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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:
PlainJaneEyre · 17/04/2022 09:25

Easy answer - don't go to places like Frankie and Benny or have a starter as your main. I eat out twice a week with friends and every place we go to has light plates or small portions of eg caesar salad or fish and chips.

Ace56 · 17/04/2022 09:40

1000 calories for a meal isn’t actually that bad when you think about it. We’re meant to have around 2000 a day, so if you don’t overdo it at breakfast and lunch, having 1000 calories for dinner is fine.

liveforsummer · 17/04/2022 09:46

[quote Badbadbunny]@liveforsummer

And if no one else wants the other half then they get thrown away. Business loses both on food waste as well the actual meal cost which as said covers way more than the actual ingredients.

It's perfectly possible to have smaller "half size" portions without cutting something in half you know! You can buy smaller buns, make smaller burgers, make smaller yorkshire puddings, etc.[/quote]
It's still a lot of extra wastage potential and storage issues. Buns are a fresh option. If you have to have 2 throws then one doesn't get used then it gets thrown. Anyway I was responding to the person who specifically said to serve half fillets of fish etc

FrodisCapering · 17/04/2022 10:14

I'm all in favour of calories being printed because it enables people to make an informed choice.
For example, we were considering getting Five Guys a few days ago. When I saw the calorie count in back and white I didn't want it, and neither did dh.

Other times we'll have a splurge and have what we want, regardless of calories.

As for portion sizes, I've noticed a lot of places do light bites. High end restaurants don't usually pile the food high either. Perhaps it would be better if taking a doggy bag home was normal here, as it is in the USA?

Puffalicious · 17/04/2022 11:18

patchbatch It's not weird, it's common sense: if you are stressed by food you have disordered eating. It must be very upsetting for those with disordered eating, if you don't it's just ridiculous to say you're stressed by a little too much food. There are easy solutions, as offered by many PP, chiefly choosing less in the way of a starter/ sharing. It's not hard. Total drama and attention needing for absolutely nothing. Have people not got anything else in their life, so self- centred, that they focus on a nothing issue? Don't sweat the small stuff.

Patchbatch · 17/04/2022 11:24

@Puffalicious

patchbatch It's not weird, it's common sense: if you are stressed by food you have disordered eating. It must be very upsetting for those with disordered eating, if you don't it's just ridiculous to say you're stressed by a little too much food. There are easy solutions, as offered by many PP, chiefly choosing less in the way of a starter/ sharing. It's not hard. Total drama and attention needing for absolutely nothing. Have people not got anything else in their life, so self- centred, that they focus on a nothing issue? Don't sweat the small stuff.
You could say that about tonnes of stuff though, I suspect lots of people have disordered eating but don't think they do- does it matter whether they have a largely arbitury label attached? Main meals are often completely different to starters, perhaps people want a meal but just not enough food to feed 2 people. There's nothing to suggest the poster revolves their life around it or even gives it much headspace, but in discussion about this very thing seems reasonable to mention it. Its shocking but people can focus on more than one thing in their life, and actually sometimes the small stuff is exasperated by big stuff they have going on. Are you always so sneery and judgemental about stuff that doesn't affect you?
Puffalicious · 17/04/2022 11:29

patchbatch I'm not sneery or judgemental at all. The bottom line here is that it's a little too much of some lovely food that's been made for you. Total non-issue. I work in a field where there are people stressed by huge things in their lives, it would make folk on here recoil in horror, so a little too much food on a plate is understandably small potatoes (excuse the pun). We need perspective in this life, we really do.

Patchbatch · 17/04/2022 11:32

@Puffalicious

patchbatch I'm not sneery or judgemental at all. The bottom line here is that it's a little too much of some lovely food that's been made for you. Total non-issue. I work in a field where there are people stressed by huge things in their lives, it would make folk on here recoil in horror, so a little too much food on a plate is understandably small potatoes (excuse the pun). We need perspective in this life, we really do.
Ah yes the other people have it worse trope, that makes everyone with what feels like irrational phobias and stressors feel magically better doesn't it.
orangeisthenewpuce · 17/04/2022 11:33

@Puffalicious

patchbatch I'm not sneery or judgemental at all. The bottom line here is that it's a little too much of some lovely food that's been made for you. Total non-issue. I work in a field where there are people stressed by huge things in their lives, it would make folk on here recoil in horror, so a little too much food on a plate is understandably small potatoes (excuse the pun). We need perspective in this life, we really do.
I agree. Stressed by too much food on a plate is a non issue.
Puffalicious · 17/04/2022 11:48

No patchbatch it's not a trope, it's reality. If too much food is the only thing folk need to worry about they're doing alright.

I'm not the only one who thinks so. See orange.

Now, I'm off to eat too much chocolate.

PandoraP · 17/04/2022 13:02

Of course I know there can be more stressful things in life than too much food on my plateHmm Off-putting might be a better word. Plates piled high with food are off putting to me. I don’t have an eating disorder and I know I can leave food and do, but I prefer restaurants which serve more normal sized portions as food piled high puts me off.
I was eating out last week and there was a pasta dish on the menu which was 3000 calories. I saw the fish and it was a massive amount of food. They cut have served 1/3 of the portion and that would have been fine and 1000 calories. Hopefully that is the way things will go. Restaurants will be forced to serve more normal sized portions as no one is going to order something with 3000 calories for their main meal.

