4 ms·
It's very much not in a restaurant's interest to waste food in the kitchen. Ingredients are a significant part of their costs, so restaurants worth their salt (
by elric 6y ago
It's very much not in a restaurant's interest to waste food in the kitchen. Ingredients are a significant part of their costs, so restaurants worth their salt (hah) are usually pretty good about this. And this is starting to be regulated in some places as well.
Portion sizes on the other hand are entirely ridiculous. I often eat out with a tiny friend (in height and width). They tend to ask for smaller portions, but it's insane that many restaurants simply refuse to be amenable to that request. This means either I get fat eating their leftovers, or half a portion goes in the rubbish. Taking the leftovers home is rarely an option over here. I get that you probably can't serve half a chicken breast. But there seems to be no logical reason not to serve fewer fries, potatoes, pasta, whatever when a paying customer asks for it.
- beervirus 6y agoWhy isn’t it an option to take leftovers home? I do that all the time.
- lnanek2 6y agoIt isn't done in Europe. Some OSEA countries think it makes you look poor as well. I do it every outing here in the US, though! Our portion sizes are ridiculous.
- tsimionescu 6y agoHere in Eastern Europe (Romania) it is definitely an option. I know both people who do and people who don't like to do it.
- banana_giraffe 6y agoAt least in the restaurants I've worked in, serving a smaller portion of a common item like a dish of pasta would probably just result in the same waste, just in the kitchen. The portions are generally prepared during the morning's mise en pas setup, and there's little motivation for changing that pattern. Not to mention no waiter wanting to try and figure out what a discount should look like. That said, I'm surprised taking leftovers home isn't an option. Around me, at least, the expectation is that you do take leftovers home.
- nkrisc 6y agoI assume you're somewhere other than the US? Usually when I go out to eat I end up with two meals: the half I eat at the restaurant and the other half I eat the next day. American portion sizes are ludicrous but most restaurants won't ever bat an eye at wrapping up the rest of your food for you. Even a $200 per head restaurant will do it. The only places that won't are the high end places where you're getting a $400+, 19 course tasting menu (+$150 or more per person for wine).