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

[AlternativelyWired]

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.

@PandoraP

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.

Stressful? Stressful? There are many, many, many things in this life that are stressful- I'm sure lots of MNers could list you their present stressors- but having a little too much food on a plate isn't one of them. Unpleasant, for some, perhaps, but stressful? Give me a break. Honestly, what is the world coming to?

@Puffalicious

Hard life isn’t it being given too much food that believe it or not you’re obligated to eat.

Jesus wept.

NOT rather

[quote JollyWilloughby]@Puffalicious

Hard life isn’t it being given too much food that believe it or not you’re obligated to eat.

Jesus wept.[/quote]
Very hard.🤨

Stressful? Stressful? There are many, many, many things in this life that are stressful- I'm sure lots of MNers could list you their present stressors- but having a little too much food on a plate isn't one of them. Unpleasant, for some, perhaps, but stressful? Give me a break. Honestly, what is the world coming to?

Says the person who is choosing to dismiss someone’s feelings because they cannot relate. Who are you to say what someone can find stressful?

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

Not always. I have often been asked if everything was all right with my meal. And I always say it was delicious but too much. I am not in any way an undereater, and am overweight, but I am overfaced by huge plates of food. I also feel I have had better value for money if I am able to clear my plate without feeling uncomfortably full. I don’t know why people find this so impossible to understand.

Waiters ask to check make sure the food was okay. If it's that traumatic to say yes it was delicious but I'm full then maybe you shouldn't eat out

@PandoraP

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.

But simply ask for a side plate and move some of the food you don’t want off your plate.

You may dislike seeing a full plate but stressful really is such a strong description unless you have an eating disorder.

But simply ask for a side plate and move some of the food you don’t want off your plate.

What does that do other than make two plates of food?

@CounsellorTroi

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

Not always. I have often been asked if everything was all right with my meal. And I always say it was delicious but too much. I am not in any way an undereater, and am overweight, but I am overfaced by huge plates of food. I also feel I have had better value for money if I am able to clear my plate without feeling uncomfortably full. I don’t know why people find this so impossible to understand.

Asking if everything was alright with the meal is standard waiter talk.

Feeling that you have better value for money if you are able to clear your plate doesn't make sense unless you are actually paying more at the places where they give you extra food?

I don't know the cost of a meal in the UK but say it was £10 in two places and one place gives you extra food.
You've paid the same and eaten the same amount (just up until you're full) so your value for money is the same.

If you know that they do big portions and they stress you out that much then why not ask them to give you a smaller portion?

Now I am craving a big bowl of pub chips after reading this thread so far

Feeling that you have better value for money if you are able to clear your plate doesn't make sense unless you are actually paying more at the places where they give you extra food?

It means I haven’t paid for food I haven’t eaten.

@CounsellorTroi

but are you going to places where they charge more for the larger portion or somewhere with similar prices to other places that sell smaller portions?

[quote JollyWilloughby]@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.[/quote]
In fact, I tend to find the 'smallest' thing on the menu if it's a pub lunch or whatever (normally soup and a roll). Though I then feel like a dick if everyone else has a massive plate of steak and chips and starts saying "is that all you're having?" If it's a proper restaurant, fish is normally a good bet, as it's quite light. I quite like it if someone else has chips, so I can have a couple. Pizza is ok with the DC as they can easily polish off whatever I don't eat as well as their own.

I do think smaller portions ought to be offered routinely, though. Sometimes it looks like two entire meals on one plate.

In some respects it’s really very simple. Just go to independent quality places where the portions are really very measured because you then pay for the quality of food that’s well cooked and presented.

I presume many on here talking about huge portions are in chain restaurants/outlets.

An artisan burger with homemade fries and homemade coleslaw, with or without the bun option, is going to be a small patty of minced steak seasoned and chargrilled.

A pub serving roast beef from a good independent is going to be two slices of locally sourced meat with a homemade Yorkshire and some vegetables with a couple of roast potatoes.

A Hungry Horse is a large plate of poor quality food similar to Wetherspoons quality. But a glass of wine or pint of craft beer in Wetherspoons is actually good value for money.

It’s about choice. My choice is to go to places that don’t serve massive portions. They focus on quality albeit at a price. I’m going out for lunch tomorrow and if I order a roast it will be £19.50 plus the wonderful 12% added to the overall bill. But the quality will be excellent, the portion sensible and I’ll be having a homemade pudding afterwards!

