Can it be unethical to go for the buffet?



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Besides sushi I also enjoy buffets in general.

I have a very good appetite and that means that I get better value on such buffet offers.

However I've found myself increasingly reflecting upon buffets in an unusual way. I have been looking at such from a moral standpoint.


Buffets as Value for Big Eaters

Imagine that two persons go to a restaurant.

One orders a plate of pasta with a glass of soda while the other orders pasta for starters, the steak for a main and a lavish desert, washed down with a bottle of wine. They each consume their orders and are satisfied.

Now imagine that these two persons agree to split the cost of the meal half-way.


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Might it not be fair to suggest that in doing so the person with the smaller appetite is actually paying for more than his or her fair share of the meal expenses?

Actually if you sometimes go out with colleagues then you might not need to do too much imagining, likely having experienced this in some form or other.


Is this not in principle similar to what goes on when one goes for the buffet?

Now lets imagine that these same two persons go to a buffet place.

Again, the one person is satisfied after a modest fill while the latter individual is satisfied following various servings.

They both opted for water and so get to pay the same price.

While the price-tag of the buffet for both was the same, the two participants clearly did not benefit equally.



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So why does not the restaurant opt to make the buffet cheaper?

The reason is that the buffet is priced with the latter individual in mind.

A business-savvy restaurateur will seek to ensure that none of the customers served cost more than what they paid.

As such they price the buffet accordingly - so that persons with big appetites will remain worthwhile serving.



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This provides a moral dilemma. If a buffet is better value because one has a big appetite then does it follow that persons like me are effectively sponging off of persons with smaller appetites? Am I hence making them pay for the appetites of persons like myself?

In a sense I conclude that it is so.

At the same time I also realize that there is more going on than just my voracious appetite.



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In essence, a portion of responsibility has to be borne by the restauranteur - even though such may not realize that s/he is a participant.

The thing is that the buffet system itself encourages eating practices that are both less healthy than optimal and also inflationarily burdensome upon the pockets of those with less of an appetite and inclination to eat as much.

This gives me pause - and I am presently inclined to believe that the World would be a better place if buffets no longer existed - to be replaced by more reasonably priced a la carte and set menus.

Perhaps I should stick with home cooking...



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If you have some feedback for me then feel free to share your views in comments. A civil conversation can go a long way.

Sincerely,

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