Poll: Restaurant inflation: Would you rather have smaller portions or higher prices?

[MichaelB]

I think that is the question. It is a rarity that a restaurants portion size is just adequate. Most portions are more than one should eat (even if we can eat it all in one sitting). I don't think anyone would want to pay for a portion size that doesn't equal an adequate meal. So if the price stays the same but I have to order two meals, then my answer is keep the adequate portion and raise the price for one. But my guess is the restaurant is now serving a more modest albeit adequate portion at a lower price. If that's the case, I say lower price. My pocket book and waist line thanks you.

When I wrote “that’s not the question” I wasn’t debating whether portion size was too large or not. I was reaffirming that as the OP I asked a different question.

Some people chose to answer that and others opted to segue into a related topic of greater interest to them.

 

[Tuirc]

We’ve dealt with this issue with self-help. We order what we want and ask for a share plate. We split our dishes all the time and eat the portions we want. We’ve never had a problem doing this. There are a few restaurants we’ve been to where it didn’t make sense to do this, but hey are a rarity.

 

[Just_Steve]

I'm still trying to figure out the 31 votes for

We don’t dine out or get take out anymore​

In my life that's impossible by virtue of just traveling or being out and about.

 

[Koolau]

I'm still trying to figure out the 31 votes for

We don’t dine out or get take out anymore​

In my life that's impossible by virtue of just traveling or being out and about.

I suppose there are some people here who don't travel or else they consider the very occasional meal out during travel as a means of "survival" as opposed to "dining out."

 

[audreyh1]

I'm still trying to figure out the 31 votes for

We don’t dine out or get take out anymore​

In my life that's impossible by virtue of just traveling or being out and about.

For us it’s true unless traveling. When home we’re not out and about enough to restaurant meals.

 

[statsman]

One of our favorite places to dine out about once every 4-6 weeks has really good chicken fajitas. For us and our two adult kids, we order two fajita meals. There's enough food for the dine-in meal, and enough leftovers for all of us to have another meal at our homes the next day. Actually, way more than enough for an additional meal (they do not skip on their chicken fajita meals - but hold that thought).

The cost of these meals have been steadily rising the five years we've been dining at that restaurant, but the portions have remained sizable. The latter was never in question. We usually have a very early meal on a Saturday or Sunday, say 3pm. Even though this would be considered 'early dinner', they haven't skimped on the portions. Same goes for the occasional dinner at 5pm on a Friday.

This Saturday, we went to the restaurant as the kids wanted to take DW out for Mother's Day (they would be with their MIL on Sunday). Our meal was a hair earlier this time, at 2:30pm, but the weekend brunch crowd was already thinning. We ordered the same two fajita meals as we have in the past.

When the food arrived at the table, we were shocked to see that there was at least 1/4 less chicken on the hot grills, and it was probably closer to 1/3 less, than what we're used to. I might not have questioned it if only one of the fajita meals had less chicken (one was a meal for a family; the other a meal for two but more than enough for three people). But both meals had a lot less chicken.

I think we got slammed with portion reduction on this visit compared to our last meal there five week ago. There was not enough leftover food for all four of us the next day. There was enough for DW and I (barely). I question whether we'll be in a hurry to go back to that restaurant in the future, or maybe we'll order less with the thought that we won't plan on leftovers.

 

[Just_Steve]

For us it’s true unless traveling. We’re not out and about enough at home to need restaurant meals.

Right, so you do dine out.