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.

@FrauleinSchweiger

Crikey a lot of people seem to be v defensive on here.

OP I totally agree with you and it honestly puts me off eating out sometimes. I appreciate that restaurants are catering for a wide range of people and appetites but even so the portions are often way too big. My family laugh at me because often it looks as though I haven't eaten anything but in reality I have eaten until I am full.

And before you all pile in No I am not obsessive or Pro-Ana - how offensive to those genuinely suffering from eating disorders. I don't need that much food and agree that it's shocking about the food waste that must be produced. And no there aren't always options for smaller portions, believe me, because I have tried. I always go for the child's portion if available. And that's not a stealth boast it's just that as a woman in her 50s who is not very active I don't want or need to eat the same as an 18 year old man.

I really wish restaurants would offer small plates options because I am sure that quite a few people would appreciate it.

Absolutely this. We’ve got so used to these huge portions and cheap food (in comparison to what was served in the past) that they’ve become normalised. The amount of calories on one plate can be horrendous - and not needed for many of us who lead far more sedentary lives that our parents or grandparents led. The fact that more than half the population is overweight means that more than half need more calories to maintain their weight and feel full.

We need to start thinking about the volume of food we’re consuming and the food waste. I know some people take doggy bags home but most don’t.

It must be unusual for them to have requests to take home a salad. Tbh, I'd be too embarrassed to ask for a box to take home any leftovers, never mind salad. However, I just wouldn't ask as I wouldn't want the remains of a restaurant meal the day after. Can I ask @Paq, wasn't the salad soggy by the following day if it had dressing, hummus and guacamole on it??

@RampantIvy

I think people like to get their money's worth. If they have paid, say £15, for a plate of food, they would feel cheated if they had only eaten half of it.

but I honestly have never genuinely struggled to eat a meal

Meal portions round here are generous, even in "naice" places. When we get an Indian takeaway it lasts us for two meals - 2 mains, one rice and one naan. The portions really are huge.

My local cafe does say an omelette for £6. Which you can have with chips or salad. The chips are a huge potion The salad is sone lettuce, 2 olives and 2 slices of tomatoes. I really don't need the chips with it but the salad option just seems a total rip off!

it's just that as a woman in her 50s who is not very active I don't want or need to eat the same as an 18 year old man

Exactly. I am 62. My metabolism has slowed down considerably, and I don't need or want to eat as much as my 21 year old DD. I hate waste as well.

I really wish restaurants would offer small plates options because I am sure that quite a few people would appreciate it.

I agree @FrauleinSchweiger

@Bbq1

It must be unusual for them to have requests to take home a salad. Tbh, I'd be too embarrassed to ask for a box to take home any leftovers, never mind salad. However, I just wouldn't ask as I wouldn't want the remains of a restaurant meal the day after. Can I ask *@Paq*, wasn't the salad soggy by the following day if it had dressing, hummus and guacamole on it??

Salad was equally delicious the next day. Some people have an illogical fear of leftovers IMO.

Salad was equally delicious the next day. Some people have an illogical fear of leftovers IMO

How was it not soggy? I don’t think knowing a bit about food safety and hygiene is having an illogical fear. It’s logical to not want to get food poisoning.

@Bbq1

It must be unusual for them to have requests to take home a salad. Tbh, I'd be too embarrassed to ask for a box to take home any leftovers, never mind salad. However, I just wouldn't ask as I wouldn't want the remains of a restaurant meal the day after. Can I ask *@Paq*, wasn't the salad soggy by the following day if it had dressing, hummus and guacamole on it??

Don't get this at all, why embarrassed?

What's wrong with a doggy bag?

Having said I don't think meal portions are too big in restaurants- DD does, but she eats little and often, unlike me, and will often just have one bite of a burger.

I just don't understand why you wouldn't just not eat it all if there was too much on the plate. Either take it home or leave it.

