Opinions re: Sharing of Meals
OK, restaurant owners, I'm having a debate with a friend.
My wife and I went out to dinner last night at a local deli/restaurant here in our major metropolitan area. This particular deli/restaurant is known for its big menu and very big portions.
We frequent this restaurant quite regularly and are very familiar with its menu and the portion sizes.
We decided to split a meal. We ordered chicken schnitzel, which came with soup or salad and two sides. We knew that the portion of chicken schnitzel would be more than enough to feed both of us.
The server indicated that there was a $7 sharing charge. We had never encountered this at this deli/restaurant. I should note that this did include an addional soup or salad...so we were getting something for the sharing charge.
I was sort of complaining to a friend about the sharing charge, and he told me I was being "cheap" by only ordering one meal for the two of us. And that we were depriving the server of a larger tip by only ordering the one meal.
My POV is that there's no reason to order more food than we'll eat. More often than not, what I order isn't that great as leftovers the next day...or I forget about the leftovers and then throw them out. In other words, the excess food goes to waste.
As it was, we still went home with one of the three pieces of chicken schnitzel and some of the fries that came on the side.
As most of you restaurant owners know, the U.S. is very unique worldwide in the portion sizes that are served at restaurants.
So, restaurant owners, what say you?
Is it "cheap" to share a meal when it's more than enough food to feed the two people sharing the meal?
As a second and different question, what are your thoughts on the sharing charge?