Restaurant portions
Kimmotion5783
Posts: 417 Member
Just wondering: has anyone else noticed how ridiculously oversized restaurant portions are?
Ever since I've started losing weight, it has become increasingly obvious to me how grossly disproportionate the sizes are. It's like 3 servings in one, if not more. The other day, I split a chocolate chunk cookie from Barnes and Noble with someone because I knew I wouldn't eat the entire thing myself as it was too big for me- it was like four cookies in one.
My question is this: have you been to a restaurant where the portion sizes are a bit more reasonable?
Ever since I've started losing weight, it has become increasingly obvious to me how grossly disproportionate the sizes are. It's like 3 servings in one, if not more. The other day, I split a chocolate chunk cookie from Barnes and Noble with someone because I knew I wouldn't eat the entire thing myself as it was too big for me- it was like four cookies in one.
My question is this: have you been to a restaurant where the portion sizes are a bit more reasonable?
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Replies
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I know they're out there. It's not typically my experience to get a meal I could make three of when I dine out, though. At Applebee's a couple of weeks ago I ordered a chicken and pasta dish. I had the calories to eat the whole thing, but wound up eating all the chicken and veg but left probably 1/3 of the pasta. Certainly not enough for a whole other meal, though.
I usually order something on the lighter side of the menu regardless of where we eat, simply because I don't feel like spending a whole day's worth of calories on one entree. These tend to have the additional advantage (unless you're looking for calorie bang for your buck, I guess) of being portioned smaller.4 -
I have generally found that the "finer" the dining experience, the more reasonable the portion sizes are. Places that are putting more thought into their food are often more particular about plating and less likely to try to impress a diner with a huge portion. They want it to look good, not huge (not that the two are mutually exclusive).
There are exceptions, but this has been my experience.25 -
Restaurant desserts are a different story (sparked by your comment about the cookie). I'm amazed how many calories they manage to pack into those ooey gooey chocolate caramel cake ice cream monstrosities! If I'm going to eat that much of anything sweet, it will either be homemade or Ben & Jerry's
(and to @janejellyroll 's point, fine dining isn't really in my realm of everyday experience right now
maybe 2 or 3 times a decade) 4 -
Restaurant desserts are a different story (sparked by your comment about the cookie). I'm amazed how many calories they manage to pack into those ooey gooey chocolate caramel cake ice cream monstrosities! If I'm going to eat that much of anything sweet, it will either be homemade or Ben & Jerry's
(and to @janejellyroll 's point, fine dining isn't really in my realm of everyday experience right now maybe 2 or 3 times a decade)
I'm just spoiled!
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Yes it's pretty well known that restaurants have too big portion sizes. It depends where I'm going and what I'm getting though. Sometimes yes it's certainly enough for 2 meals, but sometimes it's not. It's just more than I would have for 1 meal, but not enough for 2. Like if I go to a Mexican restaurant and order 2 steak tacos with rice/beans on the side, I'm eating both my tacos plus the rice and beans. Probably a high calorie day but I'm not just going to eat one taco lol. I don't go out to eat very often so it's not much of an issue.
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janejellyroll wrote: »I have generally found that the "finer" the dining experience, the more reasonable the portion sizes are. Places that are putting more thought into their food are often more particular about plating and less likely to try to impress a diner with a huge portion. They want it to look good, not huge (not that the two are mutually exclusive).
There are exceptions, but this has been my experience.
that really bothers me because my husband is extremely active (his job) and he's really tall, so he requires a LOT of food. When we go to a "nice" restaurant, he always leaves hungry. After spending that much on a meal, he shouldn't be hungry after. When I say "Nice" I mean the ones who put a ton of effort into making their food "look pretty" and have fancy sounding items and ingredients, and have their servers wearing white button down tops, etc. so needless to say we never go to those types of places.1 -
janejellyroll wrote: »I have generally found that the "finer" the dining experience, the more reasonable the portion sizes are. Places that are putting more thought into their food are often more particular about plating and less likely to try to impress a diner with a huge portion. They want it to look good, not huge (not that the two are mutually exclusive).
