sam

Just curious, is it bad form and unacceptable to take food from a free breakfast buffet for a snack or lunch. I read several postings that plastic bags are great for this purpose.

eek

In england, taking food home in a bag from the table is referred to as a 'doggy bag'!<BR>It may be done by some people, but I think I'm right in saying generally its frowned upon, or you may find people sniggering about it!

no

Absolutely bad form, actually I would say it is stealing from the hotel and indirectly from your fellow guests, since the hotel will end up putting its rates up, or cutting back on the generous breakfast buffet.

cb

It is bad form.<BR><BR>What I do (risking to be called a cheapstake, which I am) is to take a couple of pieces of bread, take a few cold cuts, some cheese, and make sandwiches. I wrap them in a napkin and then put them in a plastic bag. If you are going to do it, just do it discreetely.<BR><BR>Great for a midday snack!

Tsk tsk

Tacky, tacky - a buffet is meant to be eaten on site, not used as the local grocery. Now if it is a breakfast meal with a specific cost for items and you don't eat it all, I would quietly wrap in a napkin and eat later.

Dick Yeager

sam,<BR><BR>When we were in Trier, Germany in late May, we saw a customer not only take food from the really nice breakfast buffet, but also ask our server for aluminium foil and a sack to put it all in!!<BR><BR>I must say the server didn't blink an eye and brought the items with a smile.<BR><BR>Personally, I think it is very tacky. <BR><BR>Incidentally, the hotel in Trier was the Hotel Villa Hugel, a very nice hotel on a little hill overlooking the small city of Trier. <BR><BR>The customer taking the food and requesting the "extras" was German!<BR><BR>Dick

xxx

Dick, of course he/she was German. No other nationality in Europe would do it. And sam, if you do a little search (for example "breakfast buff&eacute;t", you will find a loooong thread on this subkect.

flatfoot

its worse than bad form its ooutright stealing from the hotal. a buffet is meant to be eaten on site and not used for yoour cheap,thieving personal free lunch. a typical narcistic attitude of some of the low life you meet to often

x

I have to agree that this is very bad form! A buffet is designed for you to eat ONE meal from. If instead, you order a specific meal, then you have paid for that food, and can eat it whenever you want. I have heard people say "but I just don't eat much for breakfast"...then, don't buy a breakfast buffet!! Only one way to describe this...stealing.

L

I would only feel comfortable doing that in Prague, which is a funny city.

xxx

It's bad form anywhere-you shouldn't take extra buffet food for a snack or lunch. But if you want to take that chance be prepared to embarrass yourselves if caught.

Karin

The price for the breakfast - whether served on a buffet or at the table is of no consequence - in Europe is usually INCLUDED in the price for the room you pay for, it is NOT FREE. That means, when you pay 100 ? it might be 90 ? for the room/overnight and 10 ? for the breakfast in the hotel's price scheme. So, if customers continue helping themselves to a breakfast AND a lunch for the price of a breakfast (and I am not talking about the odd apple to be taken out of the restaurant after breakfast) the hotel will eventually rise the prices or cut down the variety of what they serve for breakfast.

homer

Most of what Karin says is right, of course one pays for an "included" breakfast. <BR><BR>But there is a difference between a breakfast served at the table and a buffet, since the served breakfast is the portion that I've paid for, and if I choose to take a croissant or roll away for later that is fine. But a buffet is different - I'm not entitled to two meals when I've paid for one.<BR><BR>After all, do you get a doggy bag from an "all you can eat" dinner buffet? I think not! Even Homer Simpson can't argue that the buffet should not only give him all he can eat NOW, but a bag for when he wants to start again tomorrow.

homer

Actually I meant to say "What Karin says is right" - I agree with what she says! But I was also making a further point.

Tony Hughes

Take what you like but do it discreetly - avoids embarassment all round.

Vicky

Last month in Spain there was a sign on the breakfast tables (in English and Japanese) that any food taken out of the dinning room would be charged. This was in a 4* hotel. I had never seen that before.

Wooried

I always take a little something for PUP. Surely this is not wrong. Is it?<BR>Worried

xxx

It's allright for Pup but not for you!