Split in Half: Why Sharing a Meal is the “In” Thing to Do

With the recession putting a damper on everything, including one’s ability to enjoy a hearty meal at a restaurant by himself, people are looking for ways to cut costs fast. The great thing about this is that you can still save dollars while still getting the chance to dine outside the house.

Jessica Secord and her husband are a good example of a couple who looks for ways to cut costs. She reports that they would share a particular dish or use a coupon to avail of a buy one take one meal each time they dine outside the house. Another practice they do is spilling an entrée and other orders in half. The couple from Grand Rapids, Michigan also reports that they do not order desserts regularly – and if they do, you can count on the fact that they share it between the two of them.

Budget Tactics Employed by Diners

Restaurants mention that their customers are employing the same tactics like that of the Secord couple in order to have a sense of budget as they dine out. David Pogrebin, the general manager of Brasserie, a French restaurant in New York, affirms this. He goes on to say that in restaurants like theirs, where a simple hamburger can cost eighteen dollars and entrees usually start at thirty dollars, the practice of sharing meals is becoming commonplace. One, Pogrebin even noticed that there were three people who had ended up sharing an iced that that came with unlimited refills. Despite it being shocking for some, the restaurant did not do anything to stop them – as people are now learning new ways to become frugal during these hard times.

Withering Looks: Grin and Bear It?

However, being penny pinchers especially in fine dining restaurants would not always merit a smile and a sense of understanding. There are still a lot of diners who experience receiving withering looks from their server because of such requests or attempts to cut costs. However, not much can be done by those on the side of the restaurant business. Because of high unemployment and smaller paychecks, a lot of consumers see that being frugal is not really that big of a crime – social or otherwise. Marcy Robison from Columbus Ohio carefully agrees. She claims that she may sometimes worry about people seeing her as a cheapskate, but this is quelled over the fact that she is still taking her money and spending it on meals outside the home. The stay at home mom firmly says that as they are trying to be in control of their finances, it is easier to withstand the disapproving looks from others who find fault in their penny-pinching ways. For as long as one can save a bit of money and have a good time with the family, it is all good.