What's the deal with Restaurant Portions and Fat America?

[Gogar]

So, this month I've been traveling nonstop, and unfortunately I've had to eat out a lot.

A Few nights ago at Applebee's, I ordered boneless Buffalo Wings and french fries. So . . . $9 or $10 bucks. When it came out, there were maybe 12 or 14 boneless wings on there, and the hugest plate of fries you've ever seen! There was ABSOLUTELY no way I could have eaten it in a sitting. Not even close.

Then, this morning, at Denny's, for $6.99, I got a "Mega Scramble" that included a 3-egg skillet that included Ham, potatoes, jalapenos, and red peppers.
WITH 2 slices of bacon, 2 sausage links, hash browns, and 3 PANCAKES.

Who eats like this? Do people sit down and eat these kind of plates? I would have gladly paid $3.99 for half of that breakfast.

I just wonder what you folks think about FAT America, the idea of "perceived value" at restaurants, and self control at the table.

Do restaurants give us these huge plates of food because they want us to feel like we're getting a good deal?

Thanks!

[Joeaksa]

I live on the road as well and we normally take the meal and cut it in half, eat half of it there and take the rest back to the hotel and nuke it later for lunch. There is just too much food for one sitting but they keep pushing it our directoin.

Staying at a descent weight while traveling is difficult if not impossible as long as the restaurants keep acting like this. You pay for the food and want to not waste it but eating all of it in the end hurts you weight wise.

[lendaddy]

Being a fat American myself I feel uniquely qualified to answer your questions.

Yes, they are trying to imprint upon your mind the idea of value when you see all that stuff on your plate. The food itself is not that expensive for them(especially fries/rice, etc..) so they consider it a good investment in your future business.


Yes we do eat the whole plate (us fat Americans that is). I cannot imagine a serving of fries I could not finish, especially with cheese and Ranch dipping sauce mmmmmmm).

Interesting enough, my "skinny American" friends eat very large servings as well. One can only assume that they less of the large meals or they would also be fat Americans..... so logic would follow.

So yes....the big ass plate of food is an American contribution to society and yes you are expected to finish it, anything less would be unpatriotic

[craigster59]

What I've noticed is that the worse the food is for you (fried, high fat, etc.), the larger the portion. If you order the salad it's normal size, but if you order the chicken fried steak dinner w/ mashed potatos and gravy, they bring out the "feeding frenzy for two". It might also be a backlash from the California "nouvelle cuisine" where you got a 3 oz. portion of salmon and an asparagus spear for $42

[tabs]

Don't order the fking Mega Scramble...

A friend of mine and I used to go to Carrows in SO CA for Breakfast..U could order a Senior Special of one egg, a piece of bacon and some toast...so there are lite meals available to order.

[tabs]

Ouuuuuu Chili Cheese Fries.....Fries with cheddar Cheese, bacon bits and Ranch....OUUUU....

[Jims5543]

I hate eating on the road. I agree Jeremy the portions are huge.

As far as places like Denny's, you can order 2 scrambled eggs, hash browns and toast too. They seem to push the grand slam type breakfasts but there are other options on the menu. Of course, everything in covered with butter but at least the portion isn't huge.

Its funny you post this I am 3 days into 6 weeks of hard core dieting and exercise. Now excuse me while I eat my 3 hard boiled egg whites and apple.

[lendaddy]

Originally posted by tabs
Ouuuuuu Chili Cheese Fries.....Fries with cheddar Cheese, bacon bits and Ranch....OUUUU....

Like a little mountain of love

[Porsche-O-Phile]

A death sentence for any restaurant is a review (either written or word-of-mouth) that they "skimp" on portions. It's one of the few things that will absolutely, positively kill any restaurant business regardless of their quality. As such, they err on the side of caution, since it costs them virtually nothing to make more "X".

[Scott R]

I travel all of the time as well, and I keep my ripped figure up no problem. Granted I never stay at a hotel that doesn't have a full gym, however I find it easy to do. My travel morning starts of with a minimum 5 mile run, followed by a smart breakfast of egg whites and wheat toast and orange juice. You can get this type of food anywhere, and you can always request portion size, at least I have never found anywhere that I couldn't (even at the airport.)

