today my boss was visiting the country we live in for the first time and we had a team dinner
There were seven of us in total
Alot of food was ordered for the table and barely hf of it was eaten
When the server started clearing the table I asked that they pack up the leftovers quietly
They packed up EVERYTHING in multiple big plastic to go boxes (over sized) and it was three big bags of 18 containers
I HATE seeing food go to waste but I worry I seemed too greedy or poor (nothing wrong with either imo but might affect my job since I did it with work people) I took it all home
I usually feed half eaten stuff to my cats but truly didn’t expect them to pack up the salads too
My friends always understand that I take leftovers no matter how small and they are used to it
TL;DR: I asked for all team dinner leftovers to go behind my teams back the first time meeting my boss
Comments
Score! Leftovers! You did great. Hope the others were jealous. You could always check in with them.
What country are you in? And where was your boss coming from? I think the answer is going to be different for different countries.
I used to work with a guy who always over-ordered when he was expensing meals and took “the rest”home.
Did you ask other people if they wanted the leftovers?
When I have been at a dinner like this with our external offices and I am meeting a new team, I would be picking up the tab.
If I saw someone from the team get all the leftovers for themselves I would probably think to nyself that it’s a little weird but I wouldn’t hold it against them.
What is the FU?
Eww, you ate other people’s leftovers (some of it was touched 100%)? Disgusting imho
Trashing food is terrible, especially if it’s meat. Glad you took it home.
Sounds like you landed a good score to me.
I would do the same every time. Wasting food just sucks.
It’s understandable you hate food waste, but taking all the leftovers, especially so much and including salads, might have seemed a bit much to your team, especially with your boss around. Next time, maybe ask more discreetly or take just what you can realistically eat to avoid any awkward impressions.
I know you feel uncomfortable, but I’d rather that, than wasting food. My colleagues know I’m the same. I finish my plate clean every time and they’ll understand you respect food as they know you longer. It’ll pass.
You did the right thing. Kudos to you!
My guess is that it it is not going to be an issue.
If you should be asked to explain, you simply say that you don’t tolerate waste – whether in your personal or professional life.
I would far sooner have an employee protecting against waste than one who turns a bind eye, or even worse -endorses it.