Visited more than 20 restaurants and found that few small dishes are available, where did half a dish go?

Small dishes, half dishes, where did they go? [The reporter visited more than 20 hotels and found that few were provided]

● With the introduction and implementation of the Anti-Food Waste Law, small dishes and half dishes were once popular among consumers, and many merchants also launched related dishes in a timely manner. But nowadays, few restaurants set up small dishes and half dishes offline, mainly because the cost of time, manpower and material resources has risen, and the unit price is more expensive

● Compared with offline catering, small dishes on takeaway platforms are easier to find, but there are also many problems: some restaurants have fewer categories, that is, the types of small dishes provided are much smaller than conventional dishes, generally only six or seven; Some restaurants are not cost-effective, that is, the amount of small dishes is less, but the price is not much cheaper

● It is recommended that merchants integrate the prevention of catering waste into the business process and include it in the employee assessment; Food delivery platforms can add an "anti-waste" score to the review feedback, which not only urges merchants to fulfill their anti-waste obligations, but also reminds consumers to pay attention to savings. At the same time, in response to the operating pressure of small and medium-sized restaurants, takeaway platforms can consider giving certain support to small and medium-sized restaurants that launch small and half dishes, such as reducing commission rates and providing digital support

□ Zhao Li, reporter of this newspaper

□ Intern Hu Miao

"We don't have a small dish here, we've never set it" "I used to have half a dish, and the effect was not good, and it was canceled"...

A few days ago, a reporter from "Rule of Law Daily" came to Xidan Joy City in Xicheng District and Shuangqiao Wanda Plaza in Chaoyang District, and visited more than 20 restaurants, including well-known chain restaurants, as well as small shops with barbecue, hot pot, spring cakes and other special dishes.

Among them, 4 restaurants originally had small and half dishes, but they were later cancelled. The only noodle restaurant that offers small portions, and there are no small dishes on the menu, and only after the reporter asked did it say that it could provide small dishes.

In the past, with the introduction and implementation of the anti-food waste law, small dishes and half dishes were once popular among consumers, and many merchants also launched related dishes in a timely manner. In March this year, the China Consumers Association, together with seven industry associations, societies and chambers of commerce, jointly issued an initiative, including actively promoting small and half dishes.

However, the reporter's investigation found that there are not many restaurants around that provide small or half dishes. A number of consumers from Beijing and Tianjin told reporters that whether they went to restaurants to eat or ordered takeaway, they felt that the small portions and half dishes were not as much as before.

People can't help but ask: where did the small portions, half dishes, go?

It's hard to find small portions for dine-in

Either no or cancel

"There was a time when I ordered takeout, I felt that there were a lot of small dishes, but now there are significantly fewer merchants that provide small dishes." Ms. Lin, who works near Financial Street in Beijing's Xicheng District, said.

As for small portions, among the 50 consumers randomly interviewed by the reporter, nearly 40 consumers had the same feelings as Ms. Lin.

Ms. Wen, a Beijing resident, remembers that when she ordered food on takeaway platforms last year, many restaurants offered "one-person" small dishes that were one-third or more cheaper than the normal amount of dishes, but this year they were almost invisible, "I don't know why the small portions and half of the dishes disappeared."

Beijing citizen Mr. Zhao and his golfers often go to a nearby Sichuan restaurant to eat after playing ball, the amount of dishes in this restaurant is relatively large, and the dishes that golfers love to eat are different, so they and the boss proposed to provide small portions and half dishes, but the boss shirked on the grounds that the chef was troublesome. "Every time you get together, you have a lot of food leftover, which is too wasteful."

Many people have experienced the rejection after asking for small portions. Xiao Han, who was studying at a university in Beijing, met with a friend to eat at a northeastern restaurant near Wangfujing some time ago, and saw that other customers ordered a large amount of dishes, Xiao Han was worried about waste, so he asked the waiter if he had a small dish and whether he could make a small portion, and the other party replied that "no" and "can't". "We had to order normally, but we didn't finish it, and there was a lot left."

In order to further understand the setting of small dishes in the restaurant, the reporter recently came to Xidan Joy City, Xicheng District, Beijing. At about 7 p.m., there were long queues at the entrance of many restaurants, and the reporter randomly asked more than 10 restaurants whether they provided small dishes, and only one noodle restaurant replied that "the menu does not indicate large portions, but small portions can be provided by customers", and the rest of the restaurants said that "only normal dishes, no small dishes".