Lunch is always a salad or a plain turkey or ham sandwhich, coupled with some baked chips. Again, you may be pressed to find a place that can't make a turkey sandwhich, but granted Mexican restaruants can be a challenge, in that case I just order some plain chicken or fish tacos.

Dinner is a real challenge, espically when I am supposed to be wining and dining people. But again I still limit my meal to a salad sans the dressing, or a chicken breast, which I can get anywhere. Always skip the fatty butters and above all sour cream.

I have vowyed to never again be fat, I lost a 100lbs, and I don't want it back. I look pretty damn good sitting by a pool these days,and it took a lot of hard work to get there. 'll be damned if I'm going to let my job, or these resturants take that away. The difference between being fat and being able to run a marathon is life changing, just the feeling you have all around is amazing, in energy, stamina and ton of other areas.

[Flatbutt1]

When I first started traveling for business overseas i thought I would starve to death on the tiny portions served in the UK and EU. But then I came to realize what piggies we can be here. I can't finish a typical restaurant serving here, at least not comfortably. My Brit friends luv eating herre due to the portion sizes.

[cashflyer]

All this talk about fries.... I'm hungry now.

[VincentVega]

I always eat too much when I'm on the road. Add in more drinking than usual and the mostly horrible hotel gym's and it's a struggle.

I went out to breakfast last weekend and had the eggs/pancakes/sausage/bacon/hashbrown/toast combo. That was a lot of food. I didnt eat until dinner and wasnt that hungry even ~7 hrs later.

[pookie]

I wonder how many people feel that they have to finish their plate too. For example growing up I was always taught to clean my plate. I know that mentality followed me around for awhile. Only recently did I start eating smaller portions and more salads. That combined with working out has dropped my weight a good 20 pounds.

[masraum]

You've hit the nail on the head. Sadly I go to work with overweight coworkers who I've heard ***** about small portions. I'm 6'2" 200#. I'm not terribly overweight, but I'd probably be better off at 175-180. I'm trying to eat 1/2 - 3/4 of the food that I get when I go out, but it's difficult. So often you're taught to eat everything on your plate, so it's something that's pounded into your head starting when you're 3.

The reason we have huge portions is because people want more for their money, then they eat the portions, get fat, and can easily eat these huge portions. So now we get the huge portions because most people are fat and eat huge meals.

[JavaBrewer]

When did a simple ice cream cone become not enough? Now people are eating a quart of Cold Stone smashed ice cream with cookies and candy. What is that, 2000-3000 calories?

When I travel domestic I always stay in hotels with small kitchenettes in the room. Trader joes for precooked chicken breasts and a bottle of wine.

[legion]

When I was working as a house painter--working 12-16 hour days 4-6 days a week--I could eat portions like this. I had to eat portions like this. I was consuming anywhere from 4000-8000 calories a day, day in and day out. I dropped 35 pounds that summer (from 200 to 165) and was a stick with no muscle mass.

Now, if I'm lucky, I might burn 2000 calories in a day as a desk jockey.

[legion]

Originally posted by masraum
So often you're taught to eat everything on your plate, so it's something that's pounded into your head starting when you're 3.

That is my problem.

I remember being forced to sit at the dinner table for hours alone until I finished every last scrap.

20 years later, and I have trouble stopping eating until the plate is empty, no matter how full I am.

[widebody911]

Originally posted by legion
I remember being forced to sit at the dinner table for hours alone until I finished every last scrap.

20 years later, and I have trouble stopping eating until the plate is empty, no matter how full I am.

+1 - we'd get the "children are starving in china" blah blah blah

[svandamme]

start fighting back.
complain if it's to much,
make the point about it beeing wastefull, unhealthy,
that it's forcing folks to leave half eaten plates, which is poor etiquette

it's poor hospitality to force a guest into poor etiquette

and complain that at the very least they should offer a normal portion , for a lower price. that you should not be discriminated into paying more for food, because they only serve fatpeople portions...

at first i'm sure you'll get the strange looks, but if more folks do this, it will catch on , that's the power of the consumer... dunno how big a percentage of the population is fat over there, but even if only 25% of the population isn't, that's still 25 % complaints , and that leaves them a very low margin for successfull metrics... coz i'm sure there will be other complaints about other things too...