The Buffet Etiquette Rule We Might Have Been Breaking This Entire Time

A good old-fashioned buffet, while disappearing off the American landscape, can still be one of the most cost-efficient ways to feed a lot of hungry people — just look at Shady Maple Smorgasbord in rural PA, the largest buffet in the world, but only $23 per person. Yet, inherent in eating at a buffet is a list of (typically unspoken) etiquette rules to keep you and all the other diners safe, and that comes with one big no-no.

It is simply bad manners and poor etiquette to begin eating while you're still in line at a buffet, because through the act of chewing, you could unwittingly spread germs and bacteria to other people in line, as well as their food, or the food that's in the buffet chafing dishes. It's even worse form to "sample" items directly from the food bins without the item ever touching your plate, because you're either using your hands or a dirty fork, which is unhygienic, or you're using the serving utensils and bringing it to your mouth, which would be like kissing every other person on the mouth who uses them thereafter.

In the same vein, you should always use the provided utensils to take the food from the chafing dishes to your plate (never to your mouth). In many restaurant buffets, there is a glass partition or sneeze guard that runs around the top of the buffet; this is to keep germs from people's faces off the shared food, so don't go sticking your head under it to get a better look. If you have a question, ask an attendant; if you're not sure if you'll like something, just take a little bit on your plate for you to try when you sit down.

And if you have to sneeze or you feel a cough coming on, take your plate and walk away from the buffet line, making sure you cover your mouth. Also, when it comes to plates — which are small on purpose — you should always take a fresh plate from the pile to avoid cross-contamination (if you were to reuse a dirty plate, you could spread germs if the serving utensil touches your plate anywhere that your fork, which went into your mouth, did). Bussers tend to be really good about whisking away old plates and keeping the buffet line replenished with clean ones; if they're out, find an employee and notify them.