I eat at one cafe pretty frequently because they will cater to my needs. They will get me a denver omelet and leave off the hash brown and toast and charge me $3.00 less . They also do fix my chef salad or taco salad and leave off the chips or crackers and charge me less. I can get the lunch special of meatloaf with salad and green beans and not have the mashed potatoes, gravy and roll they put with it for the other customers. There portions are just right and I don't have to take some home. I do take home extra portions at restaurants that serve large meals. My DH will take it to work for his dinner. We are each responsible for how much we eat, it isn't the restaurants fault.
Often I just avoid going out to eat at all rather than spend twice what an average meal should cost and having to cart half of it home in cartons.
I absolutely agree. When I go out to eat I want to enjoy myself.. eat something fresh and continue on with my evening. I don't want to be burdened with leftovers. After a meal at a restaurant I am not necessarily going straight home anyway. Besides I have plenty of left overs at home. When I eat I want to eat fresh. Especially if I am paying a lot for it.
To order a meal that is more than double the size of what a meal should be is insane to me. Portions should be smaller.. and if they are too small then people should order a double portion or more courses. I think about the times I lived overseas and ate out. Many of the places I lived most people didn't go straight from whatever they were doing to their private cars. They walked or took buses or subways. How strange it would be to see people walking around with "doggie" boxes. It just doesn't happen. At a restaurant you should order, enjoy the food, enjoy the company and then move on with your evening. We live in an insane upside down society when it comes to food here in the States. It is no wonder that I don't eat out often.. and when I do I am picky about where and what I eat. I am paying for it. Through the wallet and the waist.
In many cases, restaurants have increased portion sizes by loading up on cheap fillers, such as pasta and rice. If they cut portions in half, they can't necessarily cut prices in half, nor should they. We're paying for more than food. We're paying for staff wages, chef's labor, electricity, advertising, license fees, table linens, etc. None of that changes when our portion sizes are cut. And we're paying for the experience of dining out, having someone else do the cooking, while we sit and be pampered. Though I'd rather the experience didn't include unzipping my pants and moaning "why did I eat that much" And that's probably the heart of the issue. As others pointed out, just because it's there, doesn't mean we have to eat it.
We can learn to control ourselves and leave the excess pasta, fatty sauces, etc behind. But I think one of the bigger problems is that people get used to the large portions, then when they cook at home, they want to duplicate the experience. It wasn't the pasta that made us fat. It was the platter of pasta that made us fat.
My sisters and I have often talked about opening a small restaurant that served normal portions of healthy foods, suitable for people losing or maintaining their weight. We just don't know if we'd have any customers
I agree that portion control is the responsibility of the consumer. I think it would be a lot easier to eat only half the portion of the fat/calorie content was posted right in the menu. I mean, prices are posted and we make decisions around the price (Oh, the steak for 18.00 is too expensive, I'll have the 11.00 shrimp) we should be able to make similar judgements around calorie content (Oh, the Kung Pao chicken is 1200 calories, I can't "afford" that, I'll have the Scallops for 700 calories).
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I have noticed mcdonalds is posting the nutrition facts on the wrapers/boxes of most of their sandwiches (even my kids happy meal) I hope more chains catch on to that.
In many cases, restaurants have increased portion sizes by loading up on cheap fillers, such as pasta and rice. If they cut portions in half, they can't necessarily cut prices in half, nor should they. We're paying for more than food. We're paying for staff wages, chef's labor, electricity, advertising, license fees, table linens, etc. None of that changes when our portion sizes are cut.
Absolutely... if we were only concerned with paying for someone to cook for us and not the entire dining experience we'd do take out.
I think as consumers become more healthy savvy the restaurants will catch up. They do have a business to run and as long as the demand is there the products will be too.
In many cases, restaurants have increased portion sizes by loading up on cheap fillers, such as pasta and rice. If they cut portions in half, they can't necessarily cut prices in half, nor should they. We're paying for more than food.
To a large extent that is true but not entirely... a LOT of restaurants serve HUGE portions of meat even. And sure we can leave all the huge portions of pasta and sauces and stuff on our plates... after we have paid a fortune for it!!
Besides personally I would expect to pay more than "half" -- a decent price is okay. There are a FEW restaurants around here that do it, and they get a lot of customers. I think especially women when they are eating with men, etc.
I too doubt whether restaurants with known small portions would do that well... but if they offered BOTH they would do a huge business IMO.
I too lived in a foreign country and in a restaurant they served normal adequate portions... in fact people there who had been to the US were aghast at the portion sizes. LOL I remember one of my Filipino friends (when I lived in Manila) said he had come to the US and unknowingly ordered a large Coke. He said... "I didn't want to SWIM in it; I just wanted a DRINK!"
