Ordering One Meal for Two People

WHS · April 7, 2005

There's a letter in "Dear Abby" today from a couple that's trying to lose weight, so when they go out to a restaurant, they only order one meal. They wonder why the "service turns sour" and the attitude becomes "rude and condescending".

Once in a rare while, I'll order two appetizers instead of an app and an entree, but I've never had the nerve to do this...

What's the verdict?

chefzadi · April 7, 2005

Some places charge a split plate fee. I've never really had a problem with this. I suppose people don't come to French restaurants if they are dieting, although French food is no more fattening than other cuisines. Actually at the fine dining level, you won't find much rich, heavy dishes. But I'm getting off topic.

I wonder why those people don't just order less fattening items.

They wonder why the "service turns sour" and the attitude becomes "rude and condescending".

Serving two people for the price of one. That's why.

ladyyoung98 · April 7, 2005

hey my fiance do this all the time..order one meal for two people or rather one entreethough both of us are diabetic and are also trying to lose weight..this has nothing to do with the reason why we do this..and it has nothing to do with our finances either...but it does have everything to do with the type of restaurants we dine in..a good majority of them have entrees that are really made for more than one person..for instance...we go to the olive garden..we order the salad..two bowls is what we wind up eating between the two of us..and they do have wonderful breadsticks....and if any of you have ever been to the olvie garden you already know that the salad and the breadsticks are more than enough when two people slit an entree there...their portions are not small...unlike some restaurants where you spend major bucks and wonder where the portions are...many other places serve portions that are simply too much forone person...and there is never room for dessert..even if they did have something diabetic friendly on the menu...

as to the kind of service we get when we do this...we have never had any server complain about it and never had them give us dirty looks and there has never been anything negative happen...we dont make an issue out of being diabetic but we do try for as much as possible to be careful..personally i dont see anything wrong with ordering one meal for two people with the way protions are served in most places these days..though that would not apply to fast food but does apply in other establisments

WHS · April 7, 2005

I guess if "one meal" consists of a mess of buffalo chicken wings, a 32 oz hunk of prime rib, and one of those "death by chocolate" things, sharing might be in order. The couple in question was from the Midwest, where I guess Tapas bars haven't caught on.

peppyre · April 7, 2005

I do this all the time and have never had a problem with it. I find most restaurant portions, including appetizers, far too big for one person to eat. Fortunately many of my friends feel the same way.

daniellewiley · April 7, 2005

I guess if "one meal" consists of a mess of buffalo chicken wings, a 32 oz hunk of prime rib, and one of those "death by chocolate" things, sharing might be in order. The couple in question was from the Midwest, where I guess Tapas bars haven't caught on.
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I'm in Toledo, and we have Tapas here. The restaurant choice probably depends more on the people, than the region.

torakris · April 7, 2005

Last summer on my trip back to Cleveland my broher and I found a ad in the local paper that advertised this cajun style restaurant as having all their appetizers 1/2 off during happy hour (5 to 7), so we decided to have a cheap meal by sharing a couple of them. The place turned out to be much more upscale than we imagined with appetizers at $10 and entrees in the $25 to $35 range, we felt bad for the servers because they could have made much more from our table if we had eaten a real meal so we ordered martinis and dessert as well. The place was also a martini bar with an incredible list, but neither of us are drinkers, I was smashed after one drink I my brother practically had to carry me out.... We also left a bigger tip than was needed ... :biggrin:

ivan · April 7, 2005

I wonder why those people don't just order less fattening items.
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You have already answered that question yourself:

Serving two people for the price of one. That's why.
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wesza · April 7, 2005

This is something that many Restaurant's must learn how to deal with as it is becoming something that is becoming more common, but will have a effect on the economics considering rent, turnover and dollar volume per cover.

I had several operations is high rent areas, with limited seating where customer turnover was very important. This was mostly in specialty type operations, not coffee shop, separate check or fast food locations.

Where you depend on reservations to block out your seating your sales are dependent on anticipated average gross per seat. This must be taken into your overhead, wages, linens, glassware, and all other operational expenses. It does costs Restaurants more money when 2 guests eat for the price of only 1 that can't be recovered, plus it also effects employees gratuities based upon sales per person that the IRS doesn't consider.

Having just several tables sharing meals can sometimes make the difference between profit and loss. especially in smaller capacity places.

What I did in several locations in Honolulu and Northern California was clearly in legible sized type on our menus was to stated:

Our policy is that every customers must order a Entrée. Appetizers are served "Family Style" and it's expected that they be ordered after your Entrées to compliment your meals. There is a minimum Food charge of 16.95 per person.

The minimum food charge was based on the lowest price entrée on the menu's. We also mentioned on the Menus that we will prepare smaller portions of certain entrées for Children or Seniors and they may share a adults Entrée with no minimum charges applied.

