School Lunchroom Etiquette

Table manners are a sign of respect for yourself and your dining companions. Whether you are in an elegant restaurant with a candle on your table or sitting in the crowded cafeteria, your manners should show you to be a considerate and refined person--not a rude, messy eater. Teaching students to be neat, polite, patient and appreciative is important preparation for their future social interactions. Simple, clear rules for behavior before, during, and after eating are necessary in school cafeterias for all ages--from the kindergarteners through high schoolers and even the teachers.

Wait

Line up properly.

Queuing up with an empty tray is commonplace in the cafeteria, but so are noisy lines and half-pint cartons of milk tossed in the air by impatient diners. A single-file line is essential to an appetizing cafeteria environment. Model line-up protocol for your students every day for the first week of school, beginning with lining up in alphabetical order. This eliminates "cutting" in line and the loud giggling of cliques who would stand together while waiting.

Getting Food

Choose your meal politely.

Teach them to choose among food and beverage varieties swiftly and politely. A simple "yes, thank you" or "no, thank you" to the servers is all that is necessary, and rude comments are not allowed. Milk or water should be selected quickly and carried on the tray properly. Students should get silverware and napkins as they proceed through the line to eliminate extra trips up to the crowded serving area.

Seating

Sit politely at the table.

Students should be seated in the same place each day. Seating them in alphabetical order, like lining them up, allows for a quieter, more orderly atmosphere. Establish which tables your students may use and give assigned seats, leaving no room for dispute. Discuss placing their trays gently on the table and keeping their feet on the floor. Make sure to leave enough room between students to avoid elbowing.

Eating

Use them the right way.

Teach the proper use of fork, spoon, and knife. Many children are unaccustomed to using utensils appropriately and may gouge at food with the tines of their fork while sawing away with a butter knife. The fork is held with the left hand like a pencil and the knife with the right. Used utensils are placed on the side of the plate so as not to soil the tray. Ensure that your students keep their food on the plate and use their napkins to wipe both hands and mouth when they are finished. Talking in a low voice is acceptable so long as their mouths are not full. Chewing must be completed with one's mouth closed to avoid offending one's friends and teachers.

Returning Dishes

Return your dirty dishes.

When students are finished eating, they await dismissal or ask to be excused from the table. They pick up any refuse (dropped bread crust, used napkin) from the table as they leave. Using their napkins, they wipe any food remnants from their plates into the trash before placing their utensils and dishes in the appointed receptacles. Sometimes a bin of soapy water holds utensils while other dishes are passed through a window into the kitchen. At this time it is appropriate for the student to thank the server.