After sharing a delightful dinner with my family at an exclusive eatery, my mother's gaze fell upon the piece of bread left on our table. She intended to request it be wrapped, yet, much like a teenager being prematurely collected from a gathering, I interjected, "Mom, you can't do this." Subsequently, while I was in the restroom, she discreetly slipped the bread into one of the numerous Ziploc bags she always carries and informed me about it in the car, leaving me with no recourse.

Unraveling the Taboos of Taking Leftovers from Fancy Restaurants

Can I Take Bread Home from a Restaurant?

When it comes to bread, the response is a definite "no," although the situation becomes more complex with other items. Almost all the high-end dining servers I engaged with stated that they do not pass judgment on diners who wish to have a slice or two wrapped. A year after the incident involving my mother and the bread, I deeply regret my initial hesitation. Food should never be wasted when it is avoidable, end of story."Occasionally, people wrap up bits of bread they have been holding onto throughout the meal, and I do not condemn them for this," one server shared with me. "There was once a woman who wrapped up her fried broccoli. When I inquired if she wanted her bread, she paused and then mentioned that she was avoiding carbs. That, I did judge her for."

Will it Annoy the Waiter if I Take Home Leftovers?

However, do not celebrate prematurely. In terms of taking home leftovers in a broader sense, a woman who has worked at multiple upscale restaurants in Manhattan and Brooklyn mentioned that there is not so much awkwardness as there is annoyance when the dining room is crowded and there are a multitude of other tasks demanding her attention."I did not encounter judgment from other staff usually; it was more frustration when it was busy, and I had to wrap up like half a bite of steak and a small potato," she said. "But it was just part of the routine. Additionally, some tasting menus are unusually large, so it is quite common to wrap up leftovers for that purpose."

Will the Server Judge Me if I Asked to Get Food Wrapped?

Another server, who has worked at two upscale restaurants in Manhattan, echoed this sentiment. She has never judged people for asking to have food wrapped, but she certainly resents them for it due to her already overburdened workload."There are certain dishes that are a major hassle to wrap up," she explained. "We had this crudité tower, which consists of three tiers of spreads and raw vegetables. People often struggle to finish it as it sometimes comes at the end of the meal and is a significant amount of veggies and dip. Visually, it is truly impressive, but when they request it to be taken away, a busboy has to scrape black hummus into a box and throw the vegetables in, and it literally looks dreadful. If I were to open that at home, I would give it to someone I did not care about."Of course, an enormous amount of perfectly good food is wasted every day in restaurants, which is the primary reason why servers would not judge you for taking it home. (Some servers even admitted to consuming the leftovers from your plate, as I discovered earlier this year.) But there is one thing you should never, under any circumstances, do, and that is ask for an elaborate multi-course meal to be taken away.

Are there Foods I Shouldn't Take Home?

"We once had to prepare an entire tasting menu to be taken away," that same server informed me. "I have no idea why this occurred as the whole essence of a tasting menu is not about the quantity of food you receive but about sitting and observing each course unfold. All I could think was, 'Who allowed this to happen?' And it is such a pity too because nothing looks presentable in a box. I am all for not wasting food; please take home your leftovers and give them to someone on the street if you do not want them. But this is a restaurant. Sit down and have the staff bring you your food; please."