A woman ordered a steak plate at Golden Steer in Las Vegas. In the middle of eating the expensive dish, the server swooped in and took it from her, sparking debate about silverware placement.
In a video with over 1.2 million views, TikToker Roxanne (@itsroxc) hovers over her unfinished plate. She covers one side with her arm as if to block someone from touching the plate.
On-screen text explains her guarded stance. It reads, “When Golden Steer takes away your $300 dish while you’re mid cutting a steak.”
The caption continues, “It’s ok tho they gave it back to me after stacking my friend’s plate on top of my half eaten steak and lobster.”
UPDATE: In an email to BroBible, Roxanne says that the Golden Steer reached out in a TikTok comment after her video went viral. In the screenshot of the comment, the Golden Steer says it “reviewed the footage in detail” and identified “inconsistencies” with the TikToker’s shared experience. However, the restaurant apologized that the service didn’t meet the TikToker’s expectations.
Does The Silverware Placement Matter?
Several viewers questioned if the TikToker’s silverware placement could have cued the steakhouse server to take the plate without asking.
According to a formal table setting graphic shared on r/coolguides, placing your fork and knife vertically across the plate signals the end of a meal. So, if you unknowingly signal to your server, they might just pick up the plate before you finish eating.
However, servers on the same thread said a subtle silverware signal isn’t enough to know what the restaurant guest actually wants.
“I’ve worked in fine dining for a long time. This is ridiculous,” one remarked.
“Over two decades in the service industry (years ago). Front and back of the house in both fine dining with Beard award winning chefs and dives. What the f— is this?” another asked.
In a comment, Roxanne clarified she didn’t even unknowingly place her silverware to indicate she finished her meal. She wrote, “Silverware still in my hand, actively cutting thru a steak and then told ‘oh u looked like u were done.'”
Others Share Similar Experiences
Commenters said they’ve also experienced their meal cut short by impatient servers.
“Not the same place but the sever at P.F. Chang’s yesterday took my halfway full bowl of chow mein and the fork OUT of my hand,” one shared.
Another wrote, “Asked the waitress to take a pic, she suggested we took it a few feet away. We could not have been gone for more than 2 minutes and came back and every full drink and every fresh plate was clear table was empty.”
“One time a waiter took my plate with my last strip of bacon as I turned my head to look who came in the door,” a third added.
Many viewers insisted that servers should always verbally confirm whether a customer is done with their meal instead of relying on little-known fine dining etiquette.
“This is SO why I always ask before grabbing plates,” one server said.
“The plate can be literally licked clean and I would still ask the guest if I could take away their plate before physically attempting,” a second shared.
@itsroxc It’s ok tho they gave it back to me after stacking my friend’s plate on top of my half eaten steak and lobster 🤪 #dinner #goldensteer #vegas #vegasdining #food
BroBible reached out to Golden Steer via email for further comment. We will update the story when they reply.