The Restaurant Meal Deal You Should Consider Avoiding
Restaurants like Olive Garden and Red Robin are known for their unlimited appetizers, but it's exactly these deals you should consider skipping if you want to avoid wasting food. Sometimes, the best thing about a restaurant are its appetizers, like soft, warm breadsticks or endless french fry baskets. They're great at first, but we've all been there: you've enjoyed a few appetizer rounds and you're full before your food even arrives.
It's not your fault, it's easy to keep snacking when the server brings fresh (and free) appetizers every time you're running low. However, the food left on the table will contribute to the 22 to 33 billion tons of food that American restaurants waste every year and to the ½ pound of food waste created for every meal served (via Move for Hunger).
Instead of the unlimited deal, consider asking the server for a single-serve appetizer recommendation. Or, if you've considered it and choose to go the unlimited option anyways, remember they're "unlimited" for a reason. They aren't going anywhere, so you can enjoy them at a slower pace while still saving room for your meal and contributing less food waste. But, if you fall victim to the bottomless deal and end up with more food than you planned, don't throw it away. Try making a new meal with your leftovers instead.
Unlimited appetizers are a good marketing strategy
Bottomless appetizers are the ultimate marketing strategy. If they weren't, so many of the biggest restaurants wouldn't have followed in TGI Friday's footsteps after they offered the first unlimited appetizer deal in 2014.
These deals get people in the door and excited about what they're ordering. Once the customer is there, it's easy to set them up to spend more. Offering salty chips and salsa? You can then charge for refills or additional drinks. Or maybe the chips and salsa entice the customer to order guacamole and queso, so they can have all their favorite dips. People are also inclined to spend more to compensate for feeling like they're receiving something at a discount or for free.
So next time you're at your favorite restaurant, think about what you want to get out of your meal and what will help you avoid wasting food. There's nothing wrong with enjoying appetizers, or with falling for the marketing strategy and being excited about the unlimited deals. But before jumping straight to the bottomless baskets, consider what will satisfy you the best without leaving food on the table.