This may have caused several customers to decide not to stay for Dinner, but in almost every case that table was occupied by walk In's or Regular customers who were always welcomed with or without reservations as we never overbooked our seatings.

For your information this policy made these operations thrive and turned break even business into profitable long established Restaurants it's not applicable everywhere but it proves that being willing to weigh the pro's and con's is better then trying to please everyone when it's not feasible.

Irwin

chefzadi · April 7, 2005

1/2 off during happy hour (5 to 7)

See how discounts "cheapen" a restaurants image. :biggrin:

thecuriousone · April 7, 2005

My husband and I are also diabetic, and we often do it. The majority of our decision is based on portion size. I dont think that the check actually suffers, we also order wine, usually one appetizer and one dessert to split.

We are also sensitive to, "tying up a table" and elect to sit in the bar area so as not to take space that might go to higher paying customers.

Portions have become so large in many restaurants that it doesnt make sense to order all this food that we wont eat. Yes, it could be lunch for the next day, but we would rather return more often. In the places that we do this, I actually think they get more of our dollars because we return more often.

hey my fiance do this all the time..order one meal for two people or rather one entreethough both of us are diabetic and are also trying to lose weight..this has nothing to do with the reason why we do this..and it has nothing to do with our finances either...but it does have everything to do with the type of restaurants we dine in..a good majority of them have entrees that are really made for more than one person..for instance...we go to the olive garden..we order the salad..two bowls is what we wind up eating between the two of us..and they do have wonderful breadsticks....and if any of you have ever been to the olvie garden you already know that the salad and the breadsticks are more than enough when two people slit an entree there...their portions are not small...unlike some restaurants where you spend major bucks and wonder where the portions are...many other places serve portions that are simply too much forone person...and there is never room for dessert..even if they did have something diabetic friendly on the menu...
as to the kind of service we get when we do this...we have never had any server complain about it and never had them give us dirty looks and there has never been anything negative happen...we dont make an issue out of being diabetic but we do try for as much as possible to be careful..personally i dont see anything wrong with ordering one meal for two people with the way protions are served in most places these days..though that would not apply to fast food but does apply in other establisments
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SuzySushi · April 7, 2005

My husband and I often do this, too, because we find most restaurant dinner portions so large that one of us can't finish it. Or we'll order two or three appetizers and skip the entree. We usually order beverages and dessert, too, so the check adds up to as much as or more than it would if we "just" ordered two entrees.

We've usually found the service to be just fine, especially if we explain that we're small eaters or that my husband is diabetic.

We don't mind if the restaurant adds a fee for splitting an entree, and we leave a bigger-than-usual tip if the server has the kitchen split the entree for us, rather than just bringing an extra plate.

jsolomon · April 7, 2005

I would never do it at a real restaurant. At a bar and grill or a lettuce entertain u type chain, I do it with impunity. But, that also signifies that the server should be coming by regularly to check on drinks.

Being in the midwest, I have noticed the service as generally lacking, though. It doesn't matter where I go, how I look, or what I order. My service will be subpar unless I'm being flirted with which usually takes me several drinks to warm up to.

TheFoodTutor · April 7, 2005

Being in the midwest, I have noticed the service as generally lacking, though. It doesn't matter where I go, how I look, or what I order. My service will be subpar unless I'm being flirted with which usually takes me several drinks to warm up to.
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Really? I wonder why that would be. I live in the southeast, and I generally get good service in restaurants.

I did order an entree to share once recently, but we also had 3 appetizers. I ordered in that particular manner because I wanted to try a number of things on the menu, so small plates appeal to me for the purpose of variety.

I have a good friend who's dieting right now, and we go out to eat together once every couple of weeks, but we generally don't need to split a meal. In fact, we order usually a little more than we need, and if there is extra I just take it home for a snack.

All of you people who are so considerate about taking up a restaurant table when you're not ordering much are invited to come to my restaurant and sit in my section, please. Unfortunately, you'll have to wait to be seated, though, because it's currently being occupied by some insensitive clods who felt like chatting for 5 hours over one cup of coffee. :hmmm:

Milagai · April 7, 2005

wow! we do this all the time, and didn't even realize it was an issue.

especially when we go out in a group, there is always way too much

food if we order 1 entree per person.

we typically order n-1 or n-2 depending on how many we are and

what we know about portion sizes in the restaurant.

we figured that as customers we know how much we want to eat,

and it's the management's job to adjust the economics.

we've always tipped well, and we've never had problems with

service. i don't think i've ever been to a fancy french restaurant

but our favorites include local good restaurants, e.g. a fantastic

pan-asian place (not a chain) for e.g.

who knew....

milagai

NulloModo · April 7, 2005

I personally don't do this, but that is because I find most restaurant portions to be satisfying for one person. I don't feel there is anything wrong with the practice of sharing an entree.

