Wedding Guest Complains After Buffet Runs Out of Food During Reception, Caterer Says 'It's Not Our Problem'

"To anyone planning a wedding, if you do a buffet you need to ensure there is enough food for EVERYONE," the guest wrote on Reddit

A hungry wedding guest was disappointed to find there was no food left when it was their turn at the buffet. But when they addressed the issue with the catering company, they were told "it's not our problem."

The guest detailed their experience in a post on Reddit's "Wedding Shaming" forum, beginning by stating that they have never been a fan of buffets for many reasons — including "that it feels tacky to make guests wait like it's kindergarten to be called up to get their food." They then recounted how they recently attended a wedding reception and by the time their table was invited up to the buffet, all the other tables had finished eating and the food was nearly gone.

"There was approximately 2 pieces of chicken, 1 piece of salmon, some steamed baby carrots and no salads left for our table of 8," the guest recalled, explaining that they "respectfully" spoke to the catering manager about finding more food for their table.

Related: Bride and Groom Mad After Wedding Guests Order Pizza and Wings to Reception When Food Ran Out

"I essentially was told, 'People took too much food. That's not our problem, and we can't get you any more,' " the guest wrote. "I even said we'd be happy with some bread or ANYTHING, since we didn't get the same options or portions as the rest of the wedding — we were just hungry."

Exacerbating the situation, the catering manager also pointed out that the wedding vendors did not get food either — a claim the guest disputed. "We watched all the vendors go make their plates before our table was even called," the guest wrote.

In the end, the guest and their seven tablemates shared "those two pieces of chicken, one piece of salmon and a few forkfuls of baby carrots and resorted to raiding the late-night cup noodles [designated for later into the reception]."

The guest concluded their post by urging any Redditors planning a wedding to ensure there is ample food for everyone and have servers "enforcing" portions. "It's about extra cost — but certainly worth it if the alternative is forcing guests to feel left out like it's gym class and being picked last and going hungry because of it," they concluded, declaring themselves "team: anything but buffets forever."

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. 

In the comments section, many people agreed with the original poster that the serving staff should have monitored the amount of food each guest was taking — and that the catering company should have been on top of the food quantities. "That's a common thread with these buffet posts when guests are given free rein on portions," one person wrote.

"This really sounds like it’s on the catering staff," someone else commented. "They know how many people to plan for and should have made more than enough!!"

Related: Wedding Guest Discovers That Wealthier Guests Were Served 'Better' Alcohol and 'More' Food: 'Not Hospitable at All'

Yet another person chimed in: "This should not be an issue. A caterer should overestimate by more than 6 or so plates for a buffet. The standard is to serve like 1.5 portions per guest. Even if they didn’t account for vendors, which they should and many have it in their contract, they should never run out of food."

A few others wondered if the bride and groom were trying to cut costs in their wedding budget.

"I've seen hosts lie about head count to save money, thinking everyone will still get food because... buffet," a Redditor wrote, adding that unexpected guests can also contribute to the issue. "And I recently went to a wedding where over 20 extra guests showed up that had rsvp'd no."

"My bet is the hosts didn't pay for enough meals to feed the vendors and the vendors ate your food," someone else suggested.

Another commenter shared how they avoided the issue of running out of food at their own wedding by addressing it in their catering contract ahead of time.

"We got it in our contract that there would be endless food served throughout a time period. Our vendor did not stop making pizzas or shucking oysters the whole time they were there. People were stuffed," they wrote. "It was a small wedding group so it didn't cost all that much in the grand scheme of things, but I wouldn't dream of doing self-serve without the promise that everyone gets to eat their fill."

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.