dddc

Interesting program on Channel 5 about how buffets make money on virtually every guest the comes through the door. I went on a weekday lunchtime and felt cheated as all the food stations weren't open! Plus I went with people who showed more restraint than me. I had a record in my youth at the old Sizzler chain of going up 7 times. But the plates were small and my appetite quite big back then. I tried that at Deep Pan Pizza, but the obvious flaw was the pizza itself. 20 mins after the first slice it had expanded to block your stomach eating any more. I'm please to say I never took more than I could eat. The only things I'd leave on my plate was if I tried a little of something and didn't like it.

My modus operandi at buffets is now go on sample session where I'll take a little of things the look interesting for a starter and then larger portions of what I liked best for the main. Then maybe a vegetable course to try and cleanse my body before a desert course.

South London Bon Viveur

I can't imagine BA have much food waste emanating out of any of the cabins Certainly not Y longhaul! However it would be great if there was a way of giving away leftover food (obviously not if it has already been part consumed and the packaging etc. has already been opened) to those that need it- I imagine however the logistics are too complex.

Dark Blue

I witnessed that someone ordered 3-4 BA burgers, then he only took meat out of them. Everything else was trashed. I was disgusted by this, but it must be the rich's travel in style.

xenole

On the occasions I do eat on board a BA flight, 95% of the time, I tend to leave the dessert, salad, bread roll, tomato etc. If the cheese is mouldy, that can go in the bin as far as I care.
No idea if the crew risk eating (potentially) unopened items or they're binned.

Most of these CE meals I would leave. Raw veg, cucumber, hummus etc. Yuck

Don't eat that much bread, so quite often I'll pick the burger from the bun and just eat the meat, cheese etc. Maybe scrape the mayo stuff off as well.
Nearly always do this at McDonalds. Just eat the patty or chicken burger (paying for the whole thing, and they're not going to knock off 50p if I say "no bun please).

adrianlondon

Too selfish to just order the patty, assuming that's possible of course.

wrp96

Might not know you can just order the patty. Or language barrier. Or....

xenole

Sometimes you can't get hold of someone; they mess up the order; during Covid, you had to order on the app; maybe easier for someone to prepare a full burger than an order removing specific aspects; don't always know what you'll get (sometimes the bread is dry, super thick, raw onion, smothered in sauce etc.)

gingerlucy

I do hate food waste too but there are times when you are simply too tired and overwhelmed to negotiate changes to menu items and deal with all the follow up questions and looking like a weirdo. I'm not good at lots of social interaction especially when travelling. Sometimes it's just easier to order the menu version and pick out the bits you want. In my case yes that does mean sometimes I abandon the buns I'm afraid.

There's also a chain of bars I frequent where I really like a particular burger but I don't care for the raw sliced red onions that come on it, but when I ask for it without that usually results in follow up questions about allergies and I have to reassure them that it's just a matter of taste so no need to treat the cooking of the rest of the meal with caution. Last time, having asked for no onions on the burger and explained to server 1 that it was not an allergy, my food was brought over followed swiftly by server 2 who had spotted the "no onions" on the ticket so came dashing over to warn me that there were spring onions in a side dish in case I hadn't spotted them and profusely apologise for the oversight, so I had to reassure her it was fine. Good for them for being ultra hot on these things, but it honestly would have been simpler for all of us if I'd just taken them off myself.

Veering into the debate about behaviour when something is free - in my other life I am treasurer for a small charity that has some very basic hostel-type accommodation (think bunk house, not ensuite). Electricity in the rooms is supplied via coin meters. We do not set the unit prices on the meters very high (Ł1 will last you a day or two) and nowhere even close to the cost price to us, and so my fellow trustees sometimes ask if we should just remove the meters entirely for simplicity. However, the small charge means people don't leave the in-room electric heaters on all day when they are out, whereas I am convinced they would happily do so if it were free, so we are managing the behaviour rather than attempting to recoup the cost.

adrianlondon

I don't see a problem with throwing away the buns, as they're just cheap overly-sugared bits of bread. I got the impression that the person had an entire meal - burger and accompaniments such as fries, and ordered it 4 times just eating the meat. I guess my interpretation of that post might not be correct

Confus

Interesting to see the indignation on this thread, but when BA refuses to load 14 x the entire F menu in an attempt to avoid similar levels of waste, all hell breaks loose……

IJN Harekaze

Especially if Gold and the rear part of the cabin gets served first

jamestg

Not sure this is a fair comparison, most of the people complaining are doing it about just one or two salmons being loaded for a cabin of 8 etc

Visconti

I often prefer not to eat the top of the bun for a burger or sandwich, and actually much prefer my sandwiches/burgers open faced style.

Regarding wasting food, not sure if this was common or taught across the pond, but I suspect many Americans from my generation were brought up to always leave a little food on one's plate when dining at restaurants or as a guest at someone's home. The rationale being to signify to the chef or host one enjoyed the food thoroughly and also completely satiated.

HIDDY

In Scotland I was taught to clear my plate.

physicsdude

In the US, it really depends on the parents regardless of one's background, but my parents really hammered it in to have a clean plate.

However, I will say that from having started to fly AA/BA this year in J, the Flagship Lounge at ORD and Greenwich Lounge at JFK are definitely different from a regular DL Skyclub. Less people sprawling out their belongings, less people piling up food from the buffet, and less people talking loudly on Facetime on speaker.