Fictional dumbwaiters are often used by characters to spy on unsuspecting persons, to escape from pursuers, or to move between floors of old buildings and find hidden rooms and basements. Often these dumbwaiters are no longer in regular use and have been boarded up, allowing their discovery to serve as an interesting plot point. They often serve a similar narrative role as laundry chutes.

While modern dumbwaiters are electric, their older counterparts were raised or lowered by hand using a rope and pulley system. Severing these ropes may have dire consequences for any characters (or food) within the dumbwaiter.