I also do not believe that the restaurants profit margins should ever have to enter the customers mind. Restaurants are part of the hospitality industry, and the focus should be on keeping the customer happy at all costs. If I am made to feel that I am a means to a paycheck instead of a valued guest, I am not going to return to that establishment. I am sure a place could make more money if everyone ordered a app, an individual entree, dessert and drinks, but it just doesn't work that way. Any restaurant that expects the customers to do what is perfect for the restaurant, and not what the customer actually wants to do just needs to get over itself.

Rehovot · April 7, 2005

What I did in several locations in Honolulu and Northern California was clearly in legible sized type on our menus was to stated:
Our policy is that every customers must order a Entrée. Appetizers are served "Family Style" and it's expected that they be ordered after your Entrées to compliment your meals.
←

Wow. How exactly do you enforce this? :wink: I mean, if a customer wants to pay the $16.95 flat fee and just order a martini, do you still insist he/she order an Entree? And what if a customer thinks (or hopes) that the appetizers will arrive before the entree? What do you mean by "it's expected"?

The idea that I "must" do something, as a customer--in other words, it's the chef's way, or the highway--leaves me a little cold. :blink: But I guess this depends on why you go to a restaurant: if you go with a very open mind, hoping the chef will teach you something, this setup caters to you. But if you go, hoping to enjoy exciting, tasty food--on some of your own terms, with a few preconceived notions--then this setup leaves a lot to be desired. IMHO.

Now, where's my appetizer?? :biggrin:

designchick88 · April 7, 2005

My parents do this all the time. My mom eats like a bird and always has, so it's pretty much a waste for them to order two entrees. As someone else pointed out, they usually order drinks and dessert or an appetizer also, so they definitely spend as much or more than someone just ordering two entrees and two iced teas. If the plate-splitting fee is under $5 they have no problem paying it. If it's over that, they never go back to that restaurant again.

My husband and I never split plates at restaurants because if the serving size is too big, we'd rather take it home and eat it for lunch the next day. We have very different tastes and I don't know if we'd ever be able to agree on an entree to split.

I would personally never split a plate in a high-end restaurant, but at most casual places I don't see what the big deal is.

The idea that I "must" do something, as a customer--in other words, it's the chef's way, or the highway--leaves me a little cold. But I guess this depends on why you go to a restaurant: if you go with a very open mind, hoping the chef will teach you something, this setup caters to you. But if you go, hoping to enjoy exciting, tasty food--on some of your own terms, with a few preconceived notions--then this setup leaves a lot to be desired. IMHO.

I feel the same way. I don't go out to eat to be told what to do. I have episodic stomach problems and sometimes I don't feel like eating an entree, I just want an small appetizer to be served to me at the same time my husband is getting his entree. If I walked into a restaurant and saw a "mandatory" dinner charge, or anything on the menu insisting that I order an entree, I would walk back out and never return. There are all kinds of reasons why someone might walk into a restaurant with other people but not want their own entree. Maybe they are newly pregnant and coping with nausea and food aversions. Maybe they are on chemotherapy and can't eat. Maybe they have severe acid reflux and can only eat certain things. Maybe they've just had gastric bypass and are only going to be able to eat a tablespoon of food. Does that mean that because they aren't going to be good for the restaurant's profit margin, they should be banned from sitting with their family and friends while the other people eat? To me that is the height of insensitivity and disrespect, and any restaurant who rigidly enforces an entree-ordering policy for everyone deserves whatever bad things they get.

I don't get this concept of I as the customer should always let the chef dictate to me what I'm going to eat and how I'm going to eat it. If I am at a high-end restaurant and I know that's what the concept is, and I'm there for a tasting menu, I understand it. Any other time, it makes me feel like I'm 6 years old and my mom is ordering me clean my plate. And as a grown, tax-paying, independent adult you can imagine what my reaction is to that.

Jensen · April 7, 2005

What I did in several locations in Honolulu and Northern California was clearly in legible sized type on our menus was to stated:
Our policy is that every customers must order a Entrée. Appetizers are served "Family Style" and it's expected that they be ordered after your Entrées to compliment your meals.
←
Wow. How exactly do you enforce this? I mean, if a customer wants to pay the $16.95 flat fee and just order a martini, do you still insist he/she order an Entree? And what if a customer thinks (or hopes) that the appetizers will arrive before the entree? What do you mean by "it's expected"?
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I'm dying to know how the appetizer "compliments" the entree.

"Hey, baby...those are some fine-looking chicken thighs you've got there!" or "That Hollandaise sauce looks wonderful on you. It really brings out the colour of your eyes."

