{splitting a Chinese meal at our local mall}
Dave and I don’t go out to eat all that often — and when we do, we always try to use coupons and gift cards to reduce our out-of-pocket expense. We also have pretty inexpensive taste as Dave’s favorite restaurant is Culver’s and mine is either Fazoli’s or the Chinese place in our local mall!
Another thing we often do to reduce the expense of eating out is splitting one meal. We love going to places like T.G.I.Friday’s, Applebee’s, or Chili’s when they have their special 3-course meals because we’ll split the appetizer, main meal, and dessert. We both get plenty of food, we aren’t overly stuffed, we don’t have to worry about boxing up the leftovers, and we save a bunch of money.
And even though we ALWAYS tip the waitress based on the cost of two full meals, I still sometimes feel super cheap when we split a meal!
However, if we don’t split a meal, we both end up taking leftovers home and we both feel overly stuffed when we leave the restaurant. Plus we end up spending twice as much… it just doesn’t make sense.
I’m assuming Dave and I aren’t the only couple splitting meals at restaurants, so I’d love to hear your thoughts on the issue.
Do you regularly split meals when you eat out? Or do you each get your own meal and take leftovers home? Do you tip the waitress based on the cost of two meals? And do you have any other ways to save money while eating out?
What are your thoughts on splitting meals at restaurants?
Oh, and if you’re interested, here are a few more ways to save money at restaurants.
Tymber says
My boyfriend and I use to get our own meals when we would eat out on the rare occasion, but realized we could just share the meal. We always end up getting full at the end so we thought sharing would be better. We don’t like leftovers from restaurants because it just doesn’t taste the same anymore. Saving money is just a perk of that. We recently went to Cracker Barrel, shared the meal and appetizer but still walked out with left overs and full stomaches.
Jim says
We frequently split meals. It isn’t about saving money; it’s about either wasting food or feeling stuffed. In most restaurants, particularly in the south, portions are overly large…because many (can you say obese) people expect it. We usually order an extra salad or appetizer and don’t ask for the meal to be split in the kitchen. We tip based on the cost of two meals. If we do ask for a split meal, we don’t object to paying a split plate charge if extra amounts of the sides or salad are added and for the extra effort in the kitchen.
Andrea says
yes, we have split adult meals between 2 kids as it’s less expensive than 2 kids meals and often more food (plus more variety than the 4 kid’s menu options)!
Leigh says
Mu hubs and i just started doing this. We always feel horrible after a big meal out. We recently went out to our fave Mexican joint and of course the chips n salsa were immediately plopped down as we ordered. My hubs chose these Texas Nachos with chicken, steak and shrimp. When it came out, we just put it right in middle of the table and dug in. No shame in our game after 20yrs! We didnt change anything about the dish or ask for extra plates so there wasnt any extra charges and neither of us felt horrible after we ate. Definitely gonna do this more often.
Andrea says
Dave and I actually just did this for lunch today! We split a meal and split a dessert (the kids were with grandparents for a couple hours today!) It’s much nicer than feeling SOOOOO full!
Rick Colvin says
Many restaurants charge for “splitting” a meal because they add extra stuff like potatoes and veggies to the extra plate and split the main entree. This seems reasonable. But, I avoid this extra charge by saying that I want to “share” the a meal, and ask for an extra plate (for me to do the work). But, some restaurants charge $1.50 for the “extra plate”. That is really rude! A work around on that is order something like a side of toast or whatever is cheapest on the menu, so you have a plate to work with. Or just eat off of your companions plate! That is what they deserve for that kind of rude behavior. I hope these suggestions are helpful. You should never have to pay for “sharing” food in a restaurant!
Chef says
As a chef I just had to give my input here, I’m sorry you think it’s rude but if you understood how splitting a meal actually affects the kitchen and the reasturant you might understand the plate charge.
First of all let me say it is easier to cook and plate two orders than it is to cook and plate one split; this is mostly due to mussle memory and the general flow of the hot line, cooks are really good at putting out tons of food very quickly because they are doing the same thing over and over and over. For a rough example, imagine you went into a seafood reasturant and ordered 2 halibut that are both being served with rissoto and asparagus, to us thats the same exact procedure as cooking 1 or even 6 halibut; theyre all getting seasoned and going on the stove at the same time, and the rissoto is all being cooked the same way… but if you order one split, its going to have to be cut first, which now means you have to stop everything you’re doing and find a clean cutting board and a knife and then sanitize your station again, then they have to be cooked seperate from the rest of the halibuts because theyre cut so they will cook at a different rate, then when it comes time to plate them you have to eyeball the portion sizes for the sides and vegetables and sauce instead of using your standard portion scoop/ladle/etc…plus we DO add extra starches and vegetables because if we dont the plate looks skimpy and people complain.
