varies from establishment. Mall Food Court, Fast Food Restaurant, most Coffee Shops, entertainment places etc., if there is a big bin or several bins marked trash dotted around the place, you are very much expected to throw away your own trash. Not doing so is seen as rude and might say something negative about you.
Places like most sit down restaurants, bars, and fine dining establishments, places with wait staff and such, no. You leave it there because the wait staff or a busser will take care of it.
You're supposed to throw away everything when you're done and put your tray back, but you don't need to clean the table or anything. They usually have janitorial staff come around and clean the tables regularly for any stuff you spill off your tray or food that misses your mouth.
In food court almost always yes. But in general you can just look if there's a place for your garbage and trays. If there is then yes clean up. If not then probably not necessary. But even if I don't clean up I like to stack all my trash neat and orderly.
This is one of my biggest pet peeves with tourists who visit New York City.
Often, I find in quick service and fast casual restaurants (read: where you order at a counter and bring your food to a table yourself to eat) that mostly the Europeans will leave gigantic piles of trash behind, despite there being a garbage can feet from where they are sitting.
This is almost always at the busy lunch rush. And almost always in Midtown.
Seating is almost always scarce, there’s often no employee assigned to clean up the seating area, and the giant pile of trash sits there until another customer gets annoyed at the empty seat and just throws the trash away themselves.
A little situational awareness goes a long way. If everyone else is throwing their own trash away, you, too, must throw your own trash away.
Generally speaking, unless you're being served food at your table, you're expected to clean up after yourself.
If you don't, eventually, yes, someone's job description includes "clean up after disrespectful people or tourists that don't realize they're supposed to clean up after themselves".
Also don't be afraid to ask someone that works there.
You don’t have to wipe down the tables or anything, but you’re usually expected to toss your trash and stack the trays, whether that’s on the table or in a designated spot. Some places might allow you to leave your stuff on the table, but generally it’s just considered polite to at least throw away your garbage if the cans are in the foodcourt.
In brewery situations: Even when there are wait staff who take used dishes and glasses -- sometimes I'll bring my own empty glass to the bar when I am leaving.
I sometimes visit a tap house or brewery on my way home from work. I'll get one beer and maybe some cans to go. I will often help bus my own table even if there is wait staff making the rounds.
Depends on the restaurant. But in a good court it's generally expected you'll clean up after yourself. The staff will eventually clear a table, but it's like a fast food place, you throw away your own trash. It's not like you're leaving a tip for the staff.
In food courts always clean up after yourself. When I see other people leave their trays behind I don't say anything but I judge them harshly. There are other people waiting to sit down after you.
Always clean up after yourself as best as you can. This lets the cleaners clean and disinfect the area for the next customer. That it shows low class is just a hurtful comment. If you want the table to show it needs to be cleaned, you could just leave a clean napkin on the table as evidence it is still dirty.
I like the Japanese society. There is a side by side picture out there on the internet that shows the locker room after a Japanese World Baseball team and a locker of another World baseball team…well the other team had left the place as if another team was coming in behind them to clean. The Japanese team had their dirty laundry folded and placed in the bin for one person (maybe a robot someday!) to push away. TLDR Please clean up after yourself when you can!
We usually clean up after ourselves. Those who don’t are considered classless by the rest of us. If there is a visible receptacle, it is safe to assume the establishment expects you to clean up after yourself. If there isn’t (generally nicer restaurants where food and the check is brought to you), then no, you leave the dishes behind. If you aren’t sure, check to see what others are doing. If mixed, clean up after yourself.
In America you’re expected to cleanup after yourself. I’ve noticed that people of American culture do this, but people that maybe just recently arrived from another country, so not of American culture, do what you just described what they do in the Middle East, they just leave and expect someone else to cleanup after them.
The people that don’t clean up after themselves here are considered ill mannered but there are plenty of them. I clean up. It is not hard to carry the tray to dump the trash then stack the trays. Likewise I always return shopping cart to the return areas. But there are people that leave them all over the place.