PandoraP · 17/04/2022 13:03

I saw the dish not fish…

liveforsummer · 17/04/2022 13:26

Fine for you but not necessarily others. I couldn't see less if an occasional meal was 3000 calories. It's not like I eat that every day and it's your every day diet that matters

PandoraP · 17/04/2022 13:46

Yes it’s your everyday diet which matters, but I would be really surprised if there is not a link between someone who eats massive portions in a restaurant and also at home. The cheaper the restaurant, the bigger the portion is also my observation and we know there is a link between poverty and obesity.

liveforsummer · 17/04/2022 14:32

I disagree. Normally it's nice independent pubs etc with big hearty portions. Wetherspoons portions are pretty modest and we all know the link behind poverty and obesity runs WAY deeper to the rare occasion people in that situation can actually afford to eat out! Tbh though I've never in all my years actually seen a plate 'piled high' (with the exception of that one person at the car very that takes it too far) and certainly never heard any groaning. Lots of ridiculous hyperbole. Just eat what you can/want.

Chewchewaboogie · 17/04/2022 14:54

We just order kids size.meal. all.our local pubs offer this option to adults .

roarfeckingroarr · 17/04/2022 15:42

@aSofaNearYou Yes, really. It's still a full bowl full - what I would want as an adult. The baby will eat a bit, leaving enough for at least one lunch, sometimes too (with a massive salad on the side, of course). I now order the kids roast at the pub because it has all the items but isn't gigantic.

roarfeckingroarr · 17/04/2022 15:43

@stuntbubbles

Usually I just ask for an empty plate, hot from the dishwasher. The sensation of warm crockery is filling enough. Pubs honestly don’t mind serving no food and tap water, they profit simply from my presence.
😂😂😂😂
roarfeckingroarr · 17/04/2022 15:48

@TheChurchOfEli

If I order pasta for my toddler, even a kids portion, there's enough for my lunch the next day, sometimes two. What’s that smell in here? Oh right, it’s bullshit.
100% being truthful. We went to a lovely family Italian in Chelsea last week, the kids pasta was a full bowl. He ate a bit (and half my pizza) and it was still too much for lunch the next day. I quite like that though, all about leftovers and it was gorgeous.
Grapewrath · 17/04/2022 15:50

I love places that serve big portions- I love my food. If I can’t eat it all then I stop Wink
Mumsnet is so strange for competitive under eaters. It makes me wonder if eating disorders are more prevalent than we realise when I read a lot of these posts. It’s not normal.
I also know a few people in real life who insist theyll ‘never eat the full portion’ they eat very little. They are all overweight and clearly have issues with food but are very vocal about their small appetites
At the end of the day, plenty of places serve small portions. It’s all about choice surely

roarfeckingroarr · 17/04/2022 15:53

@Grapewrath I know quite a few larger people who often talk about their small appetites. I'm not sure who they're trying to convince, or perhaps they don't notice some of the food they consume. I'm fairly slim, BMI of 20, but can shovel food down like nobody's business. I still think portion sizes are unnecessary and lead to a horrible amount of waste.

FrangipaniBlue · 17/04/2022 15:58

[quote aSofaNearYou]@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.[/quote]
Hence I said reduce the price.

Do you think wasting food when there are people who cannot afford to eat at all is a better option? How privileged.

Grapewrath · 17/04/2022 15:59

Also mumsnet bingo.. only read the first page so let me know if we get a full house

  • one portion serves me for two days, breakfast dinner and tea
  • I have a massive salad so it doesn’t bother me
  • I don’t like food waste ( Hello? Im super conscious)
  • large portions put me off my magic chicken. I can get 16 meals from it normally, but if I have a pub lunch I’m full for a week and then it goes to waste.
  • I would never feed my children from such places. Tarquinius prefers fresh local sushi to chicken nuggets anyway
  • I don’t eat out, my cooking is so amazing that non of us enjoy it
  • we don’t eat out because I make an enormous and adventurous picnic
Aroundtheworldin80moves · 17/04/2022 16:00

My experience is the places with the largest portions are pubs in places like Snowdonia and the Peak District, catering to people whove done a whole day of physical exercise (walking, climbing, biking etc)
If you drive to the same pubs or look around the villages etc you won't have the same calorie requirements.

Grapewrath · 17/04/2022 16:00

[quote roarfeckingroarr]@Grapewrath I know quite a few larger people who often talk about their small appetites. I'm not sure who they're trying to convince, or perhaps they don't notice some of the food they consume. I'm fairly slim, BMI of 20, but can shovel food down like nobody's business. I still think portion sizes are unnecessary and lead to a horrible amount of waste. [/quote]
Same! I’m a size 8 and best believe if I’m going out I’ll finish my plate snd a pudding. Obviously I don’t eat like that all the time but I never have an issue with portions when I eat out