Are Restaurant Portions Too Large?

May 2, 2008

When we were in Los Angeles for the Sugar Party, a bunch of us ended up grabbing breakfast at the infamous Saddle Ranch. Little did we know that five plates could have fed 10 people or more! The portions were ridiculously large, and we all started talking about how out of control portions at restaurants can be. Do you think that's true?

40 Comments

Advah 5 years 2 weeks

Heck not in the UK!

Angelica 5 years 2 weeks

Too much food!

jessy777 5 years 2 weeks

When the smallest steak available is an 10 oz., portions are too large. There is one place that won't allow split meals so I always have to take more than half home with me. I don't like paying for two meals when one is enough to feed an army of people. Ridonculous!

BRANDYNICOLE730 5 years 3 weeks

Last month, I went to breakfast with some of the Executive Committee members from work, and I happened to be the only female present. I ordered waffles, and as good as they were for a 4-diamond restaurant, I couldn't even finish half of one! They were huge. It just felt awkward, as all the men cleaned their plates, and it appeared as though the female in the group barely touched hers.

verily 5 years 3 weeks

I almost always wind up taking home half of my plate. The only places I usually don't take food home are Japanese restaurants and burger joints. At fast food joints, I generally order the kid's meal or the junior-sized burgers. Otherwise, it's a waste of money and food. Who needs a liter of soda or a mountain of fries?

aimeeb 5 years 3 weeks

I think it depends. I've been to some chains and it may be a large portion but it's either wilted greens or overly cooked foods so I'm only left to pick. I've also gone to some non chain eateries and been like this is it?!

Spectra 5 years 3 weeks

It depends on the restaurant most of the time. Any chain restaurant (like TGIFridays, Outback, Olive Garden, Chili's, etc.) almost always serves portions that could feed a whole family off one plate. Most fancy restaurants I've been to have pretty normal or small portions though. Although, there are a few Mom and Pop-style diners around here that serve food in portions that would put most chain places to shame. There's this one diner here that makes a 1 lb burger...and that's their "normal" size! If you're really hungry, you can get the 2 lb version. Sorry, but there is no one out there that needs to be eating 2 lbs of meat all at one time. It really IS no wonder that the obesity problem is so huge in our country, especially among those people that eat out a lot.

Puzzle2397 5 years 3 weeks

I do think that most places have ridiculously huge portions for one meal, but I actually kind of like them, at least in dishes that are easy to divide in two. (I avoid pasta dishes, because it's often impossible for me to tell just how much I've eaten from them.) I like knowing I can have several meals of leftovers, because I usually never eat the whole portion (unless it's sushi!). But I suspect not everyone has this kind of self-control...which is unfortunate.

Frika 5 years 3 weeks

I agree, most restaurant portions are waaay too large. We normally don't eat out at that kind of restaurant though, if we want take out we get from places where you can order sides separately so we can get some to just share, or take the "lunch" combos at the chinese place. Thought sometimes we still go to those places with large portions, and have to take left overs home, sometimes i take the ingredients and add stuff to it to make it taste fresh, and well...better. Thought if i'm visit my parents I know my little brother, who I sometimes call Hog Beast, can eat the leftovers all up...but he's a growing boy who works out at least 3 hours a day, so I guess he works up an appetite! haha

Random 5 years 3 weeks

If there's too much food, I'll take the leftovers home and eat them later. But, I've found it really depends on the restaurant. There used to be a pasts place where I go to school where the portions could easily serve three people, but at a Indian/ Mexican place, the portions are just the right size.

leeluvfashion 5 years 3 weeks

Depends on the restaurant however 99.9% of the time the place gives too much food.

kia 5 years 3 weeks

Many dishes are HUGE. I generally order one and split with someone at my table.

sunkissbabe 5 years 3 weeks

I'd love to know how many calories is in that dish of waffles - even though it's total eye-candy.

j2e1n9 5 years 3 weeks

They're for the most part way too big for one person. Eat half and take the rest home, or split, or order an app.

popcorn19 5 years 3 weeks

if it werent for the prospect of constant dog-baggyness, i would probably never eat out.... id be so fat!

cvandoorn 5 years 3 weeks

Yes, they are way too large here in the US! But now the sucky part is, when I go home to visit my family, i'm still hungry after I polish off my meal...sigh.

emalove 5 years 3 weeks

Absolutely...I very rarely finish a meal in a restaurant. It's great to have leftovers!

Marci 5 years 3 weeks

Wow, that picture is just crazy! I've been out twice in the last week - which is unusual for us - and both times the portion sizes were perfect. We're in Manhattan and I think the portions aren't as big as other places. I know when we lived in San Antonio, th e portions were enormous and I could eat two more days on what I took home.

Francoisehardly 5 years 3 weeks

I think people should have the option of picking their own portions and the first one should be the amount people are SUPPOSED to be eating. Yes, portions are too big, especially in the places where the food is fattier and less nutritious. This is why I prefer eating at home more often than not. I also like being able to control how much of an ingredient goes into the food.

Bettyesque 5 years 3 weeks

OMG ... thats disgusting. And yes there is no portion control in most restaurants.

hvanness331 5 years 3 weeks

I agree with PartySugar, the chain restaurants (Friday's, Max & Ermas, O'Charley types...) are waay out of control on some of their stuff. It's so wasteful.

Desirella 5 years 3 weeks

Portions for your average restaurant these days is getting out of control (like claim jumpers) and our nation is wondering why there is so much obesity? I'm not saying that you have to finish what they give you but I know a lot of people who would rather cram it all down than waste it by leaving it or taking it home and dumping it. I wish the majority of restaurants would include the option of cutting the portions in half and cutting the price in half..that in the most part would be a perfect portion for me.

uptown_girl 5 years 3 weeks

It's annoying to me when you want to split an entree with someone because of portion sizes, and there's a $3 split plate fee! :P If you are going to charge for split plates, MAKE HALF PORTIONS AVAILABLE!

gabiushka 5 years 3 weeks

Split with my husband and both end up satisfied. It sucks specially at dinner time, which should be the SMALLEST meal, to get this incredibly big portions in most restaurants.

GlowingMoon 5 years 3 weeks

Nope, I just eat what I can, and take the rest home. I like leftovers -- no need to cook later. :)

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