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A blunt sign warning that leftover side dishes might be reused has gone viral online. Netizens were split over the tone, but many sided with the owner, sympathizing with the frustration over food waste.
On April 28, the online forum BobaeDream shared a photo of a notice at a restaurant’s self-serve side-dish station. The sign bluntly read, “If you leave kimchi, we’ll reuse it. Do you think you’ll find money if you start digging in the ground?”
The post’s author, identified only as A, nicknamed the owner a “Teto” restaurant boss. “Teto” is shorthand for testosterone and is used to describe someone with a blunt, no-nonsense speaking style.
Many readers took the notice as a pointed warning. Some said it made them uncomfortable, imagining that leftovers from other diners could end up back on their plates.
Others blamed customers who load up and then leave food uneaten. One commenter wrote, “They must have had a reason to put that up. Don’t pile on food you can’t finish.”
Another user suggested adopting a pay-for-extra-sides policy like some foreign restaurants, asking, “Do we have to charge for extra side dishes to get through to people? If staff asks politely, customers should behave accordingly.”
Some skeptics argued the owner probably wouldn’t actually reuse leftovers but said the sign would leave diners feeling grossed out. “I’d avoid a place that makes me uneasy,” one wrote. “In the end, a notice like that might only hurt the business.”
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