FLC TAXIED FROM GATE FOR TKOF WITH SOME PAX MEAL TRAYS DOWN WHICH WOULD CAUSE INTERFERENCE IF AN ACFT EVAC WAS NECESSARY.

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FLT DEPARTED GATE TO ALLOW ARR ACFT INTO GATE. ZKC RADAR WENT DOWN AND NO TKOFS WERE ALLOWED. SEVERAL ACFT WERE POSITIONED AT VARIOUS PLACES AROUND THE ARPT. IT WS RPTED THAT IT COULD POSSIBLY TAKE AN HR OR MORE TO BE RELEASED TO TKOF. AFTER PARKING AND SHUTTING DOWN OUR ENGS WE DECIDED TO SERVE THE PAX THEIR MEALS ON GND WHILE WE WAITED; AS THE FLT TIME TO THE DEST WAS SHORT AND IT WAS DINNER TIME. WE SERVED THE MEAL AND AFTER ABOUT 30 MINS THE ARPT WAS OPENED AND FLTS BEGAN DEPARTING. WE WERE CLRED TO TAXI TOWARD THE TKOF RWY AND HAD SEVERAL ACFT BEHIND US. WE DELAYED TAXI FOR ABOUT 10 MINS TO PICK UP TRAYS BEFORE TAXIING BUT THEN I DECIDED TO TAXI TO ALLOW ACFT BEHIND US TO PASS US. WE THEN STOPPED AGAIN AND FINISHED PICKING UP TRAYS AND SECURED THE GALLEY AND THEN TOOK OFF. HAD A NORMAL FLT. AFTER TKOF I CONSIDERED THE FAR ABOUT TRAY TABLES BEING DOWN WHEN DEPARTING THE GATE AND THE POSSIBLE HAZARD IF WE HAD TO EVAC DURING THE TAXI PHASE. I HAVE RIDDEN AS A PAX ON FLTS THAT HAVE SERVED DRINKS WHEN A LONG DELAY OCCURRED WITH SOME TRAY TABLES DOWN. AFTER THINKING ABOUT THIS EVENT I HAVE DETERMINED THAT TRAY TABLES SHOULD NEVER BE ALLOWED DOWN AFTER DEP IN CASE OF THE NEED TO EVAC.