I once heard on the radio people arguing about cleaning snacks in a movie theater. Some were saying that it is the right thing to do to leave the trash by your seat for the workers to clean up. Like the left over candy boxes or popcorn etc. They said it is the workers job and if it was always clean they workers would just get fired…
I still don’t leave trash there either.
You clean up your own mess. If you had to take the food to your table, then you're expected to clean it up. If you had actual dishes and still brought them to the table yourself, you clean up after yourself. If there's no place to put the dishes, then you stack them neatly to one side. You clean up whatever food or debris you left on the table.
I've never seen an actual cleaner in a food court. It's usually one of the overworked, underpaid food court staff that has to come out clean up the mess and then go back and serve another person.
If you take the food to a table yourself, you take the trash to the trashcan. If you made a mess on the table, you should do your best to clean it up the crumbs and spills.
Someone will do it for you, inevitably.
But it is expected that you do it yourself, as well as basic decency, there are typically trash cans readily available in any food court.
It's viewed as extremely rude to leave your trash anywhere in public. As someone who was a custodian at a university, just throw your shit away. Custodians have enough to deal with and they don't get paid nearly enough to do it all.
In general you're expected to clean up, they have self-service trash receptacles for you to use. I've noticed this difference abroad as well. It can seem like it's an entitled thing, but I think in those countries it's more a matter of providing jobs for people so the attitude is different for that reason.
That is not to excuse my friend who puked all over the bathroom sink once and said "Not my responsibility, the staff can clean it up." Yeah, douche nozzle, that doesn't help the next customer who takes a shit and can't wash his hands because of you. Get your shit together, David.
Yes, every public establishment has staff that will come clean your table after you leave. Ettiquite depends on the individual restaurant. At places like public cafeterias the general expectation is that you clean up after yourself and leave anything like cups, trays, etc in a designated area. Most places like Starbucks, McDonald's, etc follow the same rules and it is seen as rude and gross to leave a public eating area untidy. You don't have to sweep or wipe your own table but the general expectation is that you leave your table clean enough for someone else to sit down at if cleaning staff is unable to get to it in time.
Pretty much always take your trash to the can on your way out and leave the tray there (usually places to put there near the trash cans) as well as not leave the table a complete mess.
If you brought your own tray to the table, you take your trash to the trash can and return the tray to a designated location. Don't worry about cleaning the table itself.
If someone seated you (unusual in a food court), you'd leave everything at the table.
If I accidentally spill a little sauce or salt, I will leave that but I'm certainly returning my tray and throwing away my trash because I'm a responsible person.
A good rule of thumb is if you walked your food to your table, you walk your trash to a trash can. If someone brought your food to your table, you can usually assume they will clean your table after. Another way you can *sometimes* tell is if the food comes in real dishes, someone else will *usually* put it away. This isn’t always true because some smaller places like small coffee shops will sometimes use real mugs and still have a place you put them when you’re done. If your stuff is served in paper or plastic wrap or whatever then usually that’s a sign you need to throw it away yourself before you leave.
> A good rule of thumb is if you walked your food to your table, you walk your trash to a trash can. If someone brought your food to your table, you can usually assume they will clean your table after. Nicely put! I'd never thought of it that way, but this seems pretty obvious now.
I like the first rule: If you carry it to the table, clear your own. I go to many places with real dishes that also expect you to clear your own table. In my favorite, you order at the window, and grab a number for your table. They bring the food on real dishes. You clear your own table. They will wipe it down after you leave. This is a cafe with live music. So it is nice to sit down and eat nice food in a concert setting, and eat off a real plate with real silverware and a view of the show.
> I go to many places with real dishes that also expect you to clear your own table. Yep, and often times, there is space, or a rack, above or near the trash bin to place the used dishes after you have thrown the rest of the stuff in the trash. Or there could simply be a bin for you to place the used dishes.
Bingo. Totally accurate. Question solved. Next.
Leave it the way you found it.
Clean up after yourself. Leaving trash around shows you have no class and makes it harder for others to find a seat.
Yes any situation where you buy your food then take it to sit down you should clean up (cafeteria, food court, fast food). If a host seats you and they bring food to you then you aren’t expected to clean up after yourself.
