NutriPro Portion Awareness - Heart of the house

July 11, 2017

It’s the chef’s dilemma: how to balance what guests want with responsible choices in terms of health, costs, and waste.

The chef is in charge of the kitchen–the heart of the restaurant. By taking the time to evaluate the menu, update serving standards, and educate staff, it's possible to set all kinds of positive changes in motion.

Set a new standard

Ultimately, controlling portion sizes is the chef’s responsibility. By implementing this easy, five-step plan, you can help everyone in the kitchen prepare orders consistently and appropriately.

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Step 4

Step 5

Develop specifications for each ingredient you use. (What size of potato, filet, or bread loaf should be ordered?)

Write up standardised recipes that include specific weights and measures of each ingredient. Make sure the tools your staff needs to reproduce those weights and measures are readily available in the kitchen.

Create a plating guide with photos or diagrams to model appropriate servings for your culinary crew.

Prepare each order by following the recipe and plating guide. Use standardised measuring tools to serve up the food.

Make a habit of monitoring actual portions served, comparing them against the standard to train staff, decrease waste, and manage food costs.

How much is too much?

Over the past few decades, serving sizes have risen dramatically. As portions increase, it becomes more difficult for a person to accurately guess how many calories a serving contains, so they end up eating more.1 A guest who ordered the same menu item in 1995 and 2015 could easily have doubled the number of calories they consumed, as shown in the comparison below.2


Typical portions:	Spaghetti & meatballs	French Fries	Soda	Coffee Beverage	Slice of cake
in 1995	500 kcal	210 kcal	85 kcal	45 kcal	260 kcal
in 2015	1025 kcal	610 kcal	250 kcal	350 kcal	640 kcal