At a noodle shop that specializes in six ingredients, including fat sausage, pop belly, squid, and shrimp paste, the reporter noticed that there were only two options on the menu, normal portions and increased portions after markup. Faced with the reporter's question "If the normal portion is not finished, can you order a small portion", the waiter of the store replied that "we are all normal portions here, there are no small portions".

At Shuangqiao Wanda Plaza in Beijing's Chaoyang District, the setting of small dishes is not much different. The reporter still randomly interviewed more than 10 restaurants, and the other party unanimously said that "small dishes are not provided", some replied "never thought of setting it", and some said "it was set before, but it was canceled if it was not effective".

The reporter also noticed a phenomenon: even if the same restaurant provides small portions on the take-out platform, if it goes to dine-in, there is no option for small portions.

Ms. Fan, who works in Beijing, encountered this problem precisely because she ordered a small portion of takeaway from a restaurant, and once happened to pass by this restaurant, so she wanted to order a small dish for dine-in, but there was no option to order a small dish or half a dish.

"I am now eating alone in a restaurant outside, and if I want to mix meat and vegetables, I can only eat fast food such as ramen, because ordinary restaurants can only order normal portions, and there will inevitably be a lot left." Ms. Fan complained that some time ago she went to a restaurant and ordered a meat and a vegetarian, but the amount of dishes was super large, and finally she had to pack it and eat the leftovers for two days.

There is no standard for quantitative pricing

Customers don't think it's a good deal

Restaurants that don't have small portions are frustrating for consumers, but some restaurants that offer small portions don't make people happy.

The reporter's investigation found that compared with offline catering, small dishes on takeaway platforms are easier to find, but there are also many problems: some restaurants have fewer categories, that is, the types of small dishes provided are much smaller than conventional dishes, generally only six or seven, and only one or two less; Some restaurants are not cost-effective, that is, the amount of small dishes is less, but the price is not much cheaper.

Some interviewees clicked on the takeaway platform to show reporters that a small portion of sour and spicy shredded potatoes in a certain store was sold for 15 yuan, while the normal portion was sold for 18 yuan, only 3 yuan difference, "the portion was reduced by half, but the price was only reduced a little, which is too unreasonable."

Xiao Yang, who is a graduate student in Beijing, also noticed this problem, and she calculated an account: some small dishes and half dishes only have one-third of the amount of large dishes, but the price is half of the large dishes; Some portions are marked with a small portion of 1 person, and the price is almost two-thirds of the normal amount of the dish, or even less. "Many restaurants only label '1 serving' on their takeaway menus without specific grams, which is just a cheaper business, and it is difficult for consumers to get benefits."

The reporter saw on a take-out platform that on the take-out menu of a hotel, Kung Pao chicken was priced at 38 yuan / 1 box, a small portion was priced at 26 yuan / 1 person, and the specific amount of 1 box and 1 person was not marked. On the takeaway menu of another restaurant, the small portions of shredded fish and meat are 26 yuan and 39 yuan respectively, and the portions are labeled as "1 box". There is also a small fried chicken taken out by a restaurant, the difference between the small portion and the normal amount is 10 yuan, and the portion is labeled as "about 350 grams".

The reporter then ordered several large portions and small portions of several dishes on the take-out platform for comparison, and found that the amount of some small dishes was only one-third of the large dishes, and the price was half of the large dishes, or even more.

Although some merchants provide small portions and half dishes, they set a threshold for delivery, such as clearly marking "a small dish will not be delivered" or "the price of a small dish does not meet the delivery standard". "We can only order multiple small dishes with discounts and coupons, and use multiple boxes, which is a lot higher and wasteful." Xiao Yang said.

The reporter noticed that some consumers complained on the take-out platform that the merchant did not indicate the specifications and portions of small dishes, resulting in their own difficulty in estimating the actual portion of the dish, and sometimes it was clear that it was a small dish, and the amount of dishes that could be received was too much, which eventually led to waste. Some consumers say that the price of small dishes and large dishes is not much different, and it is better to order large dishes than to let merchants take advantage.

Popularize the concept of balanced nutrition

Subsidy support needs to be in place

The promotion of small portions and half dishes is a specific starting point of the "CD-ROM Action". In recent years, after active publicity and guidance, this good concept of strict economy has once become the "new standard" of the catering industry.

