Restaurant portion sizes are huge

[Paq]

Does anyone else find this? Went to a pub/restaurant last night and the portion sizes were insane. I managed a third of my salad, brought the rest home and shared it with DH for lunch today. DD got through half her curry and 6'1" hollow legged DH just about managed to finish his risotto but then felt overstuffed all night.

@grasstreeleaf

I think this thread might actually come down to money - people seem to want to pay less but its more acceptable to emphasise having a small appetite

Not for me. I want to eat a portion more suited to my calorific needs as a woman not a 6 ft plus muscular male. I don't mind paying the same as for a larger portion if the rest of the plate is filled with a green salad or non starchy veg.

I don't think restaurants would lose money. Lots of people are in my situation since restaurant and pub portions are oversized for over 50% of the population. Lots of people care about their health and don't want to put on extra pounds or actually want to lose weight. Why is it deemed unacceptable to not want to binge eat?

Why shouldn't it be the relatively fewer people who have greater caloric needs having to order an extra large portion instead of people like me (over 50% of the population) having to order a starter or a children's meal or a pensioner's meal or finding someone else to share our meal with and requesting an extra plate?

Portions have got larger over the years. That's a fact. Restaurants did exist before when portions were smaller.

Exactly. Huge portions have become the norm because more than half of the population are overweight and need the volume of food to feel full - that’s messed up.

I do think a lot of places with their deals ie add an extra side for just £1 or 3 courses for a tenner are tempting but usually result in too much food, but I tend to order a starter and a dessert most places as usually not as arsed on the mains. I sometimes order salads with a protein source, but can't imagine being so full from it a third would fill me up! I used to be a plate finisher when I was extremely active and could just eat and eat and never put on any weight, now I start with the tastiest part so at least I've eaten that when I get full and can leave the stuff not so bothered about. I find a lot of meals the bulk is starchy carbs like chips, which are cheap to make but seem to make the meal bigger and so worth a higher price.

@grasstreeleaf

But, who orders a salad when they go out for an evening meal? Seriously. Maybe at lunchtime if you’re on a diet, or the menu is limited, but for a main meal???! And then not to even finish it!!

What's wrong with salad? You've never lived!

I agree with not finishing it being weird :D but salads can be really delicious imo. A lot of people assume they're just a pile of leaves and a tomato, but if they have a variety of stuff in yum. Some can have more calories with dressing on than other "unhealthy" meals though, so not always worth it unless you really love the taste.

@DeeCeeCherry

Stealth boast 'I eat like a bird and so do my family, everyone else is piggy' post.

Who bloody cares? Food obsession is boring, especially when people rush in to compete with how little they eat

Go somewhere that serves smaller portions next time, shouldnt be too difficult to find.

And that sounds bitter.

It's just as obsessive about food to reject the idea of other people possibly having a choice to buy and eat a smaller portion and think everyone who does not want to binge eat is obsessed with food.

@grasstreeleaf

But, who orders a salad when they go out for an evening meal? Seriously. Maybe at lunchtime if you’re on a diet, or the menu is limited, but for a main meal???! And then not to even finish it!!

What's wrong with salad? You've never lived!

Salad has its place. I’ve had some nice salads. But they’re always pricey and I begrudge paying almost as much for a salad as I would for a steak or a nice fish dish, so I’d never order one when out for an evening meal.

But grasstreeleaf you don't have to finish the portion. Just eat what you want. Blaming restaurants for obesity is so passive - people choose whether to eat everything on the plate.

I do agree there should be an option to have salad instead of chips, but at cheaper places salad probably would reduce margins unless people accepted just a big serving of one type of lettuce and tomatoes say. Chips are incredibly cheap bulk, making a decent salad with a variety of different salad vegetables is more expensive especially as salad has to be bought fresh where cheaper places use frozen chips, meaning no kitchen food waste (the waste is what's uneaten on plates but the food has been sold unlike salad vegetables having to be thrown away at the end of every day without having been served).

But grasstreeleaf you don't have to finish the portion. Just eat what you want. Blaming restaurants for obesity is so passive - people choose whether to eat everything on the plate.

Duh, I know! But it would be nice to have an option rather than faff around and order off menu, or a children's meal or pensioner's! I am not obese. My BMI is 18.5! I run 10k a day and go walking. I am fit and don't need to lose weight but I have been overweight with a BMI of 27. I had a bad back and got cancer. A lot of research has shown the availability of big portions normalises big portions and that can't be a good thing! I value health and restaurants and pubs portions have increased over the years. Restaurants did exist before the fashion for oversized portions.

grasstreeleaf restaurants are businesses though (I know you know ) not public health guardians - obviously the bigger portion model must bring customers in and make business sense, and when competitors are doing it it's not competitive to reduce standard portion sizes and charge more for what competitors serve as standard, as customers will go elsewhere.

