Have you noticed restaurant meals...........?

Question

Especially the larger chains like Boston Pizza, East Side Marios, etc are giving smaller portions than in the past?

But charging the same.

I was at Eastside Marios last weekend and the soup bowl was the size of a spray can lid

Answer 1

As a lot of the posters above me have stated, gas prices are much to blame. Also, the price of corn, which is a staple in everything from oil to starches, to feed of the animal meat, is rising in cost due to farmers being paid more to produce corn for ethanol.

I still find myself taking most of my dinner home from a restaurant. I'm always shocked when I'm served a meal on a serving platter verses a plate! lol!

The other thing to consider about the size of your soup bowl is the trend towards differently shaped dishes (i.e., the square plates and tiny bowls all held together by iron racks and things of that ilk.) It might hold the same amount, but just may be shaped differently for aesthetics.

Eons ago, or so it seems, I was a waitress at Steak 'n Shake, and we always served our chili and soup in small bowls that were smaller then our coffee mugs. If I remember correctly, they had always been the same size since S'nS was created, so the sizes we're starting to see might finally be coming full circle and scaling back to the size of several generations ago when a single burger at McDonalds was considered a full portion for an adult.

Answer 2

They're getting cheap because the price of gas.

Answer 3

they're still giving way more than 1 person should eat. it's because america is getting used to the "biggie sized" meals.

Answer 4

Good! Those restaurants contribute to the fatness of this continent by normalizing ridiculous portion sizes. I would rather recieve less than have them raise the price due to costs.

Answer 5

That's how restaurants cut costs.  They also use less premium ingrediants and arrange food in different ways to make it seem bigger.  For example, the last time I went to Chili's I had the chipolte bleu bacon cheeseburger.  There was barely any chipolte or blue cheese on it, and a handful of fries at best.

Answer 6

Gas is affecting everything. You would be surprised what products are made from petroleum. some films, plastics, gas, etc. That cost has to come from some where so they charge it to the consumer.

Answer 7

Two words: gas prices.