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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Portion sizes in pubs and restaurants-why are they so big?

541 replies

AlternativelyWired · 16/04/2022 10:21

Unless of course it's somewhere very fancy.
Inspired by the calories on menus threads I was wondering why portions are so big. One place we go to does a children's pizza, chips and peas. This is just short of 900 calories. It's a Chicago town style pizza with a large handful of chips and a portion of peas. Even the adult menu has very little that's below 800 calories. Starters to share (for two people) are over 1000 calories. Some of the meat 'challenges' are over 4000 calories each! Why?
Surely if portion sizes were smaller or rather, appropriate, this would be better than stating calorie values and would help avoid food waste. Food waste induces a lot of guilt in me, and the calories do too as a former anorexic, and although eating out is a treat that we don't do often, I don't want a huge plateful of food that I won't be able to finish. I think the meat challenges are obscene but that might be my eating disordered and veggie brain speaking.
Why are pizzas so big? And burgers? Over 1000 calories for a burger and that's without the chips.
Could places offer small portions? Although even the seniors menu is a larger than normal portion.
I don't particularly want to know the calories of the dishes on offer but I do want a choice of smaller portions rather than contributing to food waste.
And while I'm at it, what happened to sandwiches on menus? In the 80s and 90s everywhere we went had a sandwich section with egg mayonnaise, prawn mayonnaise, beef, ham, cheddar ploughman's and now sandwiches don't seem to exist except in cafés. A nice sandwich with a salad garnish and maybe a handful of crisps. My mum would be so happy if they came back. And omelettes.
Bring back proper plates, the ones we had in the 80s not the huge ones we have now.

OP posts:
Antarcticant · 16/04/2022 10:25

One place we go to does a children's pizza, chips and peas. This is just short of 900 calories.

Is it portion size that's the issue, or the types of food and cooking methods? Chips always ramp up the calorie count of a meal.

CounsellorTroi · 16/04/2022 10:25

I wish places would offer a burger without the bun. A bunned burger and chips is too much of a carb fest.

Clymene · 16/04/2022 10:27

@CounsellorTroi

I wish places would offer a burger without the bun. A bunned burger and chips is too much of a carb fest.
You know you can just ask for it to be served without the bun right? Or just not eat it?

OP I've never taken my children anywhere that offers pizzas and chips to children. I'd go somewhere different

Antarcticant · 16/04/2022 10:27

@CounsellorTroi

I wish places would offer a burger without the bun. A bunned burger and chips is too much of a carb fest.
Have you tried asking for the burger without the bun?
HailAdrian · 16/04/2022 10:27

Oh god, here we fucking go. 🤣

And if you don't want a bun, just ask them not to give you a bun...

dudsville · 16/04/2022 10:29

I also just don't eat the buns. But also I don't mind the portions being large. Eating out for me is a rare and special occurance, so something more of a celebration when I worry less about this kind of thing.

CounsellorTroi · 16/04/2022 10:31

@HailAdrian

Oh god, here we fucking go. 🤣

And if you don't want a bun, just ask them not to give you a bun...

I’ll try that next time. 😁. I’m not one of these people who think carbs are evil btw and am actually overweight!
AHungryCaterpillar · 16/04/2022 10:31

What a joke, If I’m going out to eat it’s a treat so I normally wouldn’t eat much that day then be starving, if you don’t want to eat much then you are not forced to eat it all or you could share it 😅 or ask for no bun? 🙄

onelostsoulswimminginafishbowl · 16/04/2022 10:32

What the hell have I just stepped into 👀👀

AlternativelyWired · 16/04/2022 10:32

It's me who eats the pizza and chipsGrin we all have sensory issues and restricted diets so eating out is tricky. I quite like a good carb fest. Carbs are not a personal enemy for me.

OP posts:
PlacidPenelope · 16/04/2022 10:33

I agree with you AlternativelyWired, I detest food waste and huge portions plonked in front of me makes my appetite disappear. I've taken to asking for half the normal portion or ordering one meal between two people and sharing it.

AfterSchoolWorry · 16/04/2022 10:33

We always take uneaten food home to eat later.

I find it handy!

CheesusWept · 16/04/2022 10:34

I always ask the restaurant to box up the leftovers and then that does me and DD for dinners for the rest of the week.

LadyMacduff · 16/04/2022 10:34

My first thought is so that they can charge more per plate and people won't feel cheated. Most of what you are paying for is the service, not the actual food on your plate. So charging more for bigger portions is better for them than charging less for small portions that still need prepared and served.

I'm sorry, but they are running a business. It is not up to them to manage how often we eat out, what we order and how much of it we ultimately eat. Ask for smaller portions or vegetable/salad swaps. I'm sure they won't mind.

SexyLittleNosferatu · 16/04/2022 10:34

Oh look, a MN food thread. What a joy. Eyes down, "I can't possibly eat a full one" for the full house.

Chely · 16/04/2022 10:35

I love the big portions but I only eat one meal a day so it's fine.

AHungryCaterpillar · 16/04/2022 10:36

@CheesusWept

I always ask the restaurant to box up the leftovers and then that does me and DD for dinners for the rest of the week.
How much are you ordering or one meal each at a restaurant last you and your dd for the rest of the week? Is this the MN chicken? 🤣
NoodleNuts · 16/04/2022 10:36

If I wanted a ham sandwich with a salad garnish and a handful of crisps, I would make myself one at home in about 5 mins. That to me is not a treat and I wouldn't be ordering one in a pub or restaurant.

FairyCakeWings · 16/04/2022 10:37

They have big portions to justify the prices. Even in cheaper places with reasonable prices, if they gave out tiny portions, some people would complain.

Plus it’s easier to give too much food than too little, and the portion sizes have to cater for everyone. A filling meal for me needs less than half the food my dp does in his filling meal, so which of us should be catered for considering we both have to pay the same for a burger and chips? It’s not easy for restaurants to get it right.

ComDummings · 16/04/2022 10:37

@SexyLittleNosferatu

Oh look, a MN food thread. What a joy. Eyes down, "I can't possibly eat a full one" for the full house.
V true
winewolfhowls · 16/04/2022 10:37

I like sandwiches and chips, a rare combo these days, probably considered double carbs too

TulaOfDarkWater · 16/04/2022 10:38

@CheesusWept

I always ask the restaurant to box up the leftovers and then that does me and DD for dinners for the rest of the week.
The leftovers from one restaurant dinner provides enough food to feed you & your DD for the rest of the week? How does that work?
Florenz · 16/04/2022 10:39

Restaurants should be legally required to offer a half size portion of every dish they offer, at half the price of the full size one.

Clymene · 16/04/2022 10:39

It's Saturday and the teeny tinies are out in force!

One restaurant portion feeding two for a week is the best ever though GrinGrinGrinGrin

theyhavenothingbuttheaudacity · 16/04/2022 10:39

Yayyy a Mumsnet food thread where nobody should ever consider eating more than a handful of trill as it's so 'greedy'

'I wouldn't take my kids anywhere they offer them pizza and chips' is my fave comment so far though 😂