So we know that splitting a meal is harder than cooking two… but does that really justify a price hike? Some people might say no, and thats fine… But also consider that the person in the second chair at a 2 top table is taking up a spot in the reasturant without actually ordering anything, when that chair SHOULD be going to someone who is buying a meal, and the reasturant can only make as much money as chairs they can fill with paying customers so we actually are losing money because seats are being filled by people not ordering a meal.
On top of that we still have to pay the dishwasher to wash your dish, and the waitress is still working to serve you even though you’re not actually buying anything except maybe a drink.
The Reasturant business is probably the hardest bussiness to run with some of the lowest profit margins, one bad week can cost you thousands of dollars on lost product that has gone bad and unnecessary staffing costs. Splitting meals is a somewhat recent dining trend that is growing more and more popular and we HAVE to do something to offset the money it costs the reasturant,in lost business and productivity so a plate charge is necessary.
Again I’m sorry if this seems rude but please remember the alternative would be to jack up the prices on ALL our menu items to compensate which isn’t fair to our regular customers.
Brian says
They are in the business of making a profit, not catering to people who are trying to buck the system. If you you want cheap food at cheap prices, eat at Taco Bell and go thru the drive thru. Asking a business to “split” their menu items does cost money. If you can’t afford to go out, then don’t.
Kevin Manning says
Disagree. If restaurants want to institute a “no sharing” policy, then I will institute a “not eating at that restaurant policy.” But until then, I’m going to continue doing it. If they didn’t serve gargantuan portions, I wouldn’t feel like it’s necessary. Also, would the restaurant rather have an empty table? Adding another person’s presence doesn’t significantly “lose” them money.
Jay Smith says
Please don’t come then…if that is who you are, you don’t belong in my restaurant (and based on your comments, you could not afford or appreciate anything I serve anyways) and trust me, there are no empty tables. Enjoy Taco Bell, or can you afford that?
Annie says
I’m a couple of years late, lol. I was scouring the internet, trying to find someone with the same mindset. I brought this up with my boyfriend and he’s not too happy. I used to always split my meals, because restaurants will serve at least twice the suggested amount, it’s cheaper, and it allows for more of a variety. Like if I wanted chicken and he wanted steak, but I also wanted steak, then I’m able to get half chicken and half steak. Or we have the ability of trying an item from one restaurant and then trying something else at another. I have rarely split an entree with my boyfriend. He’s about twice my size, so he does need more food than me. But lately, I’ve been feeling gross after eating more than half an entree, and uncomfortable knowing that our leftovers don’t always get eaten and that I’m just throwing away money. I told him that I’m not comfortable going out to eat anymore due to what I just said. I’d honestly rather not feel like crap for overeating, or for throwing away food or money. He doesn’t seem to understand where I’m coming from and believes that I’m trying to control what he eats. I guess in a way, he feels like I’m trying to tell him to lose weight. And honestly, he’s not mostly muscle, so I don’t know. But after reading some of the comments, I’ll definitely suggest that we split an appetizer or have a snack, such as a salad, before we go out to eat. Hopefully that causes this situation to be a win-win.
Andrea says
haha — better late than never 🙂
Hope your boyfriend feels the same way!
Melissa says
My friend and her husband always share and I think it’s a good way to keep their budget and their waists trim. I think that my husband and I should try it but he likes to eat different things than I do. I do love tapas restaurants, we’ll order three small plates and share everything. When we went on vacation with our daughter and nephews, it was a lot cheaper to order one adult sized chicken strip and fries meal for all four of them, especially because two are under two years old and really don’t eat much yet.
Tina says
We share, and so do our kids. We don’t let our 4 kids order off the kid menu because it’s so expensive. We order them a regular meal, and they split it. By ordering off the regular menu, they also get a better selection. I refuse to go out and pay for them to eat mac and cheese or pizza at a restaurant too!
Heidi Gail says
We never split meals although we used to feed our toddlers off of our plates. It just seems too cheap (and many restaurants here charge an extra plate charge.) What we do is wait for the BOGO coupons in the mail or newspaper, then we take any extra food home.
Meredith says
Not usually. If the case presents itself we do but that’s rare. The coupons we have in our area are typically Bogo or you have to buy two entrees to get the meal. If we do share, it has to be at a place where you can get a big plate of meat and veggies to go with rice…think thai or chinese. We used to share a lot and I noticed that I was always getting stuck with the smaller portion or eating one French fry at a time while my hubby was eating three to four at a time. I loved him too much not to complain and now we just go to places we all can afford!