I went for lunch yesterday, had pork bon bons with piccalilli to start, steak & kidney pudding, chips and mushy peas with a jug of gravy for main, and rhubarb crumble & custard for dessert...oh, and bread with balsamic & oil as an appetiser. I didn't have anything else to eat yesterday as I was stufffed. Today I've had a small bowl of porridge and will be a having a roast dinner later. Just because I had a big meal yesterday doesn't mean I can't self regulate today.

RampantIvy I mean why struggle - if there's too much food and you're full, stop eating. It isn't a work task or a challenge, the meal is a resource available, I find the concept of making yourself unhappy and struggling to eat it all so peculiar and unnecessary, and think the language we use reflects our mindset. Why do people feel obligated to treat a plentiful resource as a chore to be finished?
You're right its probably about wanting to get our money's worth, but that's actually illogical - surely getting your money's worth means having the optimal experience (stopping eating when satiated and feeling good) and once there's struggling and feeling uncomfortable going on the experience of eating out has been suboptimal and therefore money has been spent / wasted on a less good experience - through our own choice not to stop but instead to struggle!

People wanting their money's worth is of course the reason portions are big... but surely that's a resource and customers can optimise their experience by not going in with the mindset that they get their money's worth by finishing the plate, but rather that they get their money's worth by having the best experience of the meal, which might (or might not) mean not finishing it.

Food is surely wasted if we eat past appetite just as much as if it stays on the plate. I think it's a mindset issue.

@ThreeWitches

Oooh a competitive under-eating thread!

The regular ‘competitive under eating’ comments really piss me off.

Some people don’t have large appetites, some people like to stay trim so watch their portion sizes & calorie intake. There’s nothing competitive about it so why make snide comments?

We've lost sight of what a normal salad size is

Do people really bring home leftovers?

Hell yeah! I love leftovers as I get to enjoy my restaurant meal twice, and it also means I don’t have to cook the next day. Plus, I just can’t comfortably manage large portions so if I want the variety of 3 courses something has to give, so if the main is large I’ll usually take half home so I can manage a starter and dessert too. Or I'll just go for 2 courses. Even then I would still be eating far more than I ever would at home, so just as well eating out is a rarity for me. I know some people seem to enjoy feeling absolutely stuffed to the point of hurting (my overweight male friend is one), but I don’t.

I just can't eat much all in one go, I've always been like that. I'm a slow eater so wonder if it's to do with that.

I’m the same @starbrightstarlight8888, I eat slowly and can't eat huge amounts in a sitting. It’s definitely a thing, which is why it’s suggested that people slow their eating if they’re trying to lose weight. It gives your stomach a chance to send the fullness signals to your brain, otherwise we’d have already overeaten by that time if we eat fast.

Salad was equally delicious the next day. Some people have an illogical fear of leftovers IMO.

No fear of leftovers here and it's great that you're salad kept well but often it's impractical to take stuff home if you're out for the whole day or evening, for example.

People wanting their money's worth is of course the reason portions are big... but surely that's a resource and customers can optimise their experience by not going in with the mindset that they get their money's worth by finishing the plate, but rather that they get their money's worth by having the best experience of the meal, which might (or might not) mean not finishing it.

I wouldn't finish it but I would rather not have to buy the extra food.

I disagree actually. I think restraints are conning us with fancy presentations ajd deconstruction to hid the fact that if they stuck it properly on a plate you'd have a meat ball fir a burger and about 4 chips . Hard to feel shirt changed fir for food when you are struggling to fit cups and dishes amd all the fancy serving utensils onto thr plate

So you're happy with food waste? Over half the population won't have the food requirements a restaurant or pub portion is tailored to. We have an obesity problem in this country too which contributes to diseases which the NHS pays the price for in workload. All I think should happen is a choice of a smaller adjusted portion to account for those people who don't need to be eating as many calories

Totally agree @grasstreeleaf. The food waste alone angers me, (especially when it’s animal protein).

