# Would you like to see restaurants offer small portions? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [April 30, 2026, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-like-to-see-restaurants-offer-small-portions/1029669 "2026-04-30T15:45:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2026, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-like-to-see-restaurants-offer-small-portions/1029669/21 "2026-04-30T17:41:41Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > Sometimes not - for example if you stop to eat on a road trip, you probably don’t want to let a container of leftover pasta sit in your car for several hours. Absolutely. And, as noted, some foods don’t do well as leftovers or being re-heated. Which is why I said “often,” not “always,” and why my reply to the OP said that I thought it wasn’t a bad idea. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2026, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-like-to-see-restaurants-offer-small-portions/1029669/22 "2026-04-30T17:46:24Z")
Usually when I bring leftovers home it just so it has a change of scenery before it goes in the garbage. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2026, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-like-to-see-restaurants-offer-small-portions/1029669/23 "2026-04-30T17:47:17Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > Sometimes not - for example if you stop to eat on a road trip, you probably don’t want to let a container of leftover pasta sit in your car for several hours. Or if I’m at a hotel without a microwave or refrigerator in the room, so there’s no point in taking leftovers back with me. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2026, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-like-to-see-restaurants-offer-small-portions/1029669/24 "2026-04-30T17:48:36Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > Or Pequeño for that matter 😛 Very true. 🙂 I was fine with it, but my wife was rather hungry. So she simply ordered 2X and 3X of some of the dishes to make it a full meal. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2026, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-like-to-see-restaurants-offer-small-portions/1029669/25 "2026-04-30T17:53:13Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > Usually when I bring leftovers home it just so it has a change of scenery before it goes in the garbage. Thank you for a good laugh!! BTDT a few times more than I care to admit. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2026, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-like-to-see-restaurants-offer-small-portions/1029669/26 "2026-04-30T18:01:26Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > Taking up a table with one order for 2 people, instead of 2 orders for 2 people. What? I would be sitting at the same table whether it was just me or a second person. And that second person is ordering a drink, probably their highest profit margin item. So the wait staff is looking at a larger tip by not pissing me off. Also, I often don’t feel like eating the same thing twice, so the thought of leftovers isn’t a factor to me. I’m not seeing a benefit for the establishment or the customer by charging for an extra plate in a mid-range (at best) restaurant. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2026, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-like-to-see-restaurants-offer-small-portions/1029669/27 "2026-04-30T18:07:06Z")
Especially with the advent of GLP-1 meds, some people are just eating smaller portions than previously. And the same meds are reducing alcohol consumption. ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2026, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-like-to-see-restaurants-offer-small-portions/1029669/28 "2026-04-30T18:12:27Z")
I like steakhouses because variable portion sizes are sort of ‘baked into’ the menu. If you want a big meal, order a 12-ounce steak and a loaded baked potato. If you want a small meal, order a 6-ounce steak and a salad. The price will reflect your choice. I’m usually somewhere in the middle: 6-ounce steak, salad, plain baked potato. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2026, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-like-to-see-restaurants-offer-small-portions/1029669/29 "2026-04-30T19:51:59Z")
NO! Any time I go out where dinner is involved, my brother expects to see doggy bags with attractive food any time he comes over. The fact that I eat modest portions is, in his view, one of my most attractive attributes. LOL ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2026, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-like-to-see-restaurants-offer-small-portions/1029669/30 "2026-04-30T20:18:26Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Especially with the advent of GLP-1 meds, some people are just eating smaller portions than previously. And the same meds are reducing alcohol consumption. [Gift link](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/07/dining/ozempic-appetite-small-meals-restaurants.html?unlocked_article_code=1.e1A.Ljnh.Rdh7JfgXyCKO&smid=url-share) to a New York Times article about restaurants offering smaller meals for those on Ozempic and other GLP-1 medications. The article describes one meal at a NYC sports bar. > In April [2025], Clinton Hall introduced its “teeny-weeny mini meal.” For $8, diners get a bite-size burger and fries paired with a miniature beer, margarita or wine. With a two-ounce patty, 1.5 ounces of fries and a five-ounce drink, it’s a kid’s meal for the 21-and-older set. ---
