Incredible shrinking restaurant portions, and other sneaky tricks
Filed under: Bargains, Food, Ripoffs and Scams, Recession
The Times talks to restaurant owners who are finding ways to stretch a buck, mostly by serving cheaper ingredients and smaller portions. At fancy places, that means smaller lobsters at some exorbitant price and hanger steak instead of strip steaks. Some places are offering early bird specials and bar specials. Some are considering no-show fees. Like airlines that keep tacking on fees for things that used to be free, that's probably going to be the last straw for casual diners. Freelance writer Carol Vinzant covered 10 restaurant tricks, for WalletPop back in May.
Coping With the Economy
As economic troubles keep diners at home, restaurants are starting to cut back on portion sizes and are using cheaper ingredients -- even high-end hot spots. In New York, restaurant owners admit to shrinking lobsters, subbing shiitake mushrooms for morels and offering discount appetizers.
Larry Crowe, AP
To combat high food prices, many shoppers are turning to bulk purchases, which is driving up sales of stand-alone freezers. A new study shows that sales were up 7 percent in the first six months of the year.
M. Spencer Green, AP
Soaring prices for scrap metal may make demolition derbies a thing of the past. Owners who used to sell their worn-out wheels for $50 to $100 are turning to scrap dealers instead, getting nearly triple the price.
Al Fenn, Time Life Pictures / Getty Images
Cities are cracking down on people who steal from recycling bins, but the practice is getting so widespread that some weekly newspaper publishers going further and hiring private detectives and setting up stakeouts to catch poachers in the act.
Paul Sakuma, AP
With foreclosures at an all time high, homeless is rising sharply. One study says that 54 percent of foreclosure victims list moving into emergency shelters as one of their plans. More details.
Mario Tama, Getty Images
Swearing by strategies like coasting with their engines off, filling their tires to dangerous capacity and suffering in the summer heat instead of cranking up the A/C, "hypermilers" obsessively coax dozens more miles out of each gallon. More details.
David McNew, Getty Images
Joshua Persky, left, an unemployed financial engineer, took to the streets of New York wearing a sign saying "MIT Graduate for Hire" More details.
Mark Lennihan, AP
Philadelphia Sheriff John D. Green took the mortgage mess into his own hands this spring when he refused to hold a court-ordered foreclosure auction to try to give homeowners more time to work out a deal with their lenders.
Philadelphia Sheriffs Department
Michigan's Oakland County and New York's Suffolk County may join many companies across the country that are considering four-day workweeks for employees to try to cut gas costs.
Ted S. Warren, AP
There may be a lot more kids around in your neighborhood this summer as families seem to be cutting back on sending kids to camp, or will be sending them for shorter stays. Many private camps are reporting drops in enrollment, while non-profit camps are reporting little growth.
Jim Cole, AP
In the long run, if we eat less, we will be healthier as a nation. But we still ought to get what we pay for. If we are paying premium prices for food, we should get premium food. And, most of all, if we are paying more, we shouldn't be getting less.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 6)
9-04-2008 @ 9:33PM
josephine said...
Recently the tecnition that did yearly cleaning of my furnace and air conditioner, two months ago he told me the AC had three leaks and i needed a new air conditioner, that my Ac would not last the day. I didnt comply and my Ac has been working just fine for the last three months. I would appreciate a suggestion from some one, telling my what i should do about this. they must be doing this to other senior citizens
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9-05-2008 @ 2:14PM
PETER said...
YEARS AGO WHEN COFFEE PRICES WENT SKY ROCKET ALL THE DID WAS PACKAGE IN 12.5oz CAN INSTEAD OF A ONE POUNDER
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9-05-2008 @ 2:31PM
Victoria said...
"In the long run, if we eat less, we will be healthier as a nation. But we still ought to get what we pay for. If we are paying premium prices for food, we should get premium food. And, most of all, if we are paying more, we shouldn't be getting less."
You are getting what you paid for. Restaurants are facing an increase in all their costs. If the restaurant says they are selling a dish with morels in it, yes, they should have morels and not shittakes. However, you don't pay the same for a burger that you did in the '60s. The same holds true for today. Prices go up. Restaurants already struggle to make a profit. If a restaurant makes a 7% profit, they are wildly successful. Considering most restaurants have food cost between 30-40%, this is a huge issue.
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9-05-2008 @ 4:23PM
Cathy said...
Thank you, Victoria, for pointing out that our costs as restaurant owners increase, and we can't just give the food away. This is our business and how we make a living. While we are honest with our customers - and we do not compromise our food quality because of our increased costs; unfortunately, there are probably some people out there who are not quite as honest, and, as you know, many people just look for things to criticize and they generalize, and group all of us together even though there are honest ones like us in the restaurant business. Anyway, thanks again, for your comments which point out the facts.
