Are Portion Sizes Ruining Your Restaurant Food Cost?

You’re not going to get your food cost under control if you let your restaurant guests throw your money away in the trash. And trust me, they are. Every time plates come back with half the food untouched, you’re not feeding your guests, you’re feeding the garbage can. To help you, I’m talking about some fancy new system or expensive tech. We’re going back to basics: portion control. It may not be flashy, but it’s one of the fastest ways to plug food cost leaks, and you can start today.

Why big portions are bad restaurant business

Think about it: big portions equal big waste, which equals big food cost. It’s that simple.

You might think your guests will love you more if you give them monster portions. But here’s the truth: when half the food ends up in the trash, you’re not just wasting product, you’re wasting profit. And when plate costs start climbing, it’s easy to blame your distributor. But sometimes, the real culprit is you and your over-portioning habits.

The French fry fiasco

Let me give you a real example. I talk about this all the time at seminars, group coaching calls and one-on-ones. Say you’re running a million-dollar-a-year restaurant and your number one side is French fries. With portion control alone, you could be saving $300 to $500 per week. Don’t believe me?

There was one restaurant owner I worked with — name left out for good reason. His food costs were out of control. We implemented recipe costing cards, portion controls, prep systems, inventory — everything. But he still noticed something was off. So, he turned to his waste tracker, a simple clipboard system where anything wasted gets written down so it can be addressed right away.

What he found was shocking. His cooks were opening full bags of French fries and dumping them into the fryer — even during slow hours — so they could portion them quickly later. The result? Cold, limp fries that died under the heat lamp, day after day. Every single day, fries were tossed in the trash. $500 a week gone. That’s $26,000 a year in French fries alone.

The turnaround

We fixed it with one simple change: pre-portioning fries during slower hours. Full bags were only cooked during rush times. Even then, cooks were required to use a cup, scale, or bowl to ensure accurate portions on the plate every single time.

The owner took it seriously. When one cook ignored the policy and dumped a full bag in the fryer after 1 p.m., the owner marched up to him, asked for $20, took the bill and set it on fire. Dramatic? Yes. Would I recommend that? No. But it made a lasting impression — and the culture changed.

Leadership, not just portions

Here’s the lesson: if your team can throw your money away without a second thought, you’ve got more than a portion control issue; you’ve got a leadership opportunity.

Portion control isn’t about being cheap. It’s about being smart. Guests don’t remember how many fries were on their plate. They remember if they were hot, crispy and delicious. They remember consistency. And consistency is what makes or breaks an independent restaurant.

Chains may not always be great, but they’re consistent — and that’s why guests keep going back. We need to offer the same reliability. One day shouldn’t be a massive portion, the next day a tiny one. Portion control is consistency. Consistency drives customer satisfaction and satisfaction drives profitability.

The system is the solution

When your team executes the same portioning process day in and day out, it becomes habit. And that habit becomes your system — your way of doing business. This locks in profitability and consistency.

Use measuring tools: portion bags, scoops, train your staff to weigh and track. These aren’t optional — they’re mission critical.

Want to lower your food cost? Start by looking in the trash. If food is coming back uneaten, that’s a clue. If it’s getting tossed before it hits the plate, that’s a red flag.

Portion control doesn’t make you cheap. It makes you profitable. And profitable restaurants are run by owners who actually get to live their lives.

Be sure to visit my YouTube channel for more helpful restaurant management video tips.