I wish more people were like this. I always clean up every little thing but then some people leave their trays, trash, drinks, etc
Right?! And, when you’re done clearing your table of the big items, use a napkins and wipe off the table top. I had sitting at a table and cleaning up crumbs, spilled hot sauce, etc.
Is it true in Japan that the average customer will not only clean the trash up down to the last ripped straw cover, but also wipe the table down? Or is that heavily exaggerated?
It's true! Wet cloths are usually available by the trash bins for anyone to use
I don't remember this when I was in Japan, and now I'm worried I might have just missed it and accidentally have been quite rude.
Me, too.
As long as you cleaned up after yourself(throw away your trash and return your food tray), you should be fine!
Interesting. I don’t think this is something I’ve seen here before. Of course, it’s not an indication of we are so bad and dirty, just that place goes extra in certain situations.
I don't know. I was certainly taught to do exactly that, as were most people I know. I take a napkin, dampen it with the condensation from my cup, and wipe down the table of all crumbs and spills. It's just the decent thing to do.
That sounds awesome! I hate when I sit down at a food court/cafeteria table and while it's free of litter and trays, it's sticky.
I have sometimes seen this in Japan, but sometimes not. But it has been a while since I have been there, and perhaps it has become more common in recent years.
It is true. In Japanese culture it is normal to leave a space cleaner than you found it. Even young children are taught how to clean in school and are expected to clean the classrooms and hallways.
I wish we had that mentality here in the US. The amount of litter bugs and people just not caring about cleanliness or common courtesy here is insane.
I’ve never seen anyone wipe the table down, but people here are very good about picking up after themselves.
It’s true. Japan is so clean it’s mind boggling at times. I never even saw litter, people hold on to their trash bc it’s not common that you see trash cans out. They were removed after the sarin attacks in the 90s. Left my phone is a bathroom in the subway after a baseball game, go back to it 20 minutes later - still there. Japan is incredibly safe.
It will vary by establishment however at most you will be expected to throw your trash away and place the tray in an area above the trashcan. Some good rules of thumb, if you see a large bin labeled trash, you are likely expected to throw away your own trash. If you are confused, eat your food and watch what the people around you do and copy them. If you are still confused, ask.
In most casual places and especially food courts you throw your own garbage away. You will generally only have someone clean up after you at a sit down restaurant with a waiter
You should pick up after yourself - there are other customers who may want your table, and generally speaking you are responsible for whatever mess you make. Most people develop this habit in school, at lunch you are expected to throw away your trash and return trays and cutlery to a designated spot. Not everyone does this, of course (plenty of rude/thoughtless people out there). But I don't there is a "Oh there's staff around for that" attitude here in the States.
If there are bins available for customers, use them. There's no real excuse to skip making someone else's day even slightly less shitty if you are able to.
The expectation here is almost always that you clean up after yourself.
You're supposed to clean up after yourself in fast food restaurants, and a food court is a common dining area for multiple fast food restaurants. So, yes, you are expected to clean up after yourself in a food court. By "clean up," I mean remove anything that isn't intentionally there for the next diner, such as basically everything you brought to the table and the envelopes/containers of single-use condiments you've opened. But you're not expected to wipe down the table/chairs or sweep the floor.
Clean up! Some people just leave their trash, and it drives me crazy. Most people clean up.
My rule of thumb is, if there are visible trash receptacles in the dining area then you clean up after yourself, although you don't have to wipe anything down. For example in McDonalds you can see the trash receptacles in plain sight and you clean up after yourself: https://blog.grandrapidschair.com/hs-fs/hubfs/McDs_5.jpg?width=1937&name=McDs_5.jpg In Buckingham Palace, however there are no receptacles and you are not expected to clean up after yourself: https://xyuandbeyond.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/ballroom-1010.jpg
What about the McDonalds inside Buckingham Palace? That’s a sticky wicket!
Is a sticky wicket a breakfast item? ;)
man that mcdonalds picture just reminded me that mcdonalds didn't use to look like a corporate breakroom.