9-05-2008 @ 9:22PM
Bill said...
Restaurants don't use premium ingredients, I know I worked at one They don't care about the customers, they provide alot of bad fats and high calories
9-05-2008 @ 8:17PM
Bwana said...
Amen
9-06-2008 @ 8:30AM
Rhg said...
I agree with Victoria.....You are getting what you pay for, as costs go up, prices increase. To think otherwise is absurd.
9-06-2008 @ 4:51PM
Richard said...
VIctoria, I absolutly agree with you. Our product prices have skyrocketed and on top of that 90% of our vendors have tacked on fuel charges on deliveries. With all the competition in the restaurant business, it is very difficult to raise prices. We still give our customers exactly what is on the menu and the same portion size as always, but have started to charge for the little extras that customers used to expect for free. That 7% profit you mentioned sounds good to me, wish I could hit that number. Thanks for your comment...
9-05-2008 @ 3:02PM
FOODFURIOUS said...
At least in a restaurant, if portion sizes shrink, you can complain, tell your friends and refuse to go back. Grocery stores across the country are perpetrating a HUGE fraud on the shopping public. They downsize exterior packaging or layer more interior packaging and still charge the same (or even higher) prices. The small cans of coffee, those in the 12.5 to 13 ounce size(weight) are in the same can size as an old-fashioned 16 ounce portion. Just ask me, I have a whole wall full of the old ones in my garage holding nuts and bolts. How about margarine???? MY large tub used to weigh 3 pounds. Now, in the same sized container it weighs 41 ounces.Why?? Because they have infused it with enough air to make it all light and fluffy(?) and make you think you are getting the same bang for your food buck. Bottom line, look around your store. We are all getting nailed without getting kissed first!!!!
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9-05-2008 @ 10:01PM
ken said...
I agree with you that you need to check the products that you buy and make sure you are getting the most for your money. But you have it wrong on blaming the grocery stores, it is the food manufactures that are to blame, with Kraft being one of the worst. I have stopped buying many of their items because first they raise the price and then they make the item contain less and keep the price the same and them a month or two later they raise the price again. Some items I used to buy have almost doubled in price in the last 8 months, while the store brand equivalents have gone up only about 10-15%.
9-06-2008 @ 12:06PM
AJ said...
You have a right to be mand, as am I, but you have the wrong target!!!! Grocery stores don't package the food, they just sell it. They don't even have full ocngtrol over the pricing of it, since they have to pay the food companies for it. Get your targets correct, and contact trhe food companies about their deceptive practices. Yes, they are cutting a few ounces here and a few there, thinking we won't notice. And they raise the price a few cents here and there, again, thinking we won't mind. It all adds up. Go to locally owned and operated grocery stores and farm stands. They are more in control of their products and pricing, and I have found them to be ethical usually.
9-05-2008 @ 3:01PM
e said...
I split my burger in half anyway--there are so many calories and the portions are huge anyway.
But, I can't help but think it is not only because of costs. It may also be because of health conscience people not eating at the greasy spoons.
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9-05-2008 @ 3:17PM
stan said...
Robert A. Heinlein said it best. TANSTAAFL
There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch
It reffered to a time when bars and saloons would put out "free" snacks or cold cut trays maybe even sandwitches but one must realize that the "free Lunch" has to raise the prices on the beer and booze.
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9-05-2008 @ 3:40PM
John said...
I was going to weigh in on another subject, But for the poster in KY, last Friday we feasted on Culls for $4.50 a LB. A cull is a lobster with one claw missing or very small. It all taste the same, But it is not something that you will see in a restaurant, they make the Lobster Salad from them.
Living in New England has it's Benefits
The other thing that I was going to add was that all Prime Rib is cooked very rare ( most places) 1 dip in the AU JUS and it is Medium Rare, 2 dips and it is Medium etc.
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9-05-2008 @ 5:17PM
Jerry said...
Dipping prime rib in Au Jus has nothing to do with how done it is. The temperature it reaches and how long it stays at that temperature determines how rare or well done it is.
9-06-2008 @ 2:28PM
Enviroman said...
Au Jus has nothing to do with the temperature of prime rib. The time it is in the oven and the temperature determines how "done" it gets.
9-05-2008 @ 3:16PM
max said...
why don't everyone stay home and cook a meal as a family
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9-05-2008 @ 6:00PM
Lili said...
Jay, It's English, with a capital E you idiot!
9-05-2008 @ 6:14PM
Lili said...
Jay, it's English with a capital E Einstein!
9-05-2008 @ 6:36PM
Lizard said...
Ahh, I wanted to point that out. English is spelled with a capital "E." At least Jay didn't write "grammer," like most do when correcting others.