# 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:** 4
**Author:** ![Mops](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mops/32/16494_2.png) [@Mops](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mops)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2026, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-like-to-see-restaurants-offer-small-portions/1029669/61 "2026-05-01T16:59:40Z")
Here in Germany you often see smaller-portion options on restaurant menus, sometimes referred to as _Seniorenportion_ i.e. old person portion. I sometimes avail myself of this when I am not that hungry (they do not ask for proof of age). Normal portion sizes are what a young or middle aged person can comfortably put away in one sitting, but for old people they are too large. This is often limited to those dishes that are easily reducible in size (a dish of one large bratwurst with potato salad at a rural _Gasthaus_ cannot be downsized to 75%, obviously). The reduction in price definitely is less than the reduction in size, but this is only fair. The main advantage is that at a family meal in a restaurant people of 20, 50, and 80 years all can order their appropriate portion. In upscale restaurants the option of _Seniorenportion_ does not exist - the option for that use case would be to reduce a 5 course menu to 4 or 3 courses. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2026, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-like-to-see-restaurants-offer-small-portions/1029669/62 "2026-05-01T17:07:09Z")
It wouldn’t hurt. I already order from the kids’ menu or the lunch portion to reduce costs when I can. But that’s all it is for me: I have no problem taking food home and eating it later, and would prefer to do that when I can afford to do so. (I actually paid for the dinner portion at a local Mexican restaurant and found out it really wasn’t much more at all, surprisingly. If only it hadn’t started disagreeing with my tummy lately ☹ ) ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2026, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-like-to-see-restaurants-offer-small-portions/1029669/63 "2026-05-01T17:07:11Z")
> [@Mops](#): > > Normal portion sizes are what a young or middle aged person can comfortably put away in one sitting, but for old people they are too large. I have eaten at a cafeteria near the train station in Bonn where you portion whatever you take out yourself and pay by the gram! ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2026, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-like-to-see-restaurants-offer-small-portions/1029669/64 "2026-05-01T17:09:17Z")
There’s a grocery store with a salad bar that does this. Set your own portion sizes. ---
**Author:** ![ricepad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b38774/32.png) [@ricepad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ricepad)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2026, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-like-to-see-restaurants-offer-small-portions/1029669/65 "2026-05-01T17:13:10Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > I already order from the kids’ menu Mmm…love them chicken fingers or spaghetti with french fries! 😀 ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2026, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-like-to-see-restaurants-offer-small-portions/1029669/66 "2026-05-01T17:14:37Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > “It’s stacked complete with a 1/2-pound burger, American cheese, bacon, hash browns, fried egg, meat hot sauce and onion straws.” (OK, only a half pound. Still.) I ate something like that last week (it was a half-pound, not a pound!) and it hit the spot. I have to note that it was listed like that on the menu— the size did not come as a surprise or anything, and there were other options available. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2026, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-like-to-see-restaurants-offer-small-portions/1029669/67 "2026-05-01T17:15:51Z")
Haha. I order the stuff that’s a smaller proportion of the adult food. I don’t know a place that doesn’t have at least some of them. I couldn’t eat those other things if I wanted to. I have dietary restrictions that result in there usually only being a couple things on the menu I can even eat. (Though I did get a happy meal the last time I went to McDonalds. burger patties, two tiny fry packages, and a cute toy for the heck of it. Better than the adult happy meals they do now.) ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2026, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-like-to-see-restaurants-offer-small-portions/1029669/68 "2026-05-01T17:19:03Z")
In this thread: [Fine dining-- kind of a scam?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fine-dining-kind-of-a-scam/1029618) it was noted, semi-seriously, that if you pay a _lot_ for a meal at an upscale establishment, large portions cease to be a problem… ---
**Author:** ![Mops](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mops/32/16494_2.png) [@Mops](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mops)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2026, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-like-to-see-restaurants-offer-small-portions/1029669/69 "2026-05-01T17:26:42Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > It wouldn’t hurt. I already order from the kids’ menu or the lunch portion , > > … Is the kids’ menu just smaller sizes, and the lunch menu available in the evening where you eat? In my experience (Germany) the kids’ menu consists of child-appropriate deliberately non-complex dishes (except for _Räuberteller_, an empty plate for stealing from parents), and there sometimes is an explicit age limit; also the lunch menu is only available between stated times. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2026, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-like-to-see-restaurants-offer-small-portions/1029669/70 "2026-05-01T17:48:27Z")
I don’t low-carb like I used to but dining out was really hard for similar reasons. Wings & salad. I eat even less now and it’s not always possible to take leftovers, I’d order smaller if I could. Three cheers for calamari, off the appetizer menu! ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2026, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-like-to-see-restaurants-offer-small-portions/1029669/71 "2026-05-01T17:48:35Z")
