• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to secondary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • Event Calendar
    • Submit Event
  • About Us
    • Our Contributors
    • Subscribe
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Arts & Entertainment
    • Comedy
    • On Screen Dayton
    • On Screen Dayton Reviews
    • Road Trippin’
      • Cincinnati
      • Columbus
      • Indianapolis
    • Spectator Sports
    • Street-Level Art
    • Visual Arts
  • Dayton Dining
    • DMM’s Brunch Guide
    • Restaurants with Private Dining Rooms
    • Dayton Food Trucks
    • Quest
    • Ten Questions
  • Dayton Music
    • Music Calendar
  • On Stage Dayton
    • On Stage Dayton Reviews
  • Active Living
    • Canoeing/Kayaking
    • Cycling
    • Hiking/Backpacking
    • Runners
  • How to Support Dayton Businesses, Nonprofits During COVID-19

Dayton Most Metro

Things to do in Dayton | Restaurants, Theatre, Music and More

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

Don’t be a Double Dipper

February 9, 2012 By Leah Hawthorn Leave a Comment

Ah, the infamous Buffet Line.  We’ve all been there, especially at many business events and Lunch N Learns.  But is there such a thing as Buffet Etiquette?  Of course there is.  “Manners” may not be the first word that jumps into your head, but it does exist and helps us look good while refraining from doing the don’ts in and after the buffet line.

A lot of the business luncheons and events that I have attended use buffets.  There are also some people who have objections or phobias about eating at a buffet, but they can’t refuse when the boss is buying.  So, the next time you have to attend one of these business luncheons and/or events, here are some basic Buffet Etiquette Rules to follow:

  • Be Patient.  There is always going to be that one person in front of you that takes their own sweet time loading their plate as if they were molding Devil’s Tower in Close Encounters.  Just take some deep breaths and know that you are getting your food quicker than if you were ordering it.
  • Don’t complain.  Complaining about the food, the movement of the line, or that they are not refilling the chafing dishes quickly enough, can come off as rude to the people standing next to you.  Complaining won’t move that line any quicker.  In fact, it may slow it down.   Don’t engage in Buffet Rage!
  • Use the serving spoons.  Please…….use the serving spoon.  And when you use the serving spoon, put the spoon or tongs on the plate below the chafing dish.  Don’t mix the serving utensil in with other food.   Some people may not like green beans mixed in with their mashed potatoes.  My grandfather always said, “Well, it all goes to the same place, doesn’t it?” but I don’t think a lot of people think that way.  Sorry, Grandpa.
  • Don’t eat in the buffet line.  This really needs no explanation.  There are so many things wrong with eating in a buffet line that there isn’t enough room on the page.
  • Don’t overload.  We’ve all seen this.  And it’s just so darn attractive, isn’t it?  Seeing a pile of food fall to the floor, awaiting the next person to come along and step in it is a real treat.  See Devil’s Tower.
  • To-go container.  Asking for a to-go container is a definite don’t!  I have seen people do so, taking two and three meals home with them.  Really?!!  A Buffet is NOT an all-you-can-eat bar.
  • Please & Thank You.  Three words with fourteen letters that carry a great deal of weight.  Please and Thank you are never used too much.
  • Tip 10%.  If you are in a restaurant where there is an opportunity to tip and it is a buffet, 10% is appropriate.
  • When to start eating. Wait until at least four people around you have been seated before eating.  In some cases, tables will be released to the buffet line.  In this case, most of the people at your table will be sitting down at the same time.  Try to be respectful and wait for about four other guests to sit down before you start to dine.  You don’t want to be the first one to the table and dig in as the others sit down.  You definitely stand out in the crowd when you wait for others to be seated around you.  Believe me, they notice!
  • Don’t Double Dip.  If you are at a casual function and there is a vegetable tray or chips with dip, please put the dip on your plate with a spoon and then dip.

Buffets are part of business dining today but just remember these tips and you’ll always Outclass the Competition.

[yframe url=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1J3w4cS2MvM’]

 

Filed Under: Getting The Edge on Etiquette

About Leah Hawthorn

Leah Hawthorn is a certified business image & etiquette coach, training facilitator for The Defense Acquisition Universities, Senior College Fellowship. She trains frequently for WPAFB and is a Master Trainer for the Protocol School of Washington. Ms. Hawthorn works to facilitate change by improving individual and corporate images as well as Business Etiquette/ Social Intelligence Skills, and will be sharing her etiquette tips here on Dayton MostMetro.com in her column "Getting The Edge on Etiquette". Check out her business website - ABI, Advanced Business Image & Etiquette.

