Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

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:
DockOTheBay · 16/04/2022 18:59

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.
If they do this, many restaurants will double the size and price of the "standard" meal and the current standard will be the "half size". Better profit margins that way, and some people will choose the huge one and take the leftovers home and they actually will feed a family for a week!

DockOTheBay · 16/04/2022 19:00

Or they'll hugely increase the cost of the standard meal, so the half size one is still profitable.

DockOTheBay · 16/04/2022 19:14

You got to a restaurant for a meal out, just make the portion appropriate for an average person for one meal rather than expecting everyone to take leftovers
But as we have seen on this thread, different people need/want different amounts of food. The "average" portion would still be too big for some but also too small for others. People don't complain to the restaurant about too much food, but people DO complain about not enough food. So make it big enough for those with large appetites, and it will be big enough for everyone. Make it smaller and those with big appetites will be left hungry and complain.

A lot of places near me do offer half size or smaller portions at a reduced price. I'm sure a lot more places will do if you think to ask. Or order a starter or side instead of a main meal.

DockOTheBay · 16/04/2022 19:20

Bottom line is - No one needs to eat these massive portions. It’s just gluttony
No-one needs to eat out at all. Might as well just close all pubs and restaurants down tomorrow - bye bye obesity crisis.

Or maybe we sometimes like to do things which are not necessary and maybe unhealthy but we enjoy, like overeating sometimes, drinking alcohol, staying out later than we should, smoking the occasional cigarette.

Badbadbunny · 16/04/2022 19:25

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.

The ingredients are only a small component of the price, so halving the ingredients wouldn't halve the price. At best, you'd be looking at 2/3rd of normal price, maybe 3/4s. The cost of staff is the same, as is the cost of crockery, cutlery, cleaning, laundry, power, etc etc

BadNomad · 16/04/2022 20:07

If you eat healthy the rest of the time then the occasional huge meal out won't make you fat. If you only eat out then you have a problem. That being said I would quite like smaller portions to be an option, but not instead of big portions.

JollyWilloughby · 16/04/2022 20:12

All you people moaning about portion sizes being too big…. You do realise you can just leave some food on the plate.

Revolutionary!

ANUsernam · 16/04/2022 20:15

@LuckySantangelo35 how can you possibly know how many calories @Steelesauce needs to maintain their weight based purely upon their BMI?

Whatever it is you really should share the secret with scientists/the medical profession, because they seem to be under the impression that things like height, sex, activity level are actually all quite important to ESTIMATE required calorie intake (i.e. even with that information they'd still only be able to give you a range and there would still be individual variability).

My guess would be that they know their body and requirements a lot better than you do.

underneathleaf · 16/04/2022 20:27

@luckySantangelo35 I see others have beaten me to it pulling you up on it, but what a stupid comment. The pp could be a marine, breastfeeding or pregnant for all you know - how could you possibly know her calorie requirements from her BMI? And she never said she was underweight. For most western women, a BMI of 21 is about optimal - it's associated with better health than a BMI of 18-20.

orangeisthenewpuce · 16/04/2022 20:27

@JollyWilloughby

All you people moaning about portion sizes being too big…. You do realise you can just leave some food on the plate.

Revolutionary!

No, it puts them off seeing all that food. They can't possibly just leave some.
JollyWilloughby · 16/04/2022 20:31

@orangeisthenewpuce

Maybe deep down they do want to scoff it all but their conscience is screaming at them ….. GLUTTONY!!!!

😂😂

NeverDropYourMooncup · 16/04/2022 20:36

@AlternativelyWired

If portions were smaller then there'd be room for a first course and a pudding. Now that would be a treat to me, not just a main course. No one is suggesting tiny portions should be served, just that they should be smaller in a lot of places, not all. If people have bigger appetites then order a first course and a pudding too. I'm all fit sharing and asking for a second plate or bowl but with my family it's not often we can do that.
Yuk. Why would I want to waste calories on some sugary shite when I could have more chips?
Everydaydayisaschoolday · 16/04/2022 20:38

@JollyWilloughby

All you people moaning about portion sizes being too big…. You do realise you can just leave some food on the plate.