An i alone in not caring very much about visibly wasting food? There’s an enormous amount of waste built into any restaurant. Stuff they’ve prepped but not sold is usually thrown out. Some of it goes home with the staff, but usually a lot gets trashed. I eat what i want. If it’s easy to take food home, and there’s enough to be worth it, i do. (And if I’m in a hotel, it needs to be something i can eat cold. But I’m happy to eat a lot of food cold. Yesterday’s leftover steak cold for breakfast? Yum.) Otherwise, i walk away and don’t feel especially bad about it. ---
**Author:** ![Kron](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kron/32/12444_2.png) [@Kron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kron)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2026, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-like-to-see-restaurants-offer-small-portions/1029669/72 "2026-05-01T17:52:49Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > An i alone in not caring very much about visibly wasting food? You are probably not alone, but I am psychologically programmed to not waste food, and also to eat what’s in front of me. I don’t take home leftovers; however much the portion served is, that’s what I eat, which can be uncomfortable… ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2026, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-like-to-see-restaurants-offer-small-portions/1029669/73 "2026-05-01T17:56:26Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > An i alone in not caring very much about visibly wasting food? I don’t care about not finishing what is on my plate, that has never been a problem for me and luckily it was not drilled into as a kid that I _had_ to do that, probably why I am perfectly fine eating small portions today and have never been overweight. But I **do** object to paying more money for huge portions that I just won’t eat. If it’s a food that reheats well, and I am able to take it home for later I will, but some foods just don’t reheat well. I’d rather pay less to get less. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2026, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-like-to-see-restaurants-offer-small-portions/1029669/74 "2026-05-01T18:15:11Z")
> [@Kron](#): > > You are probably not alone, but I am psychologically programmed to not waste food, and also to eat what’s in front of me. I’m the same way. I hate seeing wasted food. It’s just a function of childhood. I will either eat everything on my plate, or take the leftovers home if I can. I feel the same way with food (and ingredients) at home. Try to make use of all of it. I’ll eat the rest of what’s left on my kids plates, or, if appropriate, give it to the dog as part of his evening meal (our dogs have always eaten human food. Heck, I cook food every couple of days just for the dog.) I also hate seeing stupid shit on YouTube or TV or whatnot that involves the waste of a lot of food. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2026, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-like-to-see-restaurants-offer-small-portions/1029669/75 "2026-05-01T19:24:17Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > There’s a grocery store with a salad bar that does this. Set your own portion sizes One of my favourite supermarkets has a salad bar like that, and also quite an extensive hot buffet. Also a soup stand that usually has about 6 hot soups on the go. Salads and the buffet are sold by weight, the soups by container size. ---
**Author:** ![ricepad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b38774/32.png) [@ricepad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ricepad)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2026, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-like-to-see-restaurants-offer-small-portions/1029669/76 "2026-05-01T19:48:28Z")
I thought salad bars and buffets where you pay by the pound all disappeared during COVID. Even with those, I tended to serve myself more than I should have. And I had nobody to blame but myself. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2026, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-like-to-see-restaurants-offer-small-portions/1029669/77 "2026-05-01T20:02:24Z")
> [@ricepad](#): > > I thought salad bars and buffets where you pay by the pound all disappeared during COVID. They did, and it was a major inconvenience as I quite like them at this particular store. They were all brought back after the COVID scare was over. The food is decent restaurant quality, not haute cuisine but the kind of stuff you’d expect at a good mid-tier restaurant, and the soups are exceptionally good. They also have great produce and refrigerated prepared dinners, and bake their own pizzas in a stone oven. That store is a little farther than some others but I always come away with a big load of goodies! ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2026, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-like-to-see-restaurants-offer-small-portions/1029669/78 "2026-05-01T20:16:11Z")
I forget whether my supermarket kept doing that during covid, but mine sells prepared food by the pound, too. In fact, all the markets near me do, i think that’s much more profitable than their groceries, produce, and other “ingredients”. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2026, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-like-to-see-restaurants-offer-small-portions/1029669/79 "2026-05-01T20:26:04Z")
I’d almost guess that the store in question is Wegmans except the ones I’ve been to recently (over the last Christmas break) didn’t have a large soup selection. They still had a pay by the pound place but with a more limited selection than before Covid, plus pizza. The thing that they’ve _added_, or perhaps I only noticed it because I wanted an alternative to the small buffet, is a sub shop. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2026, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-like-to-see-restaurants-offer-small-portions/1029669/80 "2026-05-01T20:33:23Z")
There are four supermarkets within my shopping range that all sell prepared food by weight. Wegmans is one of them. Whole foods is another. I think it’s very profitable. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-like-to-see-restaurants-offer-small-portions/1029669.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-like-to-see-restaurants-offer-small-portions/1029669.md?page=5)