Lana says
We’ve been splitting meals for at least the last 25 years! Long ago when my husband’s job moved us and our two small children to Denver and paid us per diem to eat out every meal for four months while we lived in a motel, we bought kids’ meals at nice restaurants plus entrees for us — a few times. We very soon realized we didn’t need that much food! And the “splitting” habit was born. We still split meals when we go out and even with our grown-up girls — and usually the little bitty granddaughters also eat off our plates! Son-in-law doesn’t share our interest for sharing meals, however.
Dee@ Small House Life says
Hmmm.. well it depends on if we want to take the leftovers home.. because we definitely can’t eat a full meal ourselves.
Sometimes we each have a salad and then split the entree.
I don’t know that we actually aim to pay for two meals.. but we generally tip 25-30% unless it’s horrible service.. and then I like to tip 0-10% altho my husband insists we give about 12%
dee
Barb says
My husband & I almost always split meals in nice restaurants when we do go out to eat. We both aren’t picky eaters so it’s easy for us to like what the other one does. Sometimes, we will order separately and then take “to go” boxes for leftovers, which are wonderful! We feel like it’s not wrong to split meals since it can be expensive and by the time you tip, it really adds up, but trying to eat all that food (if you order separately) is not healthy for you and the pounds like to add on.
Julia says
I think splitting a meal is awesome! The amount of food we are served at a sit down restaurant is double the portion size your body should require. Did you know this is because they want you to take home the left overs so you will think about their food the next day so they can lure you back. I also like the idea of asking for a box at the beginning of your meal and taking half of the food and putting it in the take home box. This does two things-gives you a meal for the next day as well as keeping your bacteria out of the leftovers for the next day! Two meals for one price….:)
jan says
Having just visited the US for the first time we were overwhelmed with the portion sizes and how much was packed up ‘to go’. Shared meals make so much sense but her in Australia our meals and drinks are much smaller and it is not common to share, nor is it allowed in many places to take food home incase of mishandling and ensuring health issue and potential litigation. Food here is also much more expensive however we do not have a tipping system.
So vouchers , 2 for 1 deals, savvy ordering and buffet style is usually the way to go….and or maybe a kids eat free night…
Debbie says
We don’t split meals but I almost always leave about half my meal to take home for leftovers. We definitely don’t mind eating leftovers so I look at it as getting at least 2 meals out of 1 when we go out. My husband can eat alot, but now I’ve got him thinking about eating less and saving part of his meal for another one the next day…better for the waistline and wallet! I’ve read somewhere that some people even put half of their meal in a takeout box when they FIRST get their meal for portion control and to ensure they save some for another meal.
Karla says
I live in Canada and I can tell you from traveling to the States often that portion sizes are much larger in the States than in Canada. If my husband and I tried to split the meal we’d both still be hungry. Maybe that’s why there is a smaller percentage of overweight people in Canada?
Jessi says
We are horrible at eating leftovers later, we almost never do it, so we definitely split meals if it’s going to be more than we can eat. But my husband can eat a pretty good amount, so sometimes we each get meals and he finishes his whole meal plus half of mine!
Jessica @ Budget For Health says
Dave & I will usually split meals when we go out since a $40 entertainment allowance won’t get two people far. If we go out with friends, we usually eat beforehand and just get a small appetizer to split…or dessert 🙂 We just got Chinese food last week and got our own, but it lasted for 3 more meals because they give you so much!
Christelle says
We often split meals, because the portions are usully so huge. At fancier restaurants, we might order either a starter or a main, not both. We tip around 15% of the bill.
If we don’t finish all, and itt’s suitable, we take takeaways. There was a radio program on this issue a while ago (I’m in South Africa) and while the etiquette gurus said it is not to be done, the chefs mostly agreed that it is a huge compliment for them if someone wants to take the leftovers home for the next day.
Nessa says
I love splitting meals. We do it to get an appetizer and dessert all the time. I think that if the restaurant minded they would charge a “plate charge” for sharing a meal. Also, places with to-go trays never count.
You have me craving Chinese.
Jill says
We usually go during happy hour and get discounted appetizers as our meal. Between my husband and myself, along with our two toddlers, appetizers are plenty to fill us up. If we aren’t at our favorite restaurant we will each order our own meal and share with the kids. This fills up four people and there are usually leftovers for lunch the following day.
Liz C says
We don’t tend to eat out often, but when we do, sharing is typical. We don’t order from kid menus (our kids like *real* food!), but often two children will share one entree, or we’ll put together a selection of appetizers, etc. When we travel, we’ll sometimes do one fast-food meal, and then it’s very normal to get individual sandwiches, but share two orders of fries among the six of us. Everyone gets plenty, but there’s no pressure to “finish it all.” We do tip well, though!
