Originally Posted by
sbm12
I actually think the reasoning behind needing all the carts is that if they aren't all in place then the others could slide around and possibly come loose and attack a FA or passenger.
This sounds right. They can skip catering altogether, but they can't miss a cart.
They don't recater on short trips sometimes (e.g., EWR-DFW-IAH, they won't restock in DFW for the short hop).