There are exceptions, but this has been my experience.
that really bothers me because my husband is extremely active (his job) and he's really tall, so he requires a LOT of food. When we go to a "nice" restaurant, he always leaves hungry. After spending that much on a meal, he shouldn't be hungry after. When I say "Nice" I mean the ones who put a ton of effort into making their food "look pretty" and have fancy sounding items and ingredients, and have their servers wearing white button down tops, etc. so needless to say we never go to those types of places.
Different restaurants often have different types of goals. If someone needs to eat a lot of food, fine dining may not be the best venue to accomplish that. Although I've never known a restaurant to turn down someone who was ordering extra appetizers or even extra entrees to make sure they have enough to eat.
I also tend to eat a lot of food and I've been known to have a snack before a dinner that I know from experience may be smaller (but has other features that make it worthwhile to me, like the quality of the food).
But really, as long as you're happy with your choices, you're doing it right!5 -
I don’t like paying a lot for food and I love leftovers so big portions are a win-win for me.
Sometimes I get three meals for the price of one.
But, as stated above, fancier restaurants usually have smaller portions.2 -
Kimmotion5783 wrote: »Just wondering: has anyone else noticed how ridiculously oversized restaurant portions are?
Ever since I've started losing weight, it has become increasingly obvious to me how grossly disproportionate the sizes are. It's like 3 servings in one, if not more. The other day, I split a chocolate chunk cookie from Barnes and Noble with someone because I knew I wouldn't eat the entire thing myself as it was too big for me- it was like four cookies in one.
My question is this: have you been to a restaurant where the portion sizes are a bit more reasonable?
After switching to keto WOE I am no longer faced with a huge bun or mound of fries anymore. My wife and I like to go to a Mexican restaurant that even without the tortilla shell the fajitas are huge. The solution is to only eat what we want about 1/2 and box up the rest for our lunch salads the next day.1 -
I find them pretty standard, maybe at a chain the portions are larger, I usually take some to-go, But at a nicer restaurant as stated, the portions are normal if not small. Sometimes I have to do a double and go get more food after dinner 0
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Like others have said, it really depends on the restaurant. I find a fancier restaurant (like the Keg for ex) has reasonable portions vs a restaurant like red lobster where they are huge and can be split between 2-3 people.
I like options from the “lighter side” of the menus (Cheesecake Factory for example), but I typically order what I want and split it.2 -
I used to think restaurant portions were huge. Then I started lifting. Now I usually finish my meal and start eyeballing my boyfriend's food. "You gonna eat that, sugar?" 10
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If you think US restaurant portions are over sized, it's nothing compared to your average lunch place in Latin America. I swear they put an entire bag of rice on your place just to start.4
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Mouse_Potato wrote: »I used to think restaurant portions were huge. Then I started lifting. Now I usually finish my meal and start eyeballing my boyfriend's food. "You gonna eat that, sugar?"
^ Yes...My husband feels your boyfriend's pain.1 -
There are a few places here that are local that really emphasize the quality of their food over the size of their plates. They aren't exactly fancy or "fine dining," but definitely nice establishments where you would get a little dressed up and expect to spend a pretty penny...I suppose this would be "fine dining" New Mexico style...we're pretty laid back and don't have much in the way of really fancy places.
A lot of chain types of places sometimes have a lower calorie menu.0 -
janejellyroll wrote: »I have generally found that the "finer" the dining experience, the more reasonable the portion sizes are. Places that are putting more thought into their food are often more particular about plating and less likely to try to impress a diner with a huge portion. They want it to look good, not huge (not that the two are mutually exclusive).
There are exceptions, but this has been my experience.
Because they're a fine-dining establishment, they are going for quality of the food over quantity. This may be something to consider. Thank you!0 -
Kimmotion5783 wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »I have generally found that the "finer" the dining experience, the more reasonable the portion sizes are. Places that are putting more thought into their food are often more particular about plating and less likely to try to impress a diner with a huge portion. They want it to look good, not huge (not that the two are mutually exclusive).
There are exceptions, but this has been my experience.
Because they're a fine-dining establishment, they are going for quality of the food over quantity. This may be something to consider. Thank you!
Yep. I don’t have a refined palate so that’s all lost on me. I’m actually happy about that. Don’t care for restaurants in general.
