even though patrons return trays with plates, bowls and cutlery to tray return stations in europe and north america, clearing of the mess at these stations and cleaning the whole cafeteria have to be done during meal times and after hours. the work does not stop there. health inspection by city officials is so frequent and strict that every cafeteria or restaurant or eatery has to stow away uncooked food correctly, dispose of cooked or expired food by the morning, wash every utensil, kitchenware, plates, bowls, cutlery, trays in sight and out of sight, scrub kitchen thoroughly every night, vacuum and mop floors with disinfectant every day, etc. the place has to be spanking sparkling clean before the next day of operation. the mere movement of trays and the mess on them to the tray return station is only a very small fraction of the total work involved. and patrons are habitual in doing the little task. it's 2nd nature. no biggie. the real clearing and cleaning task happens after the mess lands at the station. ultimately, the cost of cleaning and clearing rests with food operators or cafeteria contractors. the cost will be passed to customers. and almost all u.s. operators hire foreign workers, which happen to be either hispanics from mexico, central or latin america, pinoy, eastern europeans, neh's, tiong's, and africans. very few native-born locals do that kind of work, except starving students who would do anything to earn a buck.