And of course it is our responsibility how much we eat... I'm not disputing that; just saying I would like to see an OPTION in restaurants. Because of that when I DO go to a restaurant I often just get a small cup of soup or dinner salad and do without rather than buy enough food to have to cart home in boxes... food which I don't WANT and yes, if I want to eat leftovers, I'll raid my own refrigerator, thanks. And VERY often there is absolutely NOTHING on a restaurant menu that is not LOADED with fat and calories. You either eat it -- AND buy enough extra to have to hire a truck to haul it home... or do without.
I DO take personal responsibility... that's why I go home having eaten almost nothing half the time. And I just don't think I am anywhere near the ONLY business many of them lose because they don't serve anything halfway healthy or in a decent sized portion.
Suzanne, if you and your sisters opened your restaurant in my town, you'd have at least one customer, lol! Can I make a request? Pizza with thin whole wheat crust and healthy ingredients?
I do want options when I go to a restaurant. I'm tired of going through a drive-thru and the smallest beverage is 16 oz. When I was working my way through school in a fast food restaurant, the average small beverage was 12 oz. Let them serve the megasizes for those who want it, I want the old "small." I don't think bigger is necessarily better value.
When my daughter goes to stay overseas, she always loses about 20-25 lbs, partly because the dinner plates and portions are smaller and everyone walks everywhere.
RE: Curves I think $29 per month for the average membership is pretty reasonable when you take into account costs of staff, facility rental, equipment, insurance, etc. I'm not sure anyone could operate such a business at a lower cost. If they can, they'd better do it and the world will beat a path to their door, IMHO--BJ
I was out at a restaurant last night where the first page of the menu was called 'Small Plates'. Not appetizers or starters, but small plates. All the items on the Small Plates part of the menu were far more interesting (and cheaper!) than the usual entrees. I had a lovely beet salad with goat cheese, greens, and walnuts and a small plate of bruschetta and crabmeat and was completely satisfied. I'm seeing more half portions and such on menus and so long as they sell, I'm sure they'll continue to be offered.
My sisters and I have often talked about opening a small restaurant that served normal portions of healthy foods, suitable for people losing or maintaining their weight. We just don't know if we'd have any customers
Yah well as I recall you didn't think this website would go anywhere either!!
HOnestly, I'm for the smaller portions, but I hope the prices go down accordingly. Otherwise, I'd be really angry paying the same price for somehting smaller when I can doggy-bag the other portion home!
Wow, I love the idea of the small plates section! Even if I take the leftovers home, they don't usually do anything but grow mold in my fridge. Nobody wants to eat leftovers at my house so even if I pay extra, I'm no worse off financially, but better off dietwise because then it takes the temptation away. Hope that idea catches on. BJ
I was out at a restaurant last night where the first page of the menu was called 'Small Plates'. Not appetizers or starters, but small plates. All the items on the Small Plates part of the menu were far more interesting (and cheaper!) than the usual entrees. I had a lovely beet salad with goat cheese, greens, and walnuts and a small plate of bruschetta and crabmeat and was completely satisfied. I'm seeing more half portions and such on menus and so long as they sell, I'm sure they'll continue to be offered.
that's why i love tapas restaurants!!! it's small plate menus. my SO and i go all the time (when we go out). each person orders 2-3 small plates (two each is enough) and they're each $4-5. it's great because you can taste a lot of things, and you can get one healthy thing, and 3 bad ones, eat the healthy one and snack on the other three bad ones.
usually it's spanish style, but recently a italian tapas place opened up.
personally, i don't mind the larger portions because i'm going to pay for it anyway. it's my choice what i order in larger portions and how much i eat. but in the end, when i dine, i love dining a la small plate menus or salad and appetizer.
I'm a big fan of California Pizza - many of their salads and entrees are huge, but you can order a 1/2 size. They are only a couple of dollars cheaper - but, heck, I'm really paying for ambience, and a big enough meal.
DH and I also split an appetizer and, sometimes, dessert.
I don't care if they keep the larger sizes, but I'd like to see them at least offer a "reasonable"/small-plate option. On good days, I'll bring home half of my pasta. But if I'm in a low mood, I'm not leaving Olive Garden with a to-go box.
I think I read something about a petition for Chipotle to offer smaller sizes. Now *that* would be something ... they have healthy choices, but it's just soooo large.
And that's probably the heart of the issue. As others pointed out, just because it's there, doesn't mean we have to eat it. 