**Author:** ![Jaycat.again](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat.again/32/11525_2.png) [@Jaycat.again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaycat.again)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2026, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-like-to-see-restaurants-offer-small-portions/1029669/31 "2026-04-30T21:54:25Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > we had no idea what [Tapas](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tapas) meant Me neither. I thought my wife was asking me to go out to a topless bar. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2026, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-like-to-see-restaurants-offer-small-portions/1029669/32 "2026-04-30T22:11:21Z")
Many years ago, a restaurant opened in Buffalo whose entire menu was small plates. Not a tapas restaurant, but a regular menu of interesting dishes. It was perfect for my wife and me except for the location, since we don’t actually live in Buffalo. We normally try to get meals that will reheat well when we go out, because every “normal” dish is 3-4 servings for us. That’s economical in the long run, I suppose. One suggestion for people like us, though, is to find a restaurant that does tastings menus. Here in Rochester, a small quirky restaurant named Atlas East does nothing but five-course tasting menus that vary every two weeks. Each menu has a theme, usually based on a country, and every course (appetizer, soup, salad, entree, dessert) is an unusual recipe. All five courses are tiny by regular standards although we find that finishing the first three can make it hard to finish the entree. No substitutions, of course, one sitting, so you have to trust that your tastes and theirs will coincide. When they do, the results are spectacular. A great find. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2026, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-like-to-see-restaurants-offer-small-portions/1029669/33 "2026-04-30T22:25:32Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > [Gift link](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/07/dining/ozempic-appetite-small-meals-restaurants.html?unlocked_article_code=1.e1A.Ljnh.Rdh7JfgXyCKO&smid=url-share) to a New York Times article about restaurants offering smaller meals for those on Ozempic and other GLP-1 medications. The article describes one meal at a NYC sports bar. Beat me to it. I read that item yesterday, and would have posted a link if you hadn’t. Good article, though, and I can get behind the idea. I really liked the idea of the tray with the nine little dishes on it. It’s for four people (or maybe two hungry ones), but there is a little bit of everything there. The photo of it looked good. Some days when I’m at the sports bar or race book, I feel like something, but not at the size they offer. A smaller portion would be most welcome at those times. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2026, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-like-to-see-restaurants-offer-small-portions/1029669/34 "2026-04-30T22:34:25Z")
That article said that perhaps ten percent of Americans are taking GLP-1 medications. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2026, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-like-to-see-restaurants-offer-small-portions/1029669/35 "2026-04-30T22:48:00Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > I certainly wouldn’t expect a half portion to be half price for that reason. But I wouldn’t consider $9 for a smaller share of a $12 item to be unreasonable. But would it be unreasonable from the restaurant’s point of view? I kind of doubt there’s a $3 difference in the cost to the restaurant to make and serve the half portion vs the full portion, but I don’t know; I’m not familiar with restaurant economics. ---
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2026, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-like-to-see-restaurants-offer-small-portions/1029669/36 "2026-04-30T23:00:19Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > something where the quality is significantly reduced if reheating at home (fried stuff in particular.) I’ve had good luck reheating fried items in an air fryer (OK, in my case it’s the air fryer lid for my Instant Pot, but it works). ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2026, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-like-to-see-restaurants-offer-small-portions/1029669/37 "2026-04-30T23:01:33Z")
Interesting NY Times article. But the picture of the “tiny” martini was of a drink that was the size of most cocktails 70 or 80 years ago. I like watching old movies, and when I started noticing it, I couldn’t NOT notice it any more. Cocktails were very small compared to today. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2026, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-like-to-see-restaurants-offer-small-portions/1029669/38 "2026-05-01T00:05:44Z")
And isn’t five ounces of wine still about the size of a normal “by the glass” restaurant serving today? Standard beer servings are bigger, of course, but I’m pretty sure I’ve never been offered wine by the glass in significantly larger quantities. Five ounces seems normal (there’s supposed to be room left over in the wineglass to aerate it, or something). ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2026, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-like-to-see-restaurants-offer-small-portions/1029669/39 "2026-05-01T00:30:03Z")
The restaurant chain [Seasons 52](https://www.seasons52.com/home) has entrees that are almost all under 600 calories. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2026, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-like-to-see-restaurants-offer-small-portions/1029669/40 "2026-05-01T00:39:12Z")
I think most restaurant chains have lower calorie options. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-like-to-see-restaurants-offer-small-portions/1029669.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-like-to-see-restaurants-offer-small-portions/1029669.md?page=3)