According to the "2022 Small Portion Insights Report" released by a platform at the end of last year, users searched for the keyword "small portion" on the platform more than 13,2022 times per day, and as of September 9, the sales volume of small portions increased by 2020.114% compared with the same period in 5.

Seeing that the market is hot, why haven't many businesses followed the trend? Why do many consumers feel that there are fewer merchants offering small portions?

Some merchants told reporters that because the cooking methods and processes of small dishes and large dishes are the same, making small dishes, the workload of the chef has increased, there are more tableware to be washed, and the cost of time, manpower and material resources has risen, so the unit price is more expensive.

"In the Chinese food industry, dishes have to go through a complex processing process, and the labor cost of each dish will increase accordingly, making small dishes will consume the same labor costs as large dishes, but the profit is much lower, and they dare not increase prices at will, so they simply do not make small dishes." Mr. Liu, who runs a small and medium-sized restaurant in Beijing, said.

There are also restaurant operators who calculated such an account for reporters: 2 people dining, usually choose a table area of 4 people, 1 dish is calculated according to 5 minutes, the normal amount of the previous normal amount only needs to order 2 dishes, the kitchen takes 10 minutes, now customers order three or four small dishes, the kitchen takes 15 minutes to 20 minutes. When the workload of the stove and chef goes up, the serving time will be slower, the time customers will occupy the table longer, the turnover rate will decrease, and profits will decline.

Restaurant operators interviewed suggested that if they cannot find a balance between business model and avoiding waste, the introduction of small portions and half-portions will lead to higher costs for restaurants, which is the fundamental reason why they are reluctant to provide small and half dishes.

Cheng Shengkui, a researcher at the Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and chairman of the Natural Resources Society of China, found that regions with different levels of economic development have different demand for small portions. "Consumers in economically developed cities generally feel that the amount of dishes in restaurants is too large, and they want to introduce small dishes. Consumers who often engage in manual labor may demand larger dishes. ”

Therefore, Cheng Shengkui proposed that low-end restaurants can continue to ensure the amount of meals, and mid-to-high-end restaurants can launch more small dishes to meet the actual needs of customers.

Li Guoxiang, a researcher at the Institute of Rural Development of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, analyzed that whether restaurants can launch small portions of dishes is currently mainly considered from the perspective of profit. In addition to small portions, future catering companies can also provide customers with nutritious meals from the perspective of nutrition. Whether online or offline, relevant departments should introduce policies to encourage and guide merchants to launch small dishes.

"The obstacles to promoting small portions and nutritious meals are mainly the eating habits and social identity of the masses, and businesses and consumers must make certain changes. First of all, the media should popularize the concept of balanced diet to consumers, and after the change of consumer concepts, catering companies will naturally comply with the requirements of customers to provide dishes with balanced nutritional proportions. At the same time, the relevant departments should also give certain subsidies to restaurants that provide small portions. Li Guoxiang said.

Zheng Fengtian, a professor at Chinese Minmin University, also believes that the specification and heat of the meal can be fully realized. From a health point of view, everyone needs to consume a certain amount of calories and protein every day, if the meal is clearly labeled, consumers can calculate by themselves when purchasing, reduce waste, and develop scientific and healthy eating habits.

"The Anti-Food Waste Law stipulates that catering service operators shall prepare food in accordance with standards and specifications, reasonably determine the quantity and portion, and provide different specifications such as small meals, and must not induce or mislead consumers to order more than the amount of food. Many catering businesses should take this regulation as a benchmark and take the initiative to assume the main obligation to stop catering waste, in order to ensure the sustainable and healthy development of the entire catering industry on the basis of strict conservation. At the same time, in response to the operating pressure of small and medium-sized restaurants, takeaway platforms can consider giving certain support to small and medium-sized restaurants that launch small and half dishes, such as reducing commission rates and providing digital support. Liu Junhai, a professor at Chinese Min, said.

The experts interviewed agreed that the core meaning of promoting small portions of food is to stop catering waste, which requires the majority of catering businesses and consumers to implement the concept and action of "practicing economy and opposing waste". It is recommended that merchants integrate the prevention of catering waste into their business processes and include them in employee assessments; Food delivery platforms can add an "anti-waste" score to the review feedback, which not only urges merchants to fulfill their anti-waste obligations, but also reminds consumers to pay attention to savings. At the same time, consumers also need to jointly maintain the consumer culture atmosphere of "waste is shameful and saving is proud", and promote civilized consumption in the whole society.

Rule of Law Daily