“It’s all you can eat, not all you can waste.” You’ve probably seen that message in buffet restaurants over the years. While it’s understood that the food is meant to be eaten at the restaurant, maybe you’ve had a little devil on your shoulder whisper to bring a to-go container so you can take some home.
TikToker Bailie Rae (@bailierae.k) must’ve been persuaded to do so during her recent visit to a buffet restaurant by sneaking in some Tupperware containers and seeing if she could get the food out without arousing the ire and suspicion of employees.
@bailierae.k You have to be the slickest in the game 🍱 #buffet #foodtiktok #fypシ #sushi #allyoucaneat #allyoucaneatsushi ♬ original sound – Bailie Rae 🥀
She documented the attempt in a video that begins with her sneakily extricating a reusable to-go container from a purse. The clip then transitions to an under-the-table view of the action, showing Bailie Rae putting sushi piece by piece into the Tupperware, which she partially covers with a bag as she drops the food into it.
Another person at Bailie’s table does the same thing. She gives a cursory glance, akin to the expression a high school student would have in the middle of a test they are trying to cheat on, and they drop a piece of sushi directly into their purse.
Someone else grips a fistful of crab rangoons and then tosses it into her own purse, rocking a sheepish smile. As the video progresses, it cuts back and forth to the group of diners hustling as much food as they can into the containers they are trying to keep out of view from the restaurant staff.
At the end of the clip, Bailie records the inside of a cloth bag, showing off several Tupperware containers packed with some of the buffet’s wares. She pats the bag before the clip transitions to them showing off their sushi hauls.
Although the TikToker appeared to be proud of the haul, writing in a caption for the video, “You have to be the slickest in the game,” numerous viewers cautioned against this type of in-restaurant behavior.
One person who said that they worked at a buffet restaurant recalled how the “worst day of [their] job” was when they “had to stand there & watch a customer empty their purse of food,” calling the experience “humiliating for everyone.”
And if you are planning on pulling this type of scam while visiting Toronto, you may want to think twice—one TikToker says that the sushi restaurants in the city are outfitted with cameras.
Another Canadian TikToker, however, mentioned they’re allowed to ask for a take-out container at the all-you-can-eat buffet restaurant they visit.
Some viewers say they don’t see a problem with putting the leftover food on your plate that the restaurant is ultimately just going to throw out anyway.
“I mean , as long as you don’t order more JUST TO TAKR HOME,” a user said. “And you are only trying not to waste what you already have ok.They gonna toss anyway.”
This is becoming a bigger concern for more Americans ever since inflation hit 40-year-record highs in June 2022. The steadily increasing rate, which began climbing in early 2021, has also affected grocery store and food-away-from-home prices, forcing many Americans to come up with creative ways to stretch their dollars further.
Budget retailers like Dollar General have even opened dedicated supermarkets offering expanded food options for customers after more folks started turning to dollar stores in order to feed their families. Individuals who rely on prepared meals from restaurants in order to satisfy their daily caloric needs have opted to order kids’ meals via pick-up/to-go as they cost less and usually pack decently sized portions.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Bailie Rae via TikTok comment.