I presume many on here talking about huge portions are in chain restaurants/outlets.

Not round here. We avoid chains, except Yo Sushi and Wagamamma's. The pubs round here just serve large portions of excellent quality food that is sourced locally. We are rural so don't have the huge choice of restaurants that you get in a city. We went out for a meal at a local Indian restaurant today and although we have hearty appetites there was still food left over.

@phoenixrosehere

Stressful? Stressful? There are many, many, many things in this life that are stressful- I'm sure lots of MNers could list you their present stressors- but having a little too much food on a plate isn't one of them. Unpleasant, for some, perhaps, but stressful? Give me a break. Honestly, what is the world coming to?

Says the person who is choosing to dismiss someone’s feelings because they cannot relate. Who are you to say what someone can find stressful?

Massive overreaction to say a plate of food is stressful unless you have an eating disorder.

Poverty, abusive relationship, difficult family circumstances, break up, work problems, sleep issues, children...the list can go on and on, but not a plate of too large a portion of food! FFS!

This was my food at a restaurant recently. It was huge!! An independent pub. It didn't me stress though and I didn't feel the need to eat it all - So I didn't. I didn't complain either. It was a nice treat.

@CounsellorTroi

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

"No bun with the burger- thanks".

Most pubs I've been in serve a selection of small plates.

@friendlycat

In some respects it’s really very simple. Just go to independent quality places where the portions are really very measured because you then pay for the quality of food that’s well cooked and presented.

I presume many on here talking about huge portions are in chain restaurants/outlets.

An artisan burger with homemade fries and homemade coleslaw, with or without the bun option, is going to be a small patty of minced steak seasoned and chargrilled.

A pub serving roast beef from a good independent is going to be two slices of locally sourced meat with a homemade Yorkshire and some vegetables with a couple of roast potatoes.

A Hungry Horse is a large plate of poor quality food similar to Wetherspoons quality. But a glass of wine or pint of craft beer in Wetherspoons is actually good value for money.

It’s about choice. My choice is to go to places that don’t serve massive portions. They focus on quality albeit at a price. I’m going out for lunch tomorrow and if I order a roast it will be £19.50 plus the wonderful 12% added to the overall bill. But the quality will be excellent, the portion sensible and I’ll be having a homemade pudding afterwards!

Poverty is already a big factor in obesity, do you really think everyone has an active choice to go to ore expensive independent restaurants as appose to places where you can get a big meal for a fiver or children eat free in the holidays etc?

@Puffalicious why are you gatekeeping someone else's stressors? Very weird. Yes those things you have listed are stressful, people are allowed to find other things so as well.

I'm with the OP on this one.

For me it's not even about the calories, it's about the pure waste.

When I go out for a meal I like to have 3 courses. Thats the treat of a meal out because we don't do it at home (too much faff).

There is no way I can eat 3 courses from a lot of the independent places where I live - the main course portions alone are MASSIVE!

As an example, the pub at the end of my road serves most of the main dishes with veg and chips, but the dish itself (say steak pie) plus the carrots and peas fill the entire plate and then the chips come in another bowl on the side!

Now I can eat all of that, but not with a starter and dessert, so my option is either just eat the main (boring) or leave some of my main and have a dessert. That just doesn't sit right with me.

I understand what some posters are saying about "what about people with big appetites" well why can't the pub serve smaller portions at a slightly reduced price and people with bigger appetites can order multiple courses and even side dishes (as my DH does)?

@Frangipani it would be awful if places started making mains small with the assumption you will be buying three courses. Not everyone can afford that.

@Puffalicious

Yes if you are genuinely feeling stressed and your body is having a stress response because there is too much food on your plate that’s disordered eating. Stop putting the blame on restaurants. No one bloody forcing you to eat all the food.

Or go to more expensive restaurants where they focus on quality over quantity.

Poverty, abusive relationship, difficult family circumstances, break up, work problems, sleep issues, children...the list can go on and on, but not a plate of too large a portion of food! FFS!

Again, who are you to say what someone can find stressful or not? Just because you don’t agree, doesn’t make you right!

As an earlier poster said, it’s not just about the food but the food waste. People on here are talking about rising food cost and struggling to put food on the table, yet too much food being given that much goes to waste is nothing to be annoyed about.