How much food should you serve your customers at your restaurant? This can prove to be a very tricky question but one you need to deal with. Unless you are serving foods with a chain that have given you the specifications, then you will need to determine it on your own. There is no right or wrong answer but you need to do your homework. You want to be able to offer your customers what they will be happy with.

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.

Make sure you offer portions for children too as adults don't want to pay for a full meal their child will barely touch. Some restaurants have strict rules about people sharing meals. You need to be open to this as some people; especially the elderly find one meal is enough for both of them. You don't want them to feel obligated to have to buy more than that.

If you aren't sure how much food to expect, eyeball the plates of other dinner guests around you. Chances are you can gauge from there what you will be ordering. Don't be embarrassed to ask your waiter or waitress to clarify portion sizes for your as well. They see those plates of food all day long so they can help you out with it.

With more people paying attention to their health and their weight, portion sizes in restaurants have become more of a concern. Make sure you are offering plenty of food for your guests. Keep in mind though it can be a turn off when they are getting too much. It can lead to customers feeling like they paid too much for a meal and that doesn't make them happy.

More isn't always what customers are looking for though. Many who like to eat out want to be healthy as well. They want a well balanced meal that is satisfying so the quality is the most important thing to consider. You can help keep your prices down for food items too if there isn't a great deal of it being wasted.

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