Providing flexible food portions in a restaurant setting: impact on business operations, food consumption and food waste (390.3)
Year: 2014
Type: article
Study design: Clinical Trial
Abstract: Large portion sizes in restaurants have been identified as a public health risk. A field experiment was conducted to examine the impact of offering flexible portion sizes in a sit‐down restaurant setting in St. Paul MN on business operations, food consumption and waste. Patrons were surveyed online at the beginning and end of the study to determine their likelihood of purchasing reduced portion size menu items. Purchasing, consumption and food waste data were collected throughout the study. Reduced sized portions were added to the menus halfway through the study in the spring of 2013. The management team was interviewed at the completion of the study. Patron survey data and observational data on actual customer choices showed that a large proportion of customers (>25%) were willing to purchase the reduced portion items. Analyses of choice and plate waste data show that food consumed per seating decreased 29% and share of food wasted decreased >30% with the addition of reduced portion items. The management team reported the added items provided higher profit margins and improved customer satisfaction and has implemented the menu changes indefinitely. Promoting voluntary introductions of flexible portions may be a viable policy alternative to more restrictive regulation options. Grant Funding Source : Supported by the Food Policy Research Center, University of Minnesota, supported through USDA NIFA
Source: The FASEB Journal
Institution: University of Minnesota
Language: English
Subfield: Food Science
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W1763803716