Fancy hotel tries to stop food waste by posting pictures of starving kids

The idea behind a buffet is to eat as much as you want, and whatever you want. Just think of the last time you were at a hotel buffet in Las Vegas and had to unbutton your pants, then take a nap after dinner, before hitting the Strip.

But a fancy hotel in Switzerland thought it would curb food waste by posting photos of starving children next to its buffet, along with a message to guests on its tables.

“Good morning dear guests. For ethical and moral reasons, in Switzerland, we do not throw away any food. Please put on your plate only what you do eat. Thank you for your understanding,” reads one sign, posted in both Chinese and English at Hotel Monopol in Lucerne.

Asking guests to please not waste food is one thing. Food shaming is another. But Brigitte Heller, head of the hotel, insists the restaurant’s intent was not to shame the guests.

And although the signs were written in English and Chinese, Heller told Swiss newspaper Blick, she witnessed multiple tourists wasting food, not just the ones speaking those two languages.

“We can expect that the foreign guests to a certain extent to respect our customs, we do so in foreign countries,” said Heller.

She also told Blick she’s received hundreds of positive emails and letters from China and Japan.

We’ve reached out to Hotel Monopol for comment and have yet to hear back.

Anyone else think of “Game of Thrones” every time they hear the word shame? Follow me on Twitter @Jenn_Harris_