Revolutionary!

But that's a waste. And embarrassing when the waiters ask you was there anything wrong with it. I would so much rather pay the same for a smaller portion that doesn't end up in the bin.
phoenixrosehere · 16/04/2022 20:41

A lot of places near me do offer half size or smaller portions at a reduced price. I'm sure a lot more places will do if you think to ask. Or order a starter or side instead of a main meal.

Same here thankfully. Saying that, I actually research restaurants and look at the pictures of their portions before deciding to go. I can’t go from eating typical smaller meals and then one massive meal, makes my stomach hurt and as another poster said being asked if the food was good when 1/2 or 1/4 is left and knowing it’s going to be binned rubs me the wrong way. It’s not just wasted food but wasted money. Luckily, more places don’t think anything of it if you just get appetisers and/or desserts or an appetiser and a side.

JollyWilloughby · 16/04/2022 20:51

@Everydaydayisaschoolday

That is a tad dramatic. Waiters are used to seeing people leave food and will presume it is because the person is full.

If you have left most of the meal then that's your issue for having such a small appetite. Maybe just eat out at a la carte restaurants as it sounds like pub grub isn't for you.

dollydimple123 · 16/04/2022 20:53

Because greedy feckers like me will eat the lot Grin

Everydaydayisaschoolday · 16/04/2022 20:53

[quote JollyWilloughby]@Everydaydayisaschoolday

That is a tad dramatic. Waiters are used to seeing people leave food and will presume it is because the person is full.

If you have left most of the meal then that's your issue for having such a small appetite. Maybe just eat out at a la carte restaurants as it sounds like pub grub isn't for you.[/quote]
This isn’t my experience at all!

JollyWilloughby · 16/04/2022 20:56

@Everydaydayisaschoolday

Well it's mine. Doesn't matter if I am out with friends or family there is always a couple of people in the group who leave food because they are full. I mean that's never me, personally I eat every last chip but yeah.... some of my friends definitely leave food. It's never an issue.

Anotherselfemployedcleaner · 16/04/2022 21:22

But do you say:

It was lovely but the portion size was far too much for me - when I come next time, is there an option to order a smaller portion? I don’t want to waste food I wont be able to finish.

If enough people asked, wouldn’t that send a message?

Really, if you go somewhere and enjoy the food, but there’s too much … why not give feedback?

BadNomad · 16/04/2022 21:31

Don't forget pubs and restaurants are businesses. They want your money. You're taking up a seat for however long it take you to eat your meal, so making £12 is better than £8 from that point of view.

NippyWoowoo · 16/04/2022 21:37

@onelostsoulswimminginafishbowl

What the hell have I just stepped into 👀👀
Welcome to Mumsnet, where the only thing that beats over-cleanliness is competitive under eating
ImWearingReallyJudgyPants · 16/04/2022 21:42

[quote JollyWilloughby]@orangeisthenewpuce

Maybe deep down they do want to scoff it all but their conscience is screaming at them ….. GLUTTONY!!!!

😂😂[/quote]
Is it impossible to imagine that some people really, genuinely feel put off if they are faced with too much food? I have a small appetite, and I immediately lose it altogether in that situation. It's completely bizarre that you can't comprehend this.

PandoraP · 16/04/2022 21:48

I find big portions really stressful. I do leave food, but I just don’t enjoy my meal as much if there is too much food on my plate.

PlacidPenelope · 16/04/2022 21:54

Is it impossible to imagine that some people really, genuinely feel put off if they are faced with too much food? I have a small appetite, and I immediately lose it altogether in that situation. It's completely bizarre that you can't comprehend this.

It clearly is an impossibility for them hence the ridiculing of the very idea ImWearingReallyJudgyPants, you are not alone, I am the same as you as are members of my family and friends which is why we will either ask for a smaller portion or share meals.

JollyWilloughby · 16/04/2022 22:07

@ImWearingReallyJudgyPants

Maybe just eat a La carte then? Pub grub food is usually a large portion. If you know you’re going to be put off just don’t bother, simple.

Restaurants know they can’t start dishing out stingy portion sizes when people are paying good money, they would be out of business very quickly.