The breakfast buffet 'hack' not everyone agrees with: 'I'm not allowed'

At what exact time does a breakfast buffet tick over into being a lunch buffet?

One social media influencer has provoked a lot of online commentary after posting a short video of her grabbing food from a breakfast buffet and then popping it into containers for later.

Nicola Lewis, who describes herself as a "decluttering and organising expert", recently posted the video on her Instagram and it's been getting plenty of reactions.

DEAL: Save hundreds on a Queensland holiday with Discovery Parks

The clip sees her entering a hotel dining room and heading straight to the buffet with her voiceover saying, "I'm not allowed, I'm not allowed."

After loading up some food to make sandwiches she says, "I've done it now," as she scours the room for eye-witnesses.

READ MORE: Nine things that surprised me on my first safari holiday

View gallery

Only Aussie hotel on best in the world list costs under $300 a night

She winks to the camera and she takes her food booty to the table and pops it into containers: "What's going to happen... gonna shoot me? Doubt it."

She then hot tails it out of the room, "they going to have to catch me first, I'm like a whippet."

In the summary, she explained she cleared it with management first, calling it "budget chic and organised realness!"

"My parents did it, I do it, and guess what? It saves a small fortune – more pennies for cocktails!"

Her actions have divided opinions, which range from "absolutely greedy" to "so smart".

In the anti camp, one commentator wrote: "You have paid for breakfast. Not lunch. Hotels are within rights to charge you for additional breakfast."

Another said: "If you can't afford to go and buy a fresh sandwich for lunch maybe don't go on holiday."

In the pro camp: "They literally throw away anything that is left after each meal at the buffet. so why not take it."

While another commentator added: "I do this, I take sandwich bags and have them in my beach bag, I always sit at a table at breakfast, furthest away from anyone else, so no one can see me ... saves an absolute fortune."

In an exclusive Nine reader poll we previously asked our readers whether they thought it Nine reader poll for later.

Of the respondents, 62 per cent of people say that it's OK to take food from the breakfast buffet for later on, while over a third said it shouldn't happen.

"Of course it's OK to take things from the breakfast buffet for later. How else do families afford to go on holidays and ensure the kids remain fed?!?," one person wrote.

Another reader pointed out that if the food at the buffet isn't eaten, it'll be thrown out, so you may as well take some.

"You have paid for it so a piece of fruit or muffin I think is acceptable," another wrote.

Earlier this year, similar behaviour at an airline lounge buffet drew the ire of some.

A traveller in a Delta Air Lines' Sky Club lounge was called out for his "savagery" after he was seen taking platefuls of food to go.

An eyewitness took to Reddit in a post titled: 'Who knew the Sky Club did take out' to call out the fellow lounge user's actions.

"While this fellow, apparently raised by wolves, was still eating, I saw him pack up at least 3 PLATES (yes, we have paper) full of food and put them in his plastic shopping bag."

This story was originally published by Stuff and has been repurposed here with permission.

View gallery

Australia's best (and worst) international airlines for food