LOUISA1523
again...I don't judge
Good for you.
Speck and beam.
Which British song sums up the 1960s for you?
Good Morning Sunday 17th May 2026
Unite the Kingdom and Pro Palestine marches Cup 16th May 2026
I’m going away for a few days with my husband. It’s a place we go on special occasions. The hotel we stay in does a glorious breakfast. Fruit, yogurts, toasts, breads, cereals, pastries and jans. Then they do a really good cooked option. Generally we both just have the cooked option as it’s plenty. Other people seem to have loads of food before the cooked option.
My question is..is it extremely wrong to discretely put a couple of pastries or some bread, cheese and fruit in a zip lock bag so that we could have that for lunch? Or is it a complete no no 🙃 it’s not a budget hotel, we stay for dinner etc just wondered on others thoughts. Normally we would just buy a sandwich from M&S to share, which we may still do..
LOUISA1523
again...I don't judge
Good for you.
Speck and beam.
when you order they take your hot order and say help yourself to the continental which is quite normal these days
anyway as I said I'm not going to do it and I can afford to buy lunch elsewhere it's just we wont be that hungry
Cold
I was staying at a hotel a couple of years ago where there were signs saying that if you wanted to take food from the breakfast buffet outside of the hotel then there was a £10 pp pack lunch charge.
More and more hotels are doing this, or they reduce the amount put out on the buffet at any one time so folk don't take loads (some still do).
If everything goes out at once so much is often taken there isn't enough left for people breakfasting later.
Mollygo
LOUISA1523
again...I don't judge
Good for you.
Speck and beam.
Yep....Good for me
Can I remind people this was in chat not AIBU
I’ve never taken anything from a buffet for afterwards ever 🙈😂😭🤷♀️
Love to all ❤️
Scraps for the dog is okay but not food for yourself. Would you take food away from the dining room in a small friendly B and B. You would not. Even scraps for the dog you would probably ask the landlady if she would mind if you took them.
I think food shouldn't be taken away.
What really makes me mad is seeing people taking a lot of food from buffets (breakfast or otherwise) and then leaving much of it.
The bloke sitting next to me at a wedding dinner took a stack of really good roast lamb - and left a lot of it on his plate. I badly wanted to have a go at him - but didn’t.
Caleo
Scraps for the dog is okay but not food for yourself. Would you take food away from the dining room in a small friendly B and B. You would not. Even scraps for the dog you would probably ask the landlady if she would mind if you took them.
We stopped in a seaside café early one morning last week for coffee. On our way out we walked past a table where the people had left their plates with sausage and a few baked beans. It was all I could do to drag the hound away and out of the door!
OP
"My question is..is it extremely wrong to discretely put a couple of pastries or some bread, cheese and fruit in a zip lock bag so that we could have that for lunch?"
Why would you "discretely" do this, wouldn't it be polite to ask if it's ok? Generally if someone asks to take a small amount it will be allowed - most restaurants don't want to embarrass their guests by refusing, but no hotel would encourage it unless they have budgeted for it (some, as mentioned do but they will recoup the cost one way of another).
LOUISA1523
OnwardandUpward
We stayed at a Holiday Inn near Cadburys world once when the kids were younger and the breakfast was a help yourself buffet of all kinds of things. It was a "no frills" cooked breakfast with things on the side like fruit, yoghurt, pastries, cereal etc. It was an "all you can eat" breakfast, so we were shocked to see a large family where the kids were being sent up to get yoghurts and other food "for later".
The most recent hotel we stayed in was child free and had a really luxurious spread for breakfast. We enjoyed a leisurely
breakfast where DH opted for a full English and I chose scrambled egg with smoked salmon and a side of mushrooms, but we also went up to get croissants, pastries , yoghurt and fruit which we enjoyed at the table with pots of delicious lavazza coffee.
I dont agree with stealing . Why not enjoy a leisurely breakfast, eat as much as you want to, knowing you won't need to eat again for ages and leave with dignity?You see to me ....this is just pure greed ....bet you don't eat like that at home.... salmon, eggs, mushrooms, yoghurt, pastries , croissants and fruit .....would play havoc with my digestive system....so who is the 'thief'..... the person who has egg on toast and takes a single pastry and a peice of fruit for later? .....or the person who stuffs their face at the table ? ...... and who is the most dignified? 🤔
Lousia, your comment is extremely rude and full of assumptions.
It worked wonderfully for us to have a larger meal because we were booked in the spa for the afternoon and evening, and with our treatments we knew we wouldn't want to eat a meal in that time.
