The Etiquette Mistake You May Be Making At Newer Conveyor Belt Sushi Restaurants

Kaitenzushi, aka conveyer belt sushi, has a fascinating origin story inspired by brewery assembly lines. The countertops or tabletops in these restaurants typically have a conveyor belt installed on them which carries plates of sushi around, allowing diners to grab what they desire. However, there's one major etiquette mistake you never want to make at these establishments — grabbing a plate that someone else ordered. The tricky part is that modern kaitenzushi spots will often have different ways of delivering plates. Consequently, it can be tough to know exactly how a particular restaurant handles plates intended for specific diners.

Some kaitenzushi restaurants have adopted a hybrid approach, adding touch screens for ordering specific dishes if you don't want to wait for your favorites to come around on the belt. Others are equipped with private conveyor belts that fork off the main one and bring specific orders to a customer's table. There might even be two conveyor belts that go at different speeds: a quicker version that delivers custom orders and a slower one with dishes anyone can take. Finally, others feature elements like toy vehicles or robots that bring custom orders to the diner who requested them. Be sure to familiarize yourself with how the restaurant handles these plates to ensure you don't grab something that isn't up for grabs.

For folks who aren't sure what the general rules are at this type of restaurant, we've got an ultimate guide to eating at a conveyor belt sushi restaurant to help you out. (And if you're a true sushi beginner, familiarize yourself with the words for different dishes you may encounter.) A kaitenzushi veteran trying out a new spot might also want to check how that particular restaurant handles orders to ensure they don't make an etiquette error.

If you do grab a plate meant for another customer, you can't just put it back after realizing your mistake. Once you pick it up, you're essentially placing your order and must keep that sushi. The same goes if you select a type of fish you don't enjoy or simply have second thoughts about trying something you chose. Returning that dish to the conveyor belt would almost be like grabbing food at a buffet-style restaurant, maybe eating some, and then bringing it back to the buffet station for fellow diners to take — a decidedly ill-mannered move.

Another reason to keep any plates you take off that conveyor belt has to do with your bill. Kaitenzushi plates usually have varying prints and colors that correspond with prices, so your server will calculate what you owe based on what you have in front of you.