I AM NOT ALONE!

I AM NOT ALONE (Thank God!);
IMAGINE THAT!
By Jim “Gymbeaux” Brown, September 8, 2026

I recently posted the following on a Facebook group page, “What’s Going on In Slidell”, thinking I was doing local restaurants a favor. Judging by some of the comments that were posted in response, you would think I was wrong and that I was complaining and/or bitching. 

“PUBLIC SERVICE REQUEST: Has anyone noticed that when you eat out, the portions on almost every plate have grown larger. Maybe it is my age, but I do not eat as much as I once did and the size of the plates actually "turn me off" rather than make me want to come back. If you look around, you don't see many people who are trim and healthy looking, you see a lot of obese people. The movement of the federal government is to Make America Healthy Again and eating better food and less food is one way to do that. Restaurants have a children's menu, why not a menu for people who prefer to eat less food or at least a senior menu? I was guilty. I have lost over 40 pounds over the past couple of years and all I did was choose to eat less food, and eat less sugar, nothing else has changed.” 

Most of the comments suggested that I request a to go box or bag and take the food home to be eaten later as if I did not understand that I could do that. 

AMERICA IS OBESE!  PERIOD!  END OF STATEMENT!  I have seen reports that a HUGE majority of young men and women could not physically qualify