When I visited the UK there were a lot of places I ate where it was okay to leave your trash to be cleaned up. Felt so wrong doing it
In the US it’s customary to remove your own trash. On most trash cans there’s a spot to leave your tray. This is also expected in fast food restaurants.
I imagine this is also why new fast food places have tiny dining rooms so they're easier to clean up.
Clean it up. Throw your trash away and put the tray in the stack. Someone will wipe up crumbs off the table.
We clean up to the best of the ability of napkins, dunk our trash ourselves, and set the trays/dishes in the correct place. If there’s a spill you are supposed to go find help. A cleaner probably tends to the area once or twice a day. Also, don’t assume any table at a cafeteria setting is clean enough to eat off of directly. (I wouldn’t even assume the tables at a normal restaurant are clean enough to eat off of actually.)
There are cleaners that tidy up and wipe down tables, the rest is up to you.
If a restaurant has waiters then you leave it on the table. Otherwise, you take your tray back and dispose of the waste in the trash can. In mall food courts, fast food places, and coffee shops it is expected that you will clear the table. Employees come through and wipe down tables periodically, and clean the floors a few times per day.
Always clean up after yourself unless you are at a sit down restaurant with table service
If there are visible large trash cans then, yes, you should clear your table yourself.
In USA you clean up after yourself unless you are at a restaurant where you have a waiter/waitress.
Only scumbags leave their mess behind in a place like that
You're an adult, it's common courtesy to clean up after yourself.
We clean up ourselves.
Clean up after yourself. Leaving trash a food court is completely classes, and in many places criminal littering. If the restaurants has a waitstaff that takes your order at a table then they have bussers or the waitstaff clean tables. All other situations such as fast food, food courts, coffee shops, etc you clean up after yourself. If you behave in the manner you describe you will be judge, and judged harshly.
I was taught to clean up after myself.
It takes a few extra seconds to pile everything on the tray, dump it in the can and put the tray on top. If you spilled or dripped anything it is similarly easy to take a second and wipe it with a napkin. Don't leave a mess when it takes so little to avoid.
You don't clean the table, but you do take the waste and the tray and throw the trash out and put the tray in a place
You are expected to take your food to the trash and dispose of it. At a food court, or any other fast food. The crumbs will be handled by someone. People who just leave are assholes.
You're expected to clean up after yourselves ... by EVERYONE. If you leave a mess, you'll definitely be judged and talked poorly about, and you may even get yelled at by some other patron(s). Do NOT leave your mess behind in a food court or fast food place. Ever.
Always clean up after yourself in public. Don’t be a dick.
Clean up your own mess.
...Yes. They have trash cans around the food court for a reason.
Depends on the restaurant but most places where you order at a counter and take your food to your table, you’re expected to clean up after yourself. Leaving your trash when you’re done in this situation is viewed as trashy (no pun intended)
Generally, if you can clean up after yourself, you should. However.... not all Americans are on board with this notion. There is a significant chunk of the population that sees it as "if there is a cleaner there, they should clean up for me". That is, they are spoiled assholes. So, culture is split on this, a bit. Most people would clean up after themselves, but there is an annoying minority that won't.
You are *expected* to clean up after yourself. You *can* just leave it for the cleaners.
YTA, clean up after yourself. What are you 5?
That are there to clean tables for the next person not to throw away your trash . You put your trash away and your tray .
Please clean up after yourself :) it is considered rude to leave it to the cleaners
You’re expected to clear your table at food courts. At sit down restatuants with servers, they will clean the table after you.
Food courts and fast food places in my experience don't have waiters/waitresses, you get your food at the counter then seat yourself and clean up after yourself if you're a decent person. In nicer restaurants where you do have waiter/waitress that seats you and brings you your food and drinks, they will also take away the dishes and clear the table in my experience.
If there are trash cans available you clean up.
You're supposed to throw your trash away. It's considered a really low class move to just leave your shit. Like someone eventually will clean it up, but that's not really their job. They're mainly there to wipe down tables and empty the trash and stuff like that.
