Going to a restaurant to order food then hardly eat any of it - why?

[doorss]

I just don't get this. People come into a restaurant and order food. Its one of those restaurants you pay in advance. Food arrives, they just eat about a quarter of the dish - maximum. Then all leave with everyone in the group leaving loads of food left.

Why do people do this? If not hungry, don't eat. If pushing for time, don't eat. It's disgusting that people leave that amount of food. A bloody waste

I'm not on WLI, but I find that portion sizes in restaurants are often more food than I can eat. I hate wasting food, but there we are

I’m the same. I often ask for a child’s portion and even that can be quite big!

I’m trying very very hard to learn to stop eating food if I’m full or simply not enjoying it. A lifetime of being told to clean my plate, it’s rude to leave food, think of the starving children, don’t be wasteful, think of the environmental impact ect ect. Yes, ridiculous OTT over-ordering is wasteful but leaving food on the plate is much less harmful than over-eating.

I love to eat out, but have a hiatus hernia and need to have several small meals a day rather than two or three big ones. I agree that a doggy bag/box is a good idea. I've often thought of ordering from the children's menu, but I don't know if that's allowed!

In lots of places the portion sizes are ridiculously huge. I'm active, no health issues, and I can rarely finish any meal in a restaurant or fast food place.

I’ll eat until I’m full thanks. I’m not gorging myself to keep you happy.

I also get bored of too much of the same food. If I go Nando’s I want some halloumi, garlic bread, chicken and chips. But I’d like one slice of garlic bread and half a portion of chicken and chips. But they won’t serve me that. A child’s portion would be great, I’d even pay an adults price.

I know almost every time I order a meal I won’t eat it all. But I am hungry, and it’s rare that anyone will accommodate not a full portion.

We also globally make enough food to feed every person in the world 3,000 calories per day. My half eaten restaurant meal is not the food waste problem here.

Either they were full or did not like it.

I don’t think you need to force yourself to keep eating in either of those situations.

Food waste obviously isn't great when the climate is in crisis.

But people clearing their plates for the sake of it is also terrible in terms of obesity - people actually need to learn to listen to their bodies and stop eating when they are full.

Ideally restaurants would be more buffet style with people taking just what they want to eat, and stopping taking more when they are full.

But with the customary style of restaurant, where you order food that is plated for you, I guess some food waste is inevitable, as those preparing the plates cannot possibly know everyone's appetite.

I'd rather have a little food wasted, than a nation of people who feel compelled to eat food they don't want or need, because somebody has put it on a plate for them.

But yes, in an ideal world restaurants would provide more small plate options. Calorie info is always good - I tend to have a decent idea of how many calories I want to consume in any given meal (roughly I mean!) so when that is provided on the menu I think it's really helpful, and gives you a good idea of what portion sizes will be like.

I swear I saw a thread about this the other day?

If everyone left a lot of food, very soon after being served, then I think it's likely they had to leave in an emergency.

Even if the food was meh, a couple would likely try to finish. Unusual to get an entire table of fussy eaters.

A lot of good restaurant meals aren't really suitable for boxing up and reheating. If you're going somewhere after the meal you don't want to carry a bag of leftovers around (which might not be fit to eat by the time you get home).

Timing of payment is entirely irrelevant to finishing what you've ordered.

Weight loss injections?

But restaurant portions are often too big for me to want to eat it all and I don’t necessarily know that before it arrives! If I made a fuss about telling them to make the portion small that would make me difficult! Or one of those ‘oh I couldn’t possibly eat all that’ people that MN hates.

So I’m faced with shovelling a massive amount of calories in my face that I don’t even want or quietly just leaving what I don’t want on my plate with no fuss.

Is it me who is the problem? Or the restaurant giving massive portions that are often more calories than adults are recommended to eat in one day?

or maybe I shouldn’t eat out? But then I enjoy it and spending money on local businesses keeps them and the economy afloat.

I have sensory issues around food can't force myself to eat something that doesn't feel right in my mouth.

I had lunch out yesterday - ordered a burrito. It was huge! I had half for lunch, a bit more mid afternoon and finished it off with some salad for tea. Very happy to enjoy it 3 times as it was delicious 😋

Maybe they don’t like it?

Maybe it was a bigger portion than they thought it would be?

I think that's fair enough and achievable in your own home. But not when eating out. Portions are big and it is no good stuffing yourself for the sake of it.

🙄

If someone is full, it’s not any less wasteful to force down the rest of the meal.
And it certainly won’t make any difference to the people who don’t have enough food!

ETA - I agree with you when it comes to cooking at home. No need to cook massive portions and throw away leftovers.

Weird thing to get excited about tbh. If an entire table leave most of their food, that's a bit odd, but maybe they didn't enjoy it and won't be back?

OTOH, I'm 5' tall and have a medical condition that can affect my ability to eat. Often I eat a good amount but sometimes I leave a lot (and often get all kinds of funny looks and intrusive questioning). It can also mean I eat very slowly, but that's my issue and I'm not going to make folks sit and wait while I push food round the plate.

So, OP, when my friends and family invite me out, should I just stay home? If I fancy a steak & chips, should I just not order it because I'll almost certainly leave a good amount of the chips & sides? Yet to see 'steak and chips' as an appetiser, so genuinely OP, what would you suggest? Are small women, or folks with gastrointestinal issues not supposed to order food in restaurants?

I think a lot of portions are over sized these days, to cater for those with massive appetites. I was brought up to eat everything on my plate, and it's a habit I have never really kicked (I'm not overweight and never have been) so I find myself stuffing food in well beyond feeling full up. I knows it's stupid but in the moment, especially if I'm involved in conversation, I just keep going. Leaving anything goes against the grain, but really no one's going to benefit whether I do or don't. (My mum used to mention people starving around the world as a reason to eat and I used to say send it to them then!)

I guess some people want to try different foods and are stuck with how much they are given, so have to leave some. Also it's hard to judge how much you need to eat when you're feeling hungry.

Re desserts, it's a biological fact that it is easier to eat something different and tasty, than to continue ploughing through a plate of the same thing. Nature wanting us to eat a varied diet.

yup. the line used at school used to be to remember the starving children in Africa. Nonsense then, nonsense now

People should stop eating when they're no longer hungry.

If you eat somewhere regularly, you tend to adjust your order to fit your appetite, but that's more difficult if it's your first time eating in a particular cafe or restaurant.

Some portions are just too big. We ate recently at our local Italian where they have a lunch time deal where you can have a main as a starter size and it's quite cheap. I couldn't finish the cannelloni and DD couldn't finish the tagliatelle, These were starters we had as a main, dread to think how large the main really is

I do children’s meals for collection/delivery and have had no issues.

I can't generally finish an entire meal. I usually ask for a box up front and box half of it to take home. I would never leave half a meal, I would take it home and eat it tomorrow or one of my kids would eat it.

I always get left over food boxed up to take home.
I’m on the WLI, and I’m not wasting food.
Most places are geared up for it.