10 WAYS TO CONTROL RESTAURANT PORTIONS

A bad portion size, whether it's food or drink, can be the beginning of the end. Controlling it, however, can lead to better profitability.

Consumer packaged goods are masters at shrinking volume and keeping prices the same, or even increasing them. Restaurants can become just as adept, but the old school method – filling out a dish with lower-cost ingredients – isn't as effective anymore. Yes, a dish can be balanced so that a higher-cost protein is accompanied by lower-cost items. But there's more to it.

1. CHANGE PLATES AND GLASSWARE

Reducing the amount of food in an appetizer or entrée works better if it's served on a smaller plate. It also helps cooks, preventing them from adding more than the portion that's been calculated for food costs, says Michael Midgley of Midgley's Public House in Stockton, California. He also uses drink-appropriate glassware for the bar. “You don't need a (beer) pint glass for a vodka tonic,” he says. “Smaller plates and glassware have made a huge difference.”

2. KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE

Value can be subjective. Eight small housemade ravioli filled with ricotta and served in a simple, fresh marinara with basil for $30 might fly at Anti co Nuovo in Los Angeles, but would be a tough sell elsewhere.

3. BALANCE YOUR MENU

Chef Richie Farina at the Adorn Bar & Restaurant at the Four Seasons Hotel Chicago balances out food costs throughout a variety of dishes on his tasting menu.

“If one course has caviar on it, then I'll have a vegetarian course that's still delicious and creative, but might have a smaller percentage cost per plate,” he says. That vegetarian course might be seared heart of palm with young coconut, or a maitake mushroom plate with kombu, kale and pickled romanesco. “Dishes that are inventive and fun create value,” he says. “I'm driven to create value not only on the plate, but also in the dining experience for guests.”

4. REMOVE WEIGHTS FROM THE MENU

If you offer the weight of meat on the menu, stop. Ounces mean more to you than a customer, unless it's large and you need to justify the cost. At the Trump International Hotel Waikiki, executive chef Joseph Rose has reduced portion sizes on dishes like prime beef, from a 14-ounce New York strip to a 12-ounce portion, without any pushback.

5. OFFER MORE CHOICES

Scott Weiner, founder of The Fifty/50 Restaurant Group, has raised prices across the board at his Chicago restaurants, but he's careful to keep more accessible entry-level items on the menu. When he raised prices on his 12-inch pizzas at Roots Pizza, he also added a lower-cost margherita pizza to offset the more expensive specialty choices.

6. JUST SAY GOODBYE

The loss leader is losing its cache in the current environment. “Some items like king crab or Dungeness crab, I just don't use at all anymore,” Rose says. But if an ingredient or dish is that popular, price it accordingly, so it's a money-maker.

7. LET FLAVOR DO THE WORK

It's unlikely any guest will notice thinly-sliced bacon over a thicker-cut version in an omelet though your bottom line will feel it for the better. Flavorful ingredients like bacon or goat cheese can be reduced, too. For example, at breakfast, Rose's team is using thinner slices of bacon, and two eggs instead of three in omelets.

8.MAKE IT SHAREABLE

Food that can be divided among the party can justify the cost, or even work as an upsell. These items, from bread service to dips, should also be low-cost and low-labor.

“I've added more shareable items, where we can make money, but that are a good value to the guest.” For example, Rose uses fish trim for a popular smoked fish dip with taro chips, checking off the box for reducing waste and maximizing all of the protein.

9. GO WITH PRE-PORTIONED

Midgley is a fan of pre-portioned ingredients, such as trench fries, as a better way to help cooks maintain portion control. But he's seen even better results with pre-cut steaks, which fell out of favor for some chefs when whole-animal butchery became a trend.

10. KEEP VALUE

When Weiner opened Kindling earlier this year, the bistro steak worked as the more affordable option alongside more expensive cuts. “We haven't made plates smaller to make portions look bigger, but we definitely try to create the impression of value,” he says.

In the best-case scenario, only increasing prices might raise eyebrows among regular customers. Worst case? They stop being regulars, opt for a lower-cost restaurant or dine out less.