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I think Panera's portion sizes are right on (for me at least).6
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Kimmotion5783 wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »I have generally found that the "finer" the dining experience, the more reasonable the portion sizes are. Places that are putting more thought into their food are often more particular about plating and less likely to try to impress a diner with a huge portion. They want it to look good, not huge (not that the two are mutually exclusive).
There are exceptions, but this has been my experience.
Because they're a fine-dining establishment, they are going for quality of the food over quantity. This may be something to consider. Thank you!
Yep. I don’t have a refined palate so that’s all lost in me. I’m actually happy about that. Don’t care for restaurants in general.
It might just be where I live or the particular restaurants that I've been to around here but I never think the food at these "fine dining" places are that great. They just seem to put a lot of effort and money into their "ambiance" and plating, and extra table service and crap like that, when I really DGAF about any of that, I just want good food lol. If I'm paying a ton of money to eat somewhere, I feel like the food should be out of this world delicious, and I'm always pretty disappointed.
The best burrito I've had came from a restaurant inside a gas station.
This isn't really relevant to the OP, sorry.7 -
Kimmotion5783 wrote: »Just wondering: has anyone else noticed how ridiculously oversized restaurant portions are?
Ever since I've started losing weight, it has become increasingly obvious to me how grossly disproportionate the sizes are. It's like 3 servings in one, if not more. The other day, I split a chocolate chunk cookie from Barnes and Noble with someone because I knew I wouldn't eat the entire thing myself as it was too big for me- it was like four cookies in one.
My question is this: have you been to a restaurant where the portion sizes are a bit more reasonable?
Yes... They are few and far between. Most restaurants I end up taking half home for lunch the next day. One place I go serves a jerk mahi over zucchini "spaghetti" and that is just enough for a meal... and it's even fairly low calorie. Another place for lunch does a cup of soup and half sandwich, and it's "just the right size"... depending on the soup they have that day (the beer-cheese is filling and a no-no right now...)0 -
janejellyroll wrote: »I have generally found that the "finer" the dining experience, the more reasonable the portion sizes are. Places that are putting more thought into their food are often more particular about plating and less likely to try to impress a diner with a huge portion. They want it to look good, not huge (not that the two are mutually exclusive).
There are exceptions, but this has been my experience.
Fine dining restaurants do usually have smaller portions, but sometimes they are even more calorie filled than the meals at the casual restaurants. That's because the things that make things the tastiest are usually the worst for you. Fatty meats (not your basic cuts, but the nice fancy cuts are typically fat filled), creams, sauces, etc.
Sometimes when it comes strictly to calorie counting, fast food is better than most of the "nicer" restaurants.4 -
My husband and I don't mind eating leftovers, so we'll eat about half or our meals and take the rest home. I get out of cooking a meal--sometimes two! Bring it on! If we're traveling and can't take food with us, we split a meal. Traveling with my singing group, two of us will often order a meal to split. Some restaurants are better about that than others--especially with a good wait person who wants a good tip.2
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janejellyroll wrote: »I have generally found that the "finer" the dining experience, the more reasonable the portion sizes are. Places that are putting more thought into their food are often more particular about plating and less likely to try to impress a diner with a huge portion. They want it to look good, not huge (not that the two are mutually exclusive).
There are exceptions, but this has been my experience.
Fine dining restaurants do usually have smaller portions, but sometimes they are even more calorie filled than the meals at the casual restaurants. That's because the things that make things the tastiest are usually the worst for you. Fatty meats (not your basic cuts, but the nice fancy cuts are typically fat filled), creams, sauces, etc.
Sometimes when it comes strictly to calorie counting, fast food is better than most of the "nicer" restaurants.
You're absolutely right, but I perceived OP's comments to be about the size or volume of food, not necessarily the calorie content. If one is looking exclusively on a calorie level, it may be better to choose a fast food place.
Of course, I've also been to fine dining restaurants that are happy to either hold fattier elements of the dish or offer options that are appropriate for someone who is looking to hit a certain calorie goal.2 -
It must depend on the restaurant.
Whenever we are overseas, I’ve had people mention large portion sizes in the US. I’ve always thought that was an over generalization.
