Restaurant servers slam patrons who stack their OWN plates to help clear a table – revealing it often makes things WORSE because they ‘don’t know what they’re doing’

Servers have expressed frustration with customers stacking their plates when they’re done eating.

One Redditor took to the waitstaff-focused forum r/ServerLife to solicit feedback from restaurant workers on the habit.

‘From someone who has never worked in a restaurant: does it help to stack our plates after eating? Does it make it worse?’ the user asked.

The question was about the tendency of some well-meaning customers to put away dirty dishes after they’ve finished eating – apparently thinking they’re helping their waiter clear the table.

With the post, the user shared a photo of a table where customers at an unnamed restaurant had attempted to do just that, resulting in haphazard piles of dirty plates, bowls and cutlery, plus a few crumpled paper napkins, scattered across the surface.

A Redditor took to the waitstaff-focused forum r/ServerLife to solicit feedback from restaurant workers about customers stacking their own plates after finishing their meal

Most waitstaff agreed that trying to “help” your server by stacking plates creates more work for them – because most restaurant patrons don’t know how to do it the “right” way (stock image)

Thousands of current and former waiters and waitresses took to the comments to share their thoughts on the issue.

Most ultimately agreed that this step, while polite in theory, usually hurts more than it ‘helps’ your server do its job – as very few customers know how to do it the ‘right’ way doing.

“If they’re actually stacked properly, that helps a lot, but usually bless the customer’s heart for trying it.” Stacked as with large plates at the bottom, rising to small bowls/plates on top with cutlery in a way that it doesn’t slide off the stack,” one person explained.

“No offense but when you stack like that it’s even worse,” someone else wrote about the photo shared in the original post.

‘It is useful if all the waste is separated from everything else. Most people tend to put the waste between bowls, plates, cups, etc.,” another noted.

“When I pick up the plates, stop trying to put more on top,” said a fourth person.

‘This. Stop trying to hand me things when you can clearly see that I have a system. “Oh, we’ll put four plates of half-eaten potatoes on top of the mussel shells. Don’t forget, linen napkins go into the sauce,” one Redditor scoffed.

‘It’s not even a matter of a system… the plates are heavy to begin with, and now you throw all the plates and utensils at me at once, making me wait while you do, and you see how my arms start to shake from the weight of it all as you NOW ask what I recommend for dessert. Are you joking?!?’ one server was cooking.

Some servers expressed annoyance at the tendency of well-meaning customers to try to “help” by placing their dirty plates and silverware on the table after eating.

A separate comment thread started with this simple guideline: “If you know what you’re doing, great. If you’re piling on this photo, no, please don’t.’

Someone else expressed his agreement and told an anecdote from the job.

‘I was at work once and an adult said to one of the kids, “Oh, we’ll stack them up for the waiter, that makes it easier for him,” as he put plates on bowls with cutlery and (bowls) in them ,” they wrote.

“I looked at her, unfolded what she had done and then took it all in stride and explained how there is a system. It’s a nice gesture, but please don’t do it if you don’t know what you’re doing.’