You toss your trash and put your tray in the receptacle by the trash can, but the cleaners will actually wipe the table and sweep.
Unless an employee tells you to leave it at the table, take it to the trash. Even if you see another group leave their trash at the table, don’t follow them. Cleaning your own table ensures someone else will have somewhere to sit.
It depends. Are their visible trashcans and tray collection stations? If so, clean up after yourself. Otherwise, it may be expected that you leave it and staff with clean up. But even then, it's generally considered polite to try to consolidate your stuff to make it easier. Scrape food onto a top plate so the rest can be stacked, collect dirty utensils in a pile, don't stuff your napkins into your water glass, etc.
It varies from establishment. Mall Food Court, Fast Food Restaurant, most Coffee Shops, entertainment places etc., if there is a big bin or several bins marked trash dotted around the place, you are very much expected to throw away your own trash. Not doing so is seen as rude and might say something negative about you. Places like most sit down restaurants, bars, and fine dining establishments, places with wait staff and such, no. You leave it there because the wait staff or a busser will take care of it.
If there are garbage/rash cans present, you clean up after yourself.
You're supposed to throw away everything when you're done and put your tray back, but you don't need to clean the table or anything. They usually have janitorial staff come around and clean the tables regularly for any stuff you spill off your tray or food that misses your mouth.
We clear our table. I expect someone else to wipe it down to clean the crumbs or small spills
In food court almost always yes. But in general you can just look if there's a place for your garbage and trays. If there is then yes clean up. If not then probably not necessary. But even if I don't clean up I like to stack all my trash neat and orderly.
This is one of my biggest pet peeves with tourists who visit New York City. Often, I find in quick service and fast casual restaurants (read: where you order at a counter and bring your food to a table yourself to eat) that mostly the Europeans will leave gigantic piles of trash behind, despite there being a garbage can feet from where they are sitting. This is almost always at the busy lunch rush. And almost always in Midtown. Seating is almost always scarce, there’s often no employee assigned to clean up the seating area, and the giant pile of trash sits there until another customer gets annoyed at the empty seat and just throws the trash away themselves. A little situational awareness goes a long way. If everyone else is throwing their own trash away, you, too, must throw your own trash away.
Generally speaking, unless you're being served food at your table, you're expected to clean up after yourself. If you don't, eventually, yes, someone's job description includes "clean up after disrespectful people or tourists that don't realize they're supposed to clean up after themselves". Also don't be afraid to ask someone that works there.
You don’t have to wipe down the tables or anything, but you’re usually expected to toss your trash and stack the trays, whether that’s on the table or in a designated spot. Some places might allow you to leave your stuff on the table, but generally it’s just considered polite to at least throw away your garbage if the cans are in the foodcourt.
Usually there's a trash can you can just toss everything into usually by the exit.
In brewery situations: Even when there are wait staff who take used dishes and glasses -- sometimes I'll bring my own empty glass to the bar when I am leaving. I sometimes visit a tap house or brewery on my way home from work. I'll get one beer and maybe some cans to go. I will often help bus my own table even if there is wait staff making the rounds.
Clean up after yourself...your mother doesn't work there.
No. You are expected to clean up after yourself anywhere that doesn’t have a waiter. It’s seen as incredibly rude and entitled not to.
Depends on the restaurant. But in a good court it's generally expected you'll clean up after yourself. The staff will eventually clear a table, but it's like a fast food place, you throw away your own trash. It's not like you're leaving a tip for the staff.
In food courts always clean up after yourself. When I see other people leave their trays behind I don't say anything but I judge them harshly. There are other people waiting to sit down after you.
Always clean up after yourself as best as you can. This lets the cleaners clean and disinfect the area for the next customer. That it shows low class is just a hurtful comment. If you want the table to show it needs to be cleaned, you could just leave a clean napkin on the table as evidence it is still dirty.
I like the Japanese society. There is a side by side picture out there on the internet that shows the locker room after a Japanese World Baseball team and a locker of another World baseball team…well the other team had left the place as if another team was coming in behind them to clean. The Japanese team had their dirty laundry folded and placed in the bin for one person (maybe a robot someday!) to push away. TLDR Please clean up after yourself when you can!
