One Diner Was Charged Almost $7,000 For Allegedly Trying To Sneak Out Food From A Buffet
Although many people consider pocketing food to be a buffet hack for getting your money's worth, as you can imagine, restaurants really don't like this practice. A cookie for later, sure, but stuffing a steak in your bag is a big no-no.
One diner found this out the hard way after repeatedly visiting a buffet in China's Guizhou province, each time stuffing expensive items like shrimp, salmon, and goose liver into her purse. Over the course of two weeks, the diner allegedly ordered $6,500 worth of food, but paid only about $156 total. Understandably, the restaurant sued her for taking advantage of the all-you-can-eat buffet and essentially stealing thousands of dollars in food.
However, this diner isn't the only one to find herself kicked out of and banned from a buffet. Another diner, also in China, was banned after he used an all-you-can-eat restaurant to live-stream himself eating. Meanwhile, in Germany, a triathlete was banned because he ate more than 18 pounds of sushi in a single sitting.
Don't push your luck when dining at a buffet-style restaurant
We can't deny that buffets are a good way to get a lot of food for a relatively low price, but the fact remains that buffets still expect a certain level of etiquette. For instance, buffets make their money by adjusting food quantity to customer demand, encouraging diners to fill up on cheaper and bulkier foods, and enforcing a no-carryout policy.
Taking as much food as you want only applies to what you can eat at the table. If you can't eat it at the table –- or don't even intend to eat it at the table, and instead plan to take it home –- it's considered stealing. On a similar note, a hospitality professor explained to The Takeout that buffets are not "an open pantry." He further commented, "You have agreed to eat a meal, not feed yourself for a week," and advised against taking food home unless the restaurant explicitly says you can. Otherwise, you too could find yourself kicked out of a buffet.