Katie says
It really depends on where we are going for the meal. If it’s better dining, I typically order a side salad and appetizer, while my husband will order a small steak and small side. Not really to save money, but because I’ll eat it if it’s there, so I choose not to have a big entree. For more casual dining, we do end up splitting an entree, though typically we both will get a side salad or soup to start. Many restaurants charge a split plate fee in our area, so we may end up paying an additional $2-4 to split an entree. And we always tip 30% (or more, depending on the service) for good service, 20% for fair-poor service. In this economy, we simply choose to not eat out as much; but our gratuity percentage stayed the same when we do.
L. says
how do u get gift cards to resturants?
Lisa says
We both buy our own meals, but eat the left overs from lunches for 2 days after.
🙂
Lisa
HighDesertGal says
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HighDesertGal says
We almost always split meals. MUCH better for our waistlines and general health. Note: Just don’t try this in France, they get offended.
Angie says
The number one thing that adds to my bill at a restaurant is when I order a drink! Sodas are over $2 nowadays, ridiculous! I order just water (free and healthier). It takes some getting used to (I love my diet coke!) but its better for my body and my pocketbook!
love your blog by the way, organizing is cathartic, no? 🙂
Juel says
Thank you for pointing out that tipping for two meals is important. If two of you are at a table or both the server is attending to both individuals and should be compensated fairly.
Mary Ann says
We split meals a lot of times but not always. Chinese restaurants, Olive Garden and then some others where we can get a larger meal that also comes with a salad are where we usually split. I don’t feel bad for doing it and we always tip on 2 meals since the server is serving both of us. Many times, they’ll go ahead and split the food for us in the kitchen and bring it out ready to go.
We use coupons and gift cards wherever possible and also sometimes will do the 2/$20 deals that some of the restaurants are featuring now where you can get an appetizer, 2 entrees and sometimes even a dessert for $20.
Since changing our eating habits, we find that eating out is a bit more expensive as sandwiches aren’t in our eating plan. We have been pleasantly surprised at some of the healthier sides that some restaurants are offering now though! But we still look for ways to save when eating out, which is usually about twice a month.
Oh and we almost always drink water which is free!
I know some folks love bringing leftovers home and eating them the next day and we do that on occasion too. But I always think “why spend extra on 2 separate meals that we know we’re not going to be able to finish when we can eat at home so much cheaper anyways?”
Heidi of Operation Organization says
It really is a great idea to split meals from a health standpoint as well because serving sizes are SO huge. 🙂
Tammy Skipper (@Tammy_Skipper) says
We ordered delivery last night but did the exact same thing: split two meals among four of us (two teens might as well be two more adults). We still had leftovers! I think the other reason it makes sense besides money is the waistline. Portions are huge and I cannot imagine how many calories we’d have consumed if we’d each eaten a whole meal.
Ericka says
We often split meals. We love to eat the Steak Gorgonzola Alfredo at Olive Garden, but we find that one meal is sufficient to fill us up since it includes salad and breadsticks.
Sarah says
What does Olive Garden charge to supply the “all you can eat” part of one meal (salad & bread) to two people? That would be one awkward part of splitting meals at some restaurants.
Another way to eat light is to order an appetizer for your meal, depending on the choices.
JD says
We don’t split meals. I am not a very large eater and my husband eats like a lumberjack. The few times that I get more food than I am able to consume he generally polishes that off after finishing his meal.
Amanda @ Newlywed Trek says
Splitting meals doesn’t work for us, only because we have different tastes in food. My husband is VERY picky, so when we go out, it’s a chance for me to eat things I don’t get to fix at home, like mushrooms, shrimp, or spicy food. I love to get Chinese food at the mall, but he’ll go for Italian or Chick-fil-A. We do split desserts though!
Jen says
Same for us, Amanda. My husband hates onions, mushrooms, peppers…well, basically flavor and texture. It’s really annoying, actually. So unless I want to settle for cheese ravioli with basic red sauce every single time, it’s best for me to get my own meal.We just don’t go out to eat very often.
I would love if we could split meals, though! It’s a great idea.
Cathy says
As you cutie pie little girl gets older–don’t get her hooked on kid’s meals! They are usually very unhealthy–I read an article that said the grilled cheese at applebee’s has the fat caloric intake of an entire week.
We’ve always just shared our meals with her.
cassie says
Another thing I do is order the kids meal, especially at Culver’s. Smaller burger and fries, and you get an ice-cream for reduced price and it’s enough for me! My husband can eat a whole meal, so this is a better option for me!
dorothyd says
We do that at Culver’s, too! We all order the kids meal. It’s plenty of food for everyone (even my teenager!) and everyone gets a custard for dessert. I’ve never thought twice about it being “cheap”–it just seems practical.