At least in my experience- the restaurants I frequent here in NYC do smaller portions.Kimmotion5783 wrote: »Just wondering: has anyone else noticed how ridiculously oversized restaurant portions are?
Ever since I've started losing weight, it has become increasingly obvious to me how grossly disproportionate the sizes are. It's like 3 servings in one, if not more. The other day, I split a chocolate chunk cookie from Barnes and Noble with someone because I knew I wouldn't eat the entire thing myself as it was too big for me- it was like four cookies in one.
My question is this: have you been to a restaurant where the portion sizes are a bit more reasonable?
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If you think US restaurant portions are over sized, it's nothing compared to your average lunch place in Latin America. I swear they put an entire bag of rice on your place just to start.
@MikePTY - I laughed when I read this! I lived in Colombia briefly - I’ve never had so much rice! ☺️
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Kimmotion5783 wrote: »Just wondering: has anyone else noticed how ridiculously oversized restaurant portions are?
Ever since I've started losing weight, it has become increasingly obvious to me how grossly disproportionate the sizes are. It's like 3 servings in one, if not more. The other day, I split a chocolate chunk cookie from Barnes and Noble with someone because I knew I wouldn't eat the entire thing myself as it was too big for me- it was like four cookies in one.
My question is this: have you been to a restaurant where the portion sizes are a bit more reasonable?
Yes. If you have one near you, Cotton Patch has meals in two sizes. One is the standard larger portion and the other, though intended for Seniors, is a smaller size. This smaller size is hearty enough to satisfy but not too big for the Marines.
You can also ask for lunch meal portions in just about any good restaurant these days. In fact, I have even been known to order from the children's menu in some places.
Another thing you can do is split the meal with someone else. That helps both persons. Hubby and I do.
Lastly, if the place says no to the above, or none of those will work, go ahead and split it up on your own plate and ask for a container. Immediately upon arrival home, freeze it! That way you can have a quick meal that's halfsies later on.
Hope this helps!1 -
If you think US restaurant portions are over sized, it's nothing compared to your average lunch place in Latin America. I swear they put an entire bag of rice on your place just to start.
@MikePTY - I laughed when I read this! I lived in Colombia briefly - I’ve never had so much rice! ☺️
Hmmm interesting. I noticed when I was in mexico (cozumel) they gave such tiny portions of rice and beans compared to what you get at a mexican restaurant here in the US. (I noticed the same thing at two separate restaurants while I was there)1 -
My perspective may differ from yours (OP), because I'm a big guy with a big appetite. I find that most restaurants have reasonable portions, the exceptions being places like Claim Jumper, Outback Steakhouse, etc. which pride themselves on ridiculously huge meals and appetizers/desserts containing more calories than most people would eat in an entire day.
My feelings about it are that if I go out to eat at a restaurant, I want to leave feeling full/satisfied. If I leave hungry, it feels like it was a complete waste of money. I don't have particularly discriminating taste - I'm not impressed by a 2 ounce medallion of rainbow bred, fairy-fed, lightly kissed by pure hardwood flame beef accompanied by a stuffed grape leaf, and I'm not going to pay 70 or 80 dollars for the "privilege" of eating such a meal. I'd rather go to the local mom-and-pop place and get a 16 ounce ribeye with a big baked potato, veggies and a salad for 70% less money. In fact, I'd probably sooner go to Mickey D's and enjoy two Big Macs for $4.44 than the aforementioned "fine dining" experience.
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If you think US restaurant portions are over sized, it's nothing compared to your average lunch place in Latin America. I swear they put an entire bag of rice on your place just to start.
@MikePTY - I laughed when I read this! I lived in Colombia briefly - I’ve never had so much rice! ☺️
Hmmm interesting. I noticed when I was in mexico (cozumel) they gave such tiny portions of rice and beans compared to what you get at a mexican restaurant here in the US. (I noticed the same thing at two separate restaurants while I was there)
Interesting! I’ll have to eyeball the rice portion at our local Mexican place in west village! It’s on! ☺️ (I don’t eat rice anymore - I’ll peek at the other tables lol)
In Bogota, my food was always swimming in a vat of tasty rice though!0 -
it just means I always bring food home for another meal or another dessert. I love that.5
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