# Cleaning plates



## arugula (Sep 13, 2012)

What is standard in your restaurants? 

Does your servers clean the plates into the garbage before dropping off in the pit?

Or

Do your dishwashers take care of cleaning food from plates before running the dishes threw.


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## djoko verona (Jul 26, 2012)

The servers


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## michaelga (Jan 30, 2012)

It really depends on the place and setup of the work flow.

I would never let a server "scrape" a plate clean if they had to do it within ear/eye shot of a guest!  Never...  they just put it into the 'magic' tub and it gets hauled away.

If the servers take plates back to an out of sight / sound place then they should scrape / dump as appropriate.

Also - one big big big factor is what kind of service is your restaurant providing?

The above was for a 'normal' family place.

If you have table waiters with crumb brushes, spare jackets, character and talents then no way would I have them scraping anything.

They would deposit soiled articles on a table in the back of house and never think about them again....

(tbh - most servers clear plates into the garbage (behind a screen/wall)  and then place into a bus-bin and when that is full the 'pit-crew' take it back.  When it's busy though it's in the best interest of the 'pit-crew' to scrape clean and move things back and forth... that way you don't stay for hours after the last waitstaff has gone home... which pisses off the Sous as I stay till things are locked!)


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## flipflopgirl (Jun 27, 2012)

My personal experience with dirty dishes...

Fine dining- someone else removed plates, quietly and unobtrusively when diners present, quietly and into a bus tub when table had been vacated.

Banquet- I would remove the dishes, all at once, to a bus tub in access hall.

Barkeep- had my own bus tub for glasses all well as any plates/utensils. My bar back would pick up the food, I would serve and remove all dishes and glasses to a tub. The afore mentioned back would carry full tubs to wash guy and return with clean glasses. Man I loved those gigs without the PITA of washing glasses.

My very favorite (late 1980's) job of all time was at this huge, old house with high ceilings (copper ceiling tiles) a bar that was original from the 1920's complete with a brass foot rail.

This place had a limited menu (Burgers, CFS/ T-bones/NY strips, twice baked potatos and the salad was chopped iceberg with 2 cherry tomatos and 1 cuke slice. Only one dressing, Ranch (made from scratch...) and a killer cheese enchilada plate turned out by the dish guy that spoke Spanish and enough English to ask for his tip and a beer.

Me "this come with a choice of house salad or sauteed mushrooms or fried zuchs with a dipping sauce.

Her " what kind of dressings do you have"

Me "house made Ranch"

Her....very quiet, waiting for the rest of the list.

The smart ones would realize that we had Ranch, and only Ranch.

Her "I'll have the mushrooms".

Food aside, we offered 20 beer choices, with 4 (rotating weekly) on tap and a bucket of ice with your "set ups".

BYOB, great country and western swing (young George Straight was a popular regular)

Huge back porch and patio...when the weather was nice we would have "back porch Sundays"

Some bikers and old ladies, doctors, lawyers, date nites, families.

Really fun as well as wholesome.

Had a "moat" and kept a bunch of zebcos ( cheap crap rods with a push button reel) and worms for bait (yes, we kept them in the fridge that housed the salads and tub 'o dressing) for the young and young at heart.

Stale burger buns and "Texas Toast" for the ducks.

Telling you this place was my hands down, fave gig of all time.

Did I mention that Billy Gibbons would sometimes drop by (if he was between tours) and knew he could hang out without having to worry about groupies.

Sometimes he would sit in....

Place is gone now, (owner sold for cash and moved to Belize), replaced by a huge modern softball field.

Sorry OT.

Whoever was walking by a table (didn't matter if it was yours or not, tellin' ya..this place was MELLOW) would pick up finished plates, beer bottles, empty ash trays (remember 1980s).

Was I rambling?

Sorry, just felt good to think about Papa Blakely's.

Merry Christmas, ya'll.

mimi


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## cheflayne (Aug 21, 2004)

IMO and mostly my experience but not always, but definitely my preference, FOH scrapes no matter the style of dining.


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## just jim (Oct 18, 2007)

FoH scrapes.

Server, runner, busser, whatever is most apprpriate.

That being said, I expect my dish crew to assist if they are able and FoH staff is slammed.

But I don't expect that to become normal, day to day procedure.


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