Miscellaneous Forum

Let's say you book a hotel or hostel and the breakfast is included on the rate. Is it tacky if you take a piece of bread or 2 or maybe make a sandwich, wrap it in a napkin and discretely put it in your purse/bag to eat later, while you're hitting the town? I don't mean to take the whole buffet table!

i believe most of us do it! i have taken yoghurt, an egg, honey, jam, apple or orange, pancake etc at one time or another...

I have too! I'm thinking "as long as I do it discretely and don't abuse, then it's fine. I paid for it already", but I was still wondering...

guilty as charged


LOL

Yes I would take anything food-wise that I could-specially the danish pastries! And any fresh fruit. They make a great morning tea & would probably get chucked out anyway. This is what budget travellers do and we are good at it-we make sure we get a table away from gaze of the maitre de!!!! and we take a plastic bag!!! are we bad?
Some places have amazing breakfasts - some of the 3-4 star hotels in Kuala Lumpur come to mind!

I did it all the time including refilling a bottle that i always carry to trips. Fruits, biscuits, bread are my favorite pick to pack into my bag at breakfast during my trips

We do it all the time at breakfast buffets when we're travelling. As seasoned professionals, we have ziplock plastic bags ready in a backpack or my purse. Apparently, it's against the law I've read in Europe to do this (I think I read it in Rick Steve's Europe Through the Backdoor book) but I can't see someone blowing the whistle on you unless you're taking whole containers of food. I'm sure much of the food from the buffet is wasted anyway.

hard boiled eggs travel really well

Not tacky at all. I figure if it's included in the price, it's yours for the taking.

I'm guilty of taking a few fruits, yogart and a few crossaints..

As long as you don't stuff your bag, then its all good.

I have a good story about my friend's daughter (she was 20) stuffing her bag with king crab legs at an all you can eat buffet!! She had taken so many legs that her bag was overflowing and she was stopped at the door. Apparenlty they had been keeping in eye on her and nabbed her on the way out!! That is embarrassing!!! Of course they made her give them up and asked that she never frequent the restaurant, lucky for her she wasn't arrested!!

Janet

I think it's only tacky if you do it discretely. Be proud about your need to eat, it's nothing to be ashamed of.

I always make a sandwich for lunch at a pre-paid included breakfast buffet - you have paid for it in advance, so enjoy. No need though to over do it...

That's what being a backpacker is all about! haha! I love the hostels in Europe where you get ham and cheese included in your breakfasts - my friend and I used to make up sandwiches to take for lunch.

Ok ok Guilty guilty ,but not a lot ,just a couple (2 or 3 ) COOKIEESSS.
Or maybe a banana .

I don't have a purse ,but I just give it to Loripori and she takes care of it for me but saying ,you really don't need this Hansi .

Hansi

Ohh Janet the Crableg story ,now that is worse then Tacky .

I loooooooove Crablegs ,but boy these are very expensive and well that just is not right to take these home .
Stuff yourself but that's it .

Pretty emberrassing I say .

Hansi

After you've prepared food for the rest of the day at breakfast, then you can stock up on the toiletries from the bathroom.

haha John you have tooooooooo much time on your hand .
Haha that's a good one John

Hansi

Hansi, you need to at least take the soap to wash your hands to eat the food you prepared. I learned this from my dad, so it is in the genes therefore I can't help myself - that's my excuse anyway.

no idea if it's tacky or not... but I'm guilty too!

saying that is "illegal" in Europe sounds exaggerated indeed. Its not allowed, but no one will report you to the police! Bear in mind that you have NOT paid for it, you have paid for all you can eat, not for all you can take away. But being discrete no one will care, and as some said, it will be probably wasted food in any case.

This just reminded to add the ziplock bags to my packing list for my imminent vacation :)

I always like going to the free "breakfast" when I've been out late, and then taking enough with me for when I wake up during lunch, not breakfast hours. ;)

Taking toiletries (shampoo, soap, and other little things that are usually in a basket in the bathroom) from hotel bathrooms is not stealing - the hotel people expect them to be gone, and if a half-empty shampoo bottle or used soap is still in the bathroom, it gets thrown out (my first summer job was as a hotel maid - we had to throw these things out if the guests used them partially and left them there). Taking towels, mugs, glasses, etc is stealing - those are always re-used.

i take toiletries
some places even replace them daily = whatevers gone - replaced - to go again

the place that have toiletries fixed onto the bathroom wall would not expect them being " nicked"

I suppose there is bound to have been someone who has written a book on Breakfast etiquette.

Personally, although normally my breakfast consists of just Tea, holidays sees me very peckish most mornings.

I have been known to demolish cuassont

As for nicking bits of Breakfast for lunch.

Well it is all small potatoes and as long as we don't take expensive items like Towels etc .

It looks like most of us do it and it looks like the restaurant know it and prob it is something they have gotten used to .
But not putting out these artificial sugar things for in your coffee or tea ,I have seen that just a few days ago .

I had to ask the waitress ,and she said we can't keep these on the table because people take them home .
Oh well what you gonna do eh .

Hansi

I have to confess I can't avoid stealing these cute small jars of jam....

I am eating less now, no huge bacon and egg and pancake for breakfast these days so I figure a taking a few pieces of fruit for snack later on will be fine.

Some places really tried to discourage people doing the "take out" thing> Guess from a liability standpoint they don't want to be liable if you pack a sandwich on a hot summer day, eat that later on, get sick and sue the establishment. I also do not pack any "lunches" for the same reason, who know how long the meat on the buffet table have been out. Having owned my own sandwich shop I stick to the 4 hour rule.

Ooops...posted before finished:

I suppose there is bound to have been someone who has written a book on Breakfast etiquette.
There seems to be an endless thirst for such silliness!

Normally breakfast consists of just Tea.
However, on holidays, my appetite perks up making me very peckish most mornings.

I have been known to demolish a buttered-quassont, cheese on plain-toast or a prosciutto-Panettone within the blink of an eye.
Orange-juice, disliked for its acidity, is readily consumed, as is black-coffee.
All this accomplished within reading the first paragraph of the morning news-paper.
After such unused luxury even lunching becomes unnecessary.

As for nicking bits of Breakfast for lunch, I see no need for subterfuge.
I expect if I were to need such things I would ask the waiter to pack them in an appropriate container for me.

After all, seeing as you had already paid for the privilege, the location you eat it at is not dictated by the price.

<I don't mean to take the whole buffet table!>

But I do... when given the chance and no one is looking. And then I proceed to park myself in a street corner to sell them, the little profit from the entire sleeze somehow pays for next lunch and dinner.

Tacky? yes, but it's devilish fun!

I would die, on the spot, if anyone with me ever did that.

And not in a tranquil way. More in a wicked witch of the west way. Or maybe I'd simply keel over like a penguin.

But seriously though.. please don't..

Holy geeze!! Hahahaha... You people are weird! Thick as thieves. I've never thought to make a sandwich to eat later. ...Or steal toiletries. ...Or jam! ...Or cutlery, towels, placemats, mugs, newspapers, robes, lamps, coffee makers, furniture, doormats, menus, or the front desk bell. Maybe twice in my life I've had them make me a sandwich at an all-inclusive resort so I could go on a daytrip--but we were instructed to do that. It's not the same thing as stocking up for the day from a hotel breakfast.

<Maybe I'd simply keel over like a penquin>

Then you will, in hunger and cold...or from a Miltonian-type heat.

<But seriously though...>

Ioan, c'mon it's Friday.