If we as customers genuinely just want to avoid food waste rather than wanting an unrealistic price reduction which only recognises ingredient costs not all the other overheads of the restaurant, we can just ask for a half portion/ no chips or whatever and say we will obviously pay the set price.

Its really only cheaper restaurants that do the big pirtions because its what their customer base see as getting their money's worth. Margins are tight and ingredients, especially things like chips, aren't really the main thing customers are paying for.

For Dd's birthday this year we're planning on going to 88 in Glasgow which is all small plates.
It's our favourite way of eating, we're not overfaced with huge portions of things that just get boring, plus we get to try lots of different dishes.
We were at Yo Sushi a wee while back and tried 9 things between us, (10 plates as we had to get two orders of takoyaki)

@UntilYourNextHairBrainedScheme

grasstreeleaf restaurants are businesses though (I know you know ) not public health guardians - obviously the bigger portion model must bring customers in and make business sense, and when competitors are doing it it's not competitive to reduce standard portion sizes and charge more for what competitors serve as standard, as customers will go elsewhere.

If we as customers genuinely just want to avoid food waste rather than wanting an unrealistic price reduction which only recognises ingredient costs not all the other overheads of the restaurant, we can just ask for a half portion/ no chips or whatever and say we will obviously pay the set price.

Its really only cheaper restaurants that do the big pirtions because its what their customer base see as getting their money's worth. Margins are tight and ingredients, especially things like chips, aren't really the main thing customers are paying for.

Absolutely - and requesting smaller portions are what many of us do, or we share food or we order from the starters. No-one is expecting restaurants to be public health guardians, but they are definitely part of the overall problem.

I'm aware it's not for everyone but this is exactly what we love.

@WildBurd

Massive salad week on Mumsnet.

🤣🤣🤣

I had a massive salad last week. It sounded very similar to yours OP, with the addition of feta, which was the nicest feta I'd ever eaten. Turns out it was vegan - who would have thought. Anyway, it was so massive, there was enough for tea for me and husband, so good value. I shall get the starter size next time. I love my food and love big portions, but it was too much.

I had a pretty massive salad myself the other day! It was a hello fresh panzanella salad so it did have chunks of croutons and warm squash and all sorts in. But as I looked at it there on the plate I thought "ah ha, this must be one of those MASSIVE salads!"

That's exactly the sort of thing we love too IHaveBrilloHair - thanks for that link

You brought half a salad home and shared it for lunch with another adult the next day? Ok.

That sounds delicious @IHaveBrilloHair. If ever I am in Glasgow I will go there.

The menu changes constantly, new dishes daily even, but always looks amazing, I've wanted to try it for ages.
I'm hoping we'll manage 5/6 savoury plates, then at least one dessert, obvs we'll share everything.

You brought half a salad home and shared it for lunch with another adult the next day? Ok

Yes - why not? And why the wee ? No point in wasting food.

It is entirely possible to be overfaced by a huge salad. I think some posters think a salad is just lettuce, cucumbers and tomato.

A salad can be anything. I make a lovely Puy lentil and oven baked feta and onion salad. It is extremely filling.

It is entirely possible to be overfaced by a huge salad.

I find it much easier to be overfaced by a huge salad than a huge cake.

Surely it varies from place to place and there is no rule that you have to eat it all
But must of been some salad to
Do 3 meals.
The last thing a food place wants os people not going as the portions are tiny , tpo big isn't an issue as people can leave it .
Too small and people leave hungry and don't come back

Has anyone ever left a restaurant hungry, really?

I mean I've left a couple of badly organised wedding receptions with pure hunger pangs but you can always order something else in a restaurant.

I'm overfaced by huge portions of anything.
I just feel extremely uncomfortable knowing I'm only going to manage half and have to do the thing of insisting there's nothing wrong with it, I'm just full etc.
I love watching food vlogs on YouTube but I honestly can't go near the Cheesecake Factory ones, or anywhere I know has similar portion sizes.
The food for one is served on a platter, 3 chicken breasts and a mountain of pasta, just no.

Its not all about the size of the portion though , a large plate of low calorie food would be better than a small plate of fried food.
Eating out is seen as a luxury so people
Want value for money etc so don't want a tiny portion unlesd they choose from
The smaller appetite section , which many places have now , especially pubs efc.
Just eat what your comfortable with