Reader Interactions


Comments

Comments

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Featured Events

  • Mon
    12
  • Tue
    13
  • Wed
    14
  • Thu
    15
  • Fri
    16
  • Sat
    17
  • Sun
    18

25% Off Pizza Monday

11:30 am | Oregon Express

Open Auditions for The Roommate

7:00 pm | Dayton Theatre Guild

LGBT AA group

7:00 pm | Greater Dayton LGBT Center

$6 Movie Day

| The Neon

Butterfly Walk

3:00 pm | Aullwood Audubon Center and Farm

Spaghetti Dinner

5:00 pm | Trolley Stop

Learn Videography Class

6:00 pm | The House of (DE-FI)ance: A Fashion & Design Co-working Experience

Live Trivia- In Person or Virtually

7:00 pm | Star City Brewing Company

Open Mic

7:00 pm | Applebee’s – Sugarcreek

Music Bingo

7:00 pm | Wings Sports Bar & Grille Beavercreek

Open Auditions for The Roommate

7:00 pm | Dayton Theatre Guild

PFLAG Meeting and Scholarship Awards

7:00 pm | Virtual Event

Premiere of The FonDana Show

8:00 pm | Top of the Market Banquet Center

One Day, One Dayton

| University of Dayton

Fairborn Food Truck Rally

3:00 pm | Main Street Commons

ALL YOU CAN EAT!

5:00 pm | Bullwinkle’s Top Hat Bistro

Trivia w/ DagaTrivia

6:00 pm | Eudora Brewing Company

Build-A-Brand Experience

6:00 pm | The House of (DE-FI)ance: A Fashion & Design Co-working Experience

Trivia Night

6:30 pm | Troll Pub at the Wheelhouse

Live Music with The Reatles

7:00 pm | Little York Tavern

Pozitive Attitudes

7:00 pm | Greater Dayton LGBT Center

Eudora Run Club

5:30 pm | Eudora Brewing Company

World Tour Wine Dinner

6:00 pm | Salar

LGBTQ Health Clinic

6:00 pm | Greater Dayton LGBT Center

The Adventure Color Gap: Diversity in the Great Outdoors

7:00 pm | Virtual Event

Bingo

8:00 pm | Trolley Stop

Xenia Food Truck Rallies

4:00 pm | Xenia Station

Taste of the Jewish Cultural Festival – Purim Edition

4:00 pm | Temple Israel

Destihl Tap Takeover

5:00 pm | Bunkers Bar & Grill

Reception for Art by Greg Alan Jankowski

7:00 pm | Virtual Event

Route 88

9:00 pm | Wings Sports Bar and Grille- Dixie

Tantric with Special Guests The Weekend Effect

8:00 am | Wings Sports Bar and Grille- Dixie

2nd Street Market – Outdoor Market Only

9:00 am | 2nd Street Market

Tree Seedling Giveaway

9:00 am | 2nd Street Market

Shred Day

10:00 am | Routsong Funeral Home, Inc.

Introducing…Mike Ousley and Egg Tempera

10:00 am | The 48 High Street Gallery

Spring Foraging Workshop

10:00 am | Agraria: Arthur Morgan Institute’s Center for Regenerative Agriculture

Market @ Mother’s

12:00 pm | Mother Stewart’s Brewing Co

ArBeer Day

2:00 pm | Devil Wind Brewing

Main Street Lebanon Chocolate Walk

4:00 pm | Downtown Lebanon

Spring Fling Community Dinner & Drive-In Movie

6:30 pm | Greater Dayton LGBT Center

See How They Run

7:30 pm | Sorg Opera House

Paris Flea Market

6:00 am | Dixie Twin Drive-In

3rd Sundays

11:00 am | Front Street Complex

Free Admission for Local Nurses

12:00 pm | The Dayton Art Institute

Brunch w/Luv Locz

1:00 pm | Cafe 1610

See How They Run

3:00 pm | Sorg Opera House

The Bandit of the Year

4:00 pm | Yellow Cab Tavern

More Events…

DMM E-Newsletter


Give us your email address and we'll send you our DMM E-Newsletters
Email:  
For Email Marketing you can trust
Back to Top

Copyright © 2021 Dayton Most Metro · Terms & Conditions · Log in