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Diners Increasingly Have A Taste For Smaller Portions

In a world of bottomless pasta bowls and all-you-can-eat buffets, some restaurants are going the other way, offering customers smaller portions for prices that are a little easier to swallow.

Honey, I shrunk the plates: Olive Garden started experimenting with lighter portions earlier this year as a way to offer some variety from the unlimited pasta and breadstick deals it’s known for. Customers like the new options, which have turned some diners into regulars, according to parent company Darden Restaurants.

P.F. Chang’s also recently started offering smaller options, and The Cheesecake Factory added a new “Bites” concept to its phone-book-sized menu in July. They’re just following the data:

According to the National Restaurant Association, 74% of customers want smaller portions.
And 44% of adults say they order from the kids’ menu to save money and eat less, according to a survey from hospitality company Lightspeed Commerce.

What’s the deal? Besides cost savings, many customers just don’t have the appetite for a big meal because they snack a lot during the day. Maeve Webster, the president of consulting firm Menu Matters, told CNN that more people are also eating out by themselves, so family-style portions just don’t make sense.

Some restaurants have also gone small to cater to customers taking GLP-1 drugs to lose weight.—BC

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Diners Increasingly Have A Taste For Smaller Portions

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