Oh, he meant "complements". Never mind...

I wouldn't go back to a restaurant that told me I had to order an appetizer (that menu item which is supposed to whet one's appetite for the main course) before the entree. In fact, if I wanted an appetizer before the meal and was told I couldn't have it, I bet I'd just up and walk out!

chefzadi · April 7, 2005

My wife and I are planning on eating at ADNY, but since we are on a diet we will be splitting the tasting menu.

misstenacity · April 7, 2005

My parents do this all the time. My mom eats like a bird and always has,

I've always loved this phrase "eats like a bird". Birds eat more than their body weight each day. :biggrin:

Anyway.... yes I do the 2+ apps instead of dinner thing regularly, as well. I am a light eater, but often I just want to try more than one thing! A common practice for me is to order the soup of the day plus one or two appetizers, bringing up the total to about what an entree would be, and I get to have more than just one taste of what the chef can do.

I am torn on the 'ethics' of this, as I want restaurants to make money - especially my favorite little holes in the wall - but I also want to be treated like someone whose business is to be courted, not tolerated or dictated by rules and minimums.

Andrea

http://tenacity.net

jsolomon · April 7, 2005

Really? I wonder why that would be. I live in the southeast, and I generally get good service in restaurants.
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Well, usually it's because I'm deigning to tear some sorority girl away from her, like, important conversation about how, like, her hair last night was just, like, limp.

But, even if I'm in a non-college town here in the midwest, unless I'm in Denver or Chicago (my only two even close city experiences) the service is slow, insensitive, and wooden. I'm not a customer, I'm a way to pay the rent. It makes me feel like such a John, and all I get is fat and a headache from it.

thecuriousone · April 7, 2005

Come to think of it. We did split a plate in a higher end restaurant. As one of my christmas gifts, my husband took me for lunch to what is claimed to be the best italian restaurant in Chicago. I have wanted to taste truffled pasta for years. 3 days before new years day, we went for lunch. We each ordered drinks, individual appetizer salads, a plate of truffled fettucine to split and a desert to split.

We tipped the server (who was great) 25%. I dont see how the restaurant could feel that we had mis-used their resources. We left there having really enloyed the whole experience.

What I did in several locations in Honolulu and Northern California was clearly in legible sized type on our menus was to stated:
Our policy is that every customers must order a Entrée. Appetizers are served "Family Style" and it's expected that they be ordered after your Entrées to compliment your meals.
←
Wow. How exactly do you enforce this? I mean, if a customer wants to pay the $16.95 flat fee and just order a martini, do you still insist he/she order an Entree? And what if a customer thinks (or hopes) that the appetizers will arrive before the entree? What do you mean by "it's expected"?
The idea that I "must" do something, as a customer--in other words, it's the chef's way, or the highway--leaves me a little cold. But I guess this depends on why you go to a restaurant: if you go with a very open mind, hoping the chef will teach you something, this setup caters to you. But if you go, hoping to enjoy exciting, tasty food--on some of your own terms, with a few preconceived notions--then this setup leaves a lot to be desired. IMHO.
Now, where's my appetizer??
←

Cleo · April 7, 2005

I personally don't do this, but that is because I find most restaurant portions to be satisfying for one person. I don't feel there is anything wrong with the practice of sharing an entree.
I also do not believe that the restaurants profit margins should ever have to enter the customers mind. Restaurants are part of the hospitality industry, and the focus should be on keeping the customer happy at all costs. If I am made to feel that I am a means to a paycheck instead of a valued guest, I am not going to return to that establishment. I am sure a place could make more money if everyone ordered a app, an individual entree, dessert and drinks, but it just doesn't work that way. Any restaurant that expects the customers to do what is perfect for the restaurant, and not what the customer actually wants to do just needs to get over itself.
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I complete agree with this. My husband and I never just order 1 entree for 2 of us either, but that's mostly because he doesn't like most of what I like.

I'm sure it's annoying to the restaurant/waiter when people do this, but them's the breaks. There are plenty of people at the opposite end of the spectrum who will order way too much food and drinks and it will all balance out.

We are not big drinkers. Do waiters get annoyed by this? Maybe. Do I care? No. We are generous tippers and if the service is bad because we don't drink, I wouldn't go back.

HungryChris · April 7, 2005

I will commonly have a 1 or 2 appitizer meal or will share 3 or 4 appitizers. I am in fact put off by having a groaningly overfilled entree placed in front of me that I know I can't possibly finish. It's not that I am looking for a bargain, but just that I know what I feel like eating. One of us will usually have a cocktail. I don't think there should be a problem with it. I have no problem with splitting an entree and buying the extra salad or paying a fee for the practice either.

Cheers,

HC

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