Cafeteria Code of Etiquette

Five Rules in the “Kid Written” Cafeteria Code of Etiquette

#2. Take up as little space at the table as possible.

Leave it to the Kids!

It takes the children to keep up with the times. What is probably the first code of etiquette expressly compiled for cafeteria patrons appeared in a recent issue of a school paper:

• Don’t push in the lunch line. 
• Take up as little space at the table as possible.
• Talk quietly.
• Use your handkerchief if you have to cough or sneeze.
• Eat slowly. 

This, according to the youthful editors, is the whole duty of those who patronize the self-serve. The points are timely and well taken. They deserve consideration by adults crowding into cafeterias the country over. Judging by their actions, many of the elders have failed to realize with the children, that good manners are more essential to comfort and good sense in these bread lines, than they are in the most formal dining room. – Press Democrat, 1922

Etiquette Enthusiast, Maura J. Graber, is the Site Editor for the Etiquipedia© Etiquette Encyclopedia