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.

@Witchesbelazy

A kids pasta that feeds them and then an adult lunch maybe two I have heard it all now

Unless it’s a field mouse typing that, it has to be a pisstake.

I’d expect to pay more than half for a half size portion. I don’t really get this thing about eating vastly more as a treat or because you haven’t eaten that day? Your stomach becomes accustomed to your usual eating pattern. If you try and stuff it overly full don’t you feel sick and bloated? And if you’re out for the day you carry leftovers around with you? Even if it’s pasta or something ‘wet’? You’re staying in a hotel and put leftovers in the drinks fridge (Ive been to many 4 stars without these btw) and eat them cold the next day? Interesting thread!

When I eat at a pub I just sit in the beer garden and nibble at the grass. If I'm feeling really greedy I'll eat half a dandelion and take the other half home with me to eat later.

@FrecklesMalone

We went to a pub last night, 10 of us. We had walked for fucking ages and we're starving. Food was nice but the portions we're ridiculous. Only the teenage boys ate all of theirs. 8 plates where left with a third on. Such a waste of food had I known we would had split meals up.

But.......the teenage boys ate theirs. How does the pub know which customers are "teenage boys" and which are "Mumsnet competitive undereaters"?

So, they serve a meal teenage boys can eat because they don't want complaints.

It's an occasional treat, that's why. You don't have to eat it if it's too much.

I like large portions, as we make it the only meal of the day.

We don't have breakfast or dinner, just a large lunch.

If you try and stuff it overly full don’t you feel sick and bloated?

No. Or maybe I can just eat a lot without "stuffing" my stomach "overly full".

We had a pub lunch yesterday. I had a prawn mayo wrap. And chips. And beer. It was lush.

As you were.

@Florenz

"Agreeing with everyone who points out that that's not how pricing works as the same fixed costs (rent, staff, depreciating value of equipment) have to be covered irrespective of the portion size."

How come pubs can sell beer by the pint and half pint?

I wouldn't give restaurants the choice, legally mandate that they HAVE to do this. It is a public health issue.

Yeah cos God forbid people might actually take some responsibility for themselves eh? Those wicked restaurants dragging people in at gun point and holding them in a headlock while they force feed them chips, the government must stop it now!!

🙄🙄🙄

@ILoveAllRainbowsx

I like large portions, as we make it the only meal of the day.

We don't have breakfast or dinner, just a large lunch.

But it would be better if they also did smaller, cheaper versions so people had a choice and there was less waste.

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.

This thread is a good example of why so many in this country are over weight. The portion sizes in restaurants have changed our perception of what a normal amount of food is to eat. Portion sizes have got bigger as people have got fatter. We now have bigger plates and bigger glasses. This impacts on portion sizes at home. Of course there are a few people that can eat all this and stay slim but the fact is we have a major problem with obesity in this county it causes major health issues. Those that think it’s fine to eat a massive plate of processed food is fine because it is a treat are deluding themselves. Many counties in Europe have much smaller portions in restaurants and are generally slimmer than us. America huge portions and a huge obesity problem. The quality of food also counts. Restaurants only serve big portions of cheap, usually low quality food.

I don't eat out often and when I do I like a big portion. I usually skip lunch so that i am nice and hungry and rarely leave anything. I would be raging if I was given a tiny portion just because some mumsnetters people eat like birds. Maybe they should offer large and small portions of every meal, that might solve the problem.

“ If you try and stuff it overly full don’t you feel sick and bloated?”

Hell yeah. And then I’ll stagger around complaining I’m in a carb coma and vow never to eat an entire large pizza in one go again. An actual large pizza, not a MN chicken one 😉 But in the moment of eating it, the delicious taste in my mouth overrides the the discomfort of fullness.

Those that think it’s fine to eat a massive plate of processed food is fine because it is a treat are deluding themselves.

Noone has said that though. And all food is processed.

I generally order just a few sides as I can't stom6 massive meals. I'm not skinny either FWIW.

@HearMeSnore

"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."

I agree. I lost my appetite completely when I had anxiety and still couldn't eat very much for a year or so afterwards. Eating out was often a challenge - I usually had a starter and a side, or a kids meal.

Now that I'm better, I can eat a full adult meal plus DD's leftovers and still have room for pudding... but I know that I shouldn't so it'd be nice to have the option of a sensible portion.

Absolute this. The option should be there.

@amicissimma

I have a small appetite. I find a huge portion placed in front of me daunting and does detract a bit from the enjoyment.

Why do so many people on Mumsnet find this unacceptable?

Because your implication is that we are all fat pigs because we don't mind large portions when eating out.

@VanGoghsDog

If you try and stuff it overly full don’t you feel sick and bloated?

No. Or maybe I can just eat a lot without "stuffing" my stomach "overly full".

Yes but my point was people specifically saying they eat a lot more on that specific occasion. That’s not really how a stomach works.

I tend to choose a starter and a side where I know the portion sizes are just going to lead to waste .... or worse that feeling of needing to eat it all up, ingrained from childhood, and then feeling very uncomfortable as a result.

It would be nice if restaurants offered a larger variety of options, especially where pizzas are concerned.

I see the teeny tinys are all out in force, shocked no one has mentioned stuffing, guzzling, gobbling or shoveling food in yet, or even the faux “What is an oven chip”

Ah yes, the teeny tinys aka people who don't eat or like being presented with huge portions of food, amazing how defensive people on MN become about the portions of food they consume.

No-one needs the gargantuan portions served in some restaurants and pubs, very few people do hard, physical manual labour or walk miles and miles these days that would require the consumption of large amounts of food, they eat such vast quantities because they feel they are entitled to do so and then wonder why they pile on weight and suffer the health issues associated with that.

As LindaEllen said:

Also, one thing that my dietician said to me when I said something similar when I waddled into her office at 22st 12 years ago was you need to reset your mindset around food. How is something that is bad for your body, making you gain weight, a 'treat'? You deserve better!

Restaurants should give people the choice of how much food they want to order. At the moment they have no choice, they are forced into ordering massive portions and either eating too much or wasting food, both of which are wrong.

@Deadringer

I don't eat out often and when I do I like a big portion. I usually skip lunch so that i am nice and hungry and rarely leave anything. I would be raging if I was given a tiny portion just because some mumsnetters people eat like birds. Maybe they should offer large and small portions of every meal, that might solve the problem.

Successful restaurants are really good at working out what’s profitable - in bringing in customers and in menu pricing.

If they can make up the lost meal cost by increasing customer numbers - great.

But they can’t afford to serve half the food for half the price. And as soon as a customer sees they’re paying 70% of them cost for 50% of the exact same food, they’ll be dissatisfied. Doesn’t matter they’re getting the portion they want and spending less - they’ll feel ripped off.

An excellent case study is the Pizza Express Leggera menu. Essentially, same pizza, hole in the middle.

But… they add a tiny bit of rocket to that hole. And they carefully make it not that main menu pizza but with a hole, but a whole series of other toppings.

Less calories - same price!

Why? Because food is a comparatively minor expenditure in running a restaurant or cafe. It costs them pennies more to increase portion sizes, and the customer gets the impression of value for money at what is essentially massive markup for the actual food. You're paying for the service and experience. That's why they do it. As to if they should or not, its a different question.

better still the gluten free since it's usually a bowl of fresh air.

Thanks, made me laugh.

Pub = hearty. Hearty = lots.

Presumably it's not an every day event. Fill your boots.