Isn't it more a compliment to the chef to say I'm full but enjoyed it so much I'd like to take some home?

I mean I suppose the body is very clever and can store it as glycogen or fat which I can burn off in my run if I run fasted but I like to eat regular meals and don't particularly always want to always run fasted. I like to eat with my family, it's a social time too.

@KarenofSparta

Isn't it more a compliment to the chef to say I'm full but enjoyed it so much I'd like to take some home?

I’m not sure but maybe the chef thinks their delicious food should be consumed freshly prepared straight away, and knowing about food hygiene be a bit about people taking room temperature salad home to eat the next day?

Salad was equally delicious the next day. Some people have an illogical fear of leftovers IMO.

It's not an illogical fear to not want limp lettuce. Salad doesn't keep long once cut, especially when it has dressing and has been shaken about on a journey home therefore it would never enter my mind to take it away

Ah, I haven't done it with salad admittedly but I'm the same as some pps in that I can't always finish three meals - doesn't mean I didn't enjoy them.

I've probably done a doggy bag about 3/4 times in my life and enjoyed the next day's lunch v much, no food wasted 🤷🏻‍♀️.

most intelligent people know how much food they need to eat and also know restaurant portions can be needlessly large

@Sparklingbrook, you’d think most intelligent people would know what a suitable portion size is for them but alas it seems this isn’t the case. Not helped by food manufacturers “servings” not tallying with NHS suggested “portions”. I read a fascinating piece of research that showed that eg if a ready meal says “serves 2”, because it’s sold as a single unit many people will think single unit=single portion. It’s not that they’re stupid, it’s just psychology.

"The Health Survey for England 2019 estimates that 28.0% of adults in England are obese and a further 36.2% are overweight but not obese", which suggests there are an awful lot of people who have lost their way regarding food and health, and they can't all be unintelligent.

What I also find fascinating is why eating out for many means gluttony is part of the experience. eg. I have a rather overweight, intelligent friend who has just started a diet, says he really wants to lose weight, yet went out for dinner recently and ate the largest steak on the menu, plus starter and dessert. He told me how he was so uncomfortably full afterwards he had trouble sleeping that night! WTF is that all about?! Surely he couldn't enjoyed the experience just as much with a smaller steak

I mean in any other circumstances if you could only buy perishables in double the quantities that you needed with the expectation you wasted half of it people would say something...

Oh no, you can only buy 2 tanks worth of petrol we expect you just to burn the rest.....

Isn't it more a compliment to the chef to say I'm full but enjoyed it so much I'd like to take some home?

I’m not sure but maybe the chef thinks their delicious food should be consumed freshly prepared straight away, and knowing about food hygiene be a bit

@Sparklingbrook, possibly. Depends on the meal and whether the chef would rather the leftovers are binned or enjoyed later, even if they aren’t at their best the next day. As someone who hates food waste with a passion I’d rather someone ate my creation the next day than binned it. Saying that I wouldn't want someone to risk food poisoning by eating left over salad or, worse still, rice.

I don't eat out very often so I do want something extra special when I do. Not something I could easily make at home every day.
I still think a salad on it's own isn't really a meal. If there is something else with it such as a piece of salmon or cheese then yes. I would usually order a salad as a side with, say, a pasta dish.

I think this thread illustrates that people are different sizes, have different appetites, some people eat too much and some people eat very little. Restaurants would lose a lot of customers if they gave small portions routinely so would have to faff about with offering different sizes.
Personally I have never counted a calorie in my life, BMI has been 21 for 40 years and I eat more than DH though considerably less than my 20+ DC.
In a restaurant our family of four, those with bigger appetites would order extra sides.

The one thing that really bugs me in a restaurant is a plate with several silly containers perched on it that you have to either prod into or tip out onto your plate. And don't get me started on slates or lumps of wood instead of plates. Last place I went to just put all the food on a plate. It was so refreshing I actually commented on how nice it was.