Frequently Asked Questions

Skip the Stuff is a law that requires food service establishments providing take-out or delivery to provide plastic utensils, condiment packets, napkins, and extra containers to customers for take-out and delivery orders on request only.

Online ordering and delivery apps must be set to a default of not providing utensils, condiments, napkins and plates, however the app may provide the option for the customer to request them online. Customers can also request them when ordering by phone.

In the U.S., 561 billion disposable food service items are used every year, resulting in 4.9 million tons of waste. Most restaurants provide these accessories for take-out meals even if the customer doesn’t want or need them. Nearly all – 98% – of online restaurant takeout and delivery orders are eaten at home or in an office, where reusable utensils are available, and preferred.

No, on the contrary, it will save businesses money. Restaurants spend about $20 billion per year on such items nationally.  Most customers have a drawer crammed with plastic utensils, chopsticks, and ketchup and mustard packets, which are often included with a meal. These items eventually end up in the trash where taxpayer dollars are used to dispose of them.

The top delivery companies, like DoorDash, Uber Eats, Grubhub, Postmates, and Seamless have already modified their software because larger cities, like NYC, Washington D.C, Chicago and Denver have already passed Skip the Stuff laws. Toast has also modified their software to include a menu of accessories. Smaller food establishments can modify their online menus as well.

Watch this video by Toast highlighting a sandwich shop in Brookline, MA that has changed to “Skip the Stuff”.