Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Don't Put Too Much Food On Your Plates

By Patricia Farnham

It is no secret that many people in our society are overweight. It is also no secret that eating out is one of the favorite pastimes. As the owner of a restaurant, one issue you will need to address is the size of the portions of the food you offer. If you are part of a chain restaurant then this will already be decided for you. As an independent though you will need to come up with something reasonable.

You want to be able to offer enough food for the customers to be full when they leave. In fact, most will say that portions are so big that they either over eat or the end up wasting a great deal of food. Some will ask for a box to take it home but not everyone is going home so they can't benefit from eating the leftovers at another meal.

It seems that most restaurants these days err on the side of caution though. Portion sizes have gotten bigger and bigger. This isn't always something that is welcome by customers though. They may dread wasting so much food, especially the older generations. Many people will feel that they are wasting their money when they see so much food left on the table too.

It is important to be consistent with portion sizes as well. Some Mexican food places serve small burritos so you need to order two of them to get enough to eat. Others have huge burritos so one is often more than enough to eat. In fact, some of it will be left behind on the plate untouched.

It isn't just the restaurant owner who has to be concerned about how much food will be on each plate. Customers really take an interest in this as well. It can be frustrating when you don't order enough food because you assumed it would be more than it was. It can also be overwhelming when you get way too much food for you to eat at one meal.

Customers who frequent certain locations will learn what the portions look like. It will vary significantly from one restaurant to the next. This can make it difficult to eat at someplace new though. It is a prime reason why so many travelers look for chain restaurants. They know exactly what they will be given and the portions they can expect as well.

How much food you offer is an issue you really need to take a close look at before you get ready to open or to set your prices. It is one of those details that most of us don't think about unless we are a part of such a business. Make sure you compare what you are thinking of offering to other restaurants in the area. You want to be comparable so that your customers will be happy.

If you are new to the restaurant business you may need to pay attention to the portion sizes at other places around. This is because what is a decent portion of food in one part of the country won't be in another. All of this should be worked out before you open your restaurant so it won't create issues for you.

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