Question:
Why do WLS patients ask for restaurant discounts?
I keep hearing people complain that restaurants will not give them discounts. Why are the discounts necessary? When out, I order a normal meal, then bring leftovers home. I had a revelation today that maybe there is reason other than money that people prefer to order half-meals. Is it because of the grazing that may happen while it sits on our plate (which I am guilty of)? Or the compulsion to eat the leftovers as soon as possible (which I can see me being guilty of also)? Or, is it the food forcing on our dining partner (my chubby hubby can attest to this one!)? I understand some think they're not getting their $ worth at a buffet, but we avoid buffets. I am talking about a normal sit-down restaurant. Why do you order from a child's menu or try to order 1/2 an entree? Thanks! — ruokannie (posted on August 25, 2004)
August 25, 2004
There is a whole bunch of answers to this question in the library on this
site.
— ChristineB
August 25, 2004
Good survey Annie! I have to say yes, yes and yes, to the questions you
raise....(graze, eat it asap, poor hubby getting the "oh just eat
it" plead, etc)...also, a biggie for me is, I'm not necessarily going
right home, and I find half of a fajita sitting in my hot summer car to be
nauseating after leaving the mall or movie...that really is my biggest pet
peeve about the oversized meals served (no I won't pack a cooler to take
along on my evenings out). I generally skip restraunts that don't offer
lighter fare, or half meals, or meal acceptable appetizers (shrimp skewers
are ok vs. a bloomin onion, not ok).I don't want to lug around
unrefridgerated food. I do see more and more places offering smaller
portions, healthier menu items (the power of customer demand!!) Hopefully
this trend will become the norm, and we (as a society) will be able to have
plenty of TASTY, healthy, lower cal/fat, smaller portioned (and fairly
priced!) meals. I was jumping for joy over Applybee's Weight Watchers
meals, until I realized they were just keeping half the meal and charging
me MORE (not even the same) as the large meals and desserts. I only made
that mistake ONCE. There are plenty of places that charge a fair price and
healthier fare though,fortunatly. I actually started a restraunt rating
board on a local, private wls website I belong to...so as you can see I can
really appreciate the question. Take care!
Kim open RNY 7/17/01 282/150ish/135ish
— KimBo36
August 25, 2004
The one thing people overlook is that the amount of food has nothing to
with the cost of the meal. The cost is the electricity, paying the staff,
the rent, etc. Whether people eat their meal or not is no consequence to
the restaurant financially.
I usually just order a side salad and maybe a meat appetizer. Sometimes
just soup. If I'm hungry, I'll get a meal and do the leftovers.
— mrsmyranow
August 25, 2004
I think it is kind of unfair that post-ops expect special treatment from
restaurants. It is our business that we had WLS, not the restaurant. I,
as others have said, try my best to eat at restaurants that serve decent
appetizers and will order that and a salad. Sometimes I will just order
what I like and bring leftovers home. Other times, at diners where
portions are notoriously large, I will share a meal with my son, which
usually contains an extra dinner salad with the entree for a few $$, eating
the protein part of the meal. We usually have leftovers even when we
share. As another poster said, the actual cost of the food is minimal in
comparison to the other costs that a restaurant encounters. We still get
waited on, so we should still compensate the restaurant. I just try to stay
away from buffets as a rule.
— Fixnmyself
August 25, 2004
Although I do not order from the child's menu or ask for lunch orders
during dinner, I do wish that restaraunts wouldn't make their portions so
big. Do ANY of us really need more than 1000 calories in one large plate?
Restaurants should offer smaller portions of some of their menu
items...like if you order chicken fajitas, you should be able to get a
portion for ONE person, not an entire village! Right now, I order whatever
I want from the menu, and take home the leftovers, which I eat for three
more meals before handing it off to the dog.
— [Deactivated Member]
August 25, 2004
I have never asked for a smaller portion or asked to order off of the kids
menu. I think that's rude. When I go out to eat, I order what I want, eat
what i need and leave the rest. It's my business, my issue, my problem, my
concern, my everything. Not the restaurants. Just my opinion. :)
— RebeccaP
August 25, 2004
I figure that at buffets I was not charged more for eating more than a
normal amount before I had WLS why should they give me a discount now.
— jenafwife
August 25, 2004
You'll see this come up often on this site and you'll get a lot of
different viewpoints on it. That's the beauty of this site........you get
LOTS of input then you get to figure out what works for you. I had one of
those discount cards but knew I'd never use it so I threw it away. My
feeling was the same as some others.....I never paid more when I ate
everything on my plate so don't feel it's fair to ask for a discount now
that I can't eat it all. Here is what I do: if I'm going home afterward,
I'll ask for a carry-out box at the same time I order the meal and when I'm
full, I'll put the remainder in the box, out of sight. If I'm not going
straight home and know the food won't survive 'til I can refrigerate it, I
just leave it on the plate. If my husband is with me, we collaborate on
what to order and he will share with me or eat part of mine. If I'm not
taking it home or hubby isn't eating it, (I don't try to talk him into
eating it since he has always been thin and I don't want him to battle with
weight like I have) I put salt all over it so that I won't be tempted to
keep picking. I always try to order from the appetizer menu if possible
because the portions are small and I never order a sandwich or anything
with white bread because I know if I took part of that home, I'd be back
into it within a couple of hours.
Also, several years ago, I had a series of tapes by Geneen Roth called
"breaking free." I use one of the strategies from that before I
order. I don't even look at the menu before I order. I sit for a minute
and think about what I'm really hungry for then order that if it is
available. When I do that, it only takes a few bites to satisfy me. So,
as you can see, there are a lot of ways to manage this monkey on our backs
without having to ask for discounts or special treatment so best of luck in
finding what works for you.
— scbabe
August 25, 2004
I think its kind of neat now,, when we go out to eat, whomever I'm with
eats there meal, and I get to take half or more of my meal home,, so for
the same price there getting one meal,, and I'm getting 2-3 meals out of
it.
— Amy Hoffman
August 25, 2004
There are many sides to this issue that can be explored. American
restaurants offer larger portions than most of us as post-ops can eat.
Why? Because it's the basic laws of supply and demand. Restaurants offer
what the buying public demand. Many struggle with this issue because for
them money is short and they want to get their money's worth. Many
struggle with the leftovers and what to do with them--waste them or take
them home for a later meal or grazing. For me, I don't consider it a waste
if I leave something on my plate. I eat what I can--take it home if I want
and leave it if I want. It's not like they can serve it to someone else.
I try to stay away from all you can eat and do frequent places that offer
smaller portions. I do like it that places like Applebee's have started
having good, tasty, half-sized portions that are actually good. Heck I can
make 3 meals off of a MacDonald's premium salad. It's all in your
perspective. I've never used my restaurant card. I consider it rude and
trying to be a bit on the cheap side and I don't want to live like that.
The restaurants didn't charge me more when I could eat more so why should I
expect a discount now. Restaurants have to pay their employees and have a
right to expect to make a profit, so who am I to quibble if I choose to
frequent their establishment. It's a choice.
— Cathy S.
August 25, 2004
The kid's meal is to bland and usually to boring, and I don't like wasting
food (from childhood, "eat everything on your plate"). So, what
my husband and I do is: he orders a "regular" meal and I will
order a small salad. I take what I can eat off of his plate and eat what I
can of the salad, then he will finish the salad off. That way, he is not
eating two meals, nor do I have to worry about left-overs and both of us
are full! We have never had a problem in any resturant by doing this - so
everyone is happy!! Danette
— Danette C.
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