Our hotel was extremely dignified and luxurious, with original Victorian furnishings, including four poster beds and breakfast was included. It was like waking up in a stately home and we thoroughly enjoyed being so looked after.
Obviously if someone rushed their breakfast and bolted their food, I agree that it might affect their digestion, but I can assure you that was not the case. When I described a leisurely breakfast, I meant lots of chatting and a s-l-o-w morning. (yum!) It was so wonderful that everyone there was refined and well mannered as is often not the case in ordinary hotels.
As is often the case in more expensive hotels, the breakfast was on the smaller side, including the dainty mini Croissants and Danish pastries, so it was actually like having many tiny titbits. It was lovely.
I mentioned your rude assumption to my husband and we laughed a lot. Neither of us have any regrets as we had a fabulous time . No, we don't usually eat like that at home, but who actually does the same at home as they do on holiday?
You can try to shame me for enjoying a lovely break, but it won't work because we had a fabulous time. 
I was just curious. I’m not very curious anymore 😅 I’ll buy a sandwich at Tesco express or similar x
We've a favourite hotel on Lake Como, the food is magnificent (as Italian food is). Breakfast is glorious, however we're typically with young GC/GGC - we pay for extra fruit, bread, cheese and juice for them to savour at the pool.
Staff are happy to provide boxes, we're content to pay.
I think fruit and buttered bread are the best takeaway!
Perhaps paying for extras is a good option?
Lake Como is so lovely!
When I stayed in Venice, the hotel staff made us lunch but it wasn't very nice so we fed it to the pigeons in St Marks Square!
Long time ago now.
I think you get what you pay for and it's better to have what you like.
I hope you have a lovely time away. Looks like good weather.
As to the breakfast question, I’m afraid it’s a no from me.
Have a treat in a nice coffee shop instead.
Norah
We've a favourite hotel on Lake Como, the food is magnificent (as Italian food is). Breakfast is glorious, however we're typically with young GC/GGC - we pay for extra fruit, bread, cheese and juice for them to savour at the pool.
Staff are happy to provide boxes, we're content to pay.
I think fruit and buttered bread are the best takeaway!
Perhaps paying for extras is a good option?
Yes, I will ask ❤️I’m not unhappy to pay really, there is just no option between breakfast and dinner unless we have afternoon tea and then it would be too much. We spend our money within the hotel generally
Wow!
Greedy
Stealing
Undignified
Whatever next GNs?
To be honest Jane I think it's for the best if you hand the holiday over to me and sit in a dark room and contemplate your behaviour (that didnt happen).
Mollygo
Wow!
Greedy
Stealing
Undignified
Whatever next GNs?
I know right? And all because I said I wouldn't steal bread roll!
Some people!!!
Have a great holiday Jane

Galaxy
To be honest Jane I think it's for the best if you hand the holiday over to me and sit in a dark room and contemplate your behaviour (that didnt happen).
😂😂😂
I say, do whatever you think is reasonable and honest. If it makes you feel a bit guilty, don't do it and if you feel it's your privilege, then do it. Someone has to purchase and portion the menus of the breakfasts. They are the ones paying for everything than choosing what to budget to offer a decent breakfast.
I suppose if their were a sign saying, "Take extra in your bag for your lunch, too!" then you wouldn't feel guilty.
If you can afford lunch, then be proud that you can. If you can't afford your lunch then you have to do things to sustain yourself until you are better off.
JaneJudge
Norah
We've a favourite hotel on Lake Como, the food is magnificent (as Italian food is). Breakfast is glorious, however we're typically with young GC/GGC - we pay for extra fruit, bread, cheese and juice for them to savour at the pool.
Staff are happy to provide boxes, we're content to pay.
I think fruit and buttered bread are the best takeaway!
Perhaps paying for extras is a good option?Yes, I will ask ❤️I’m not unhappy to pay really, there is just no option between breakfast and dinner unless we have afternoon tea and then it would be too much. We spend our money within the hotel generally
Boxes make everyone happy, there is no lunch option and Italians eat dinner at a lovely later hour - children need to eat.
I suspect as the entire world is experiencing low profits, the cafe is quite happy to provide paid boxes to hungry children/people!
No no for me. Many times I’ve wanted a banana for breakfast and none left but I have seen people taking them out before I’ve got there. Or have them on their table for when they leave. And I would probably only have banana and yogurt anyway so a real non no.
N.B.
JANE IS GOING TO BUY A SANDWICH AT LUNCH!
😃
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