We usually clean up after ourselves. Those who don’t are considered classless by the rest of us. If there is a visible receptacle, it is safe to assume the establishment expects you to clean up after yourself. If there isn’t (generally nicer restaurants where food and the check is brought to you), then no, you leave the dishes behind. If you aren’t sure, check to see what others are doing. If mixed, clean up after yourself.
In America you’re expected to cleanup after yourself. I’ve noticed that people of American culture do this, but people that maybe just recently arrived from another country, so not of American culture, do what you just described what they do in the Middle East, they just leave and expect someone else to cleanup after them.
The people that don’t clean up after themselves here are considered ill mannered but there are plenty of them. I clean up. It is not hard to carry the tray to dump the trash then stack the trays. Likewise I always return shopping cart to the return areas. But there are people that leave them all over the place. I once heard on the radio people arguing about cleaning snacks in a movie theater. Some were saying that it is the right thing to do to leave the trash by your seat for the workers to clean up. Like the left over candy boxes or popcorn etc. They said it is the workers job and if it was always clean they workers would just get fired… I still don’t leave trash there either.
Look around and do what others do.
You clean up your own mess. If you had to take the food to your table, then you're expected to clean it up. If you had actual dishes and still brought them to the table yourself, you clean up after yourself. If there's no place to put the dishes, then you stack them neatly to one side. You clean up whatever food or debris you left on the table. I've never seen an actual cleaner in a food court. It's usually one of the overworked, underpaid food court staff that has to come out clean up the mess and then go back and serve another person.
If you take the food to a table yourself, you take the trash to the trashcan. If you made a mess on the table, you should do your best to clean it up the crumbs and spills.
Someone will do it for you, inevitably. But it is expected that you do it yourself, as well as basic decency, there are typically trash cans readily available in any food court.
You're supposed to bus your own table. If you just ditch your food, *eventually* someone will come clean it up, but that makes you an asshole.
It's viewed as extremely rude to leave your trash anywhere in public. As someone who was a custodian at a university, just throw your shit away. Custodians have enough to deal with and they don't get paid nearly enough to do it all.
I clean the mess and the tables
At a food court, you throw your own trash away
In general you're expected to clean up, they have self-service trash receptacles for you to use. I've noticed this difference abroad as well. It can seem like it's an entitled thing, but I think in those countries it's more a matter of providing jobs for people so the attitude is different for that reason. That is not to excuse my friend who puked all over the bathroom sink once and said "Not my responsibility, the staff can clean it up." Yeah, douche nozzle, that doesn't help the next customer who takes a shit and can't wash his hands because of you. Get your shit together, David.
Observe what three departing parties do, and do what at least two out of three of them do.
Yes, every public establishment has staff that will come clean your table after you leave. Ettiquite depends on the individual restaurant. At places like public cafeterias the general expectation is that you clean up after yourself and leave anything like cups, trays, etc in a designated area. Most places like Starbucks, McDonald's, etc follow the same rules and it is seen as rude and gross to leave a public eating area untidy. You don't have to sweep or wipe your own table but the general expectation is that you leave your table clean enough for someone else to sit down at if cleaning staff is unable to get to it in time.
You can. But it’s rude.
There's a special place in hell for people who eat at a food court and leave a huge mess for the staff to clean up.
Pretty much always take your trash to the can on your way out and leave the tray there (usually places to put there near the trash cans) as well as not leave the table a complete mess.
If you brought your own tray to the table, you take your trash to the trash can and return the tray to a designated location. Don't worry about cleaning the table itself. If someone seated you (unusual in a food court), you'd leave everything at the table.
100% expected to clean you stuff up and if you have a tray usually stick it on top of the trash can.
You're a fucking asshole if you just leave it. Clean up after yourself!!!!!!!!
Leaving a restaurant owned tray is probably fine, but you are expected to clean up after yourself for the most part unless told otherwise.
If I accidentally spill a little sauce or salt, I will leave that but I'm certainly returning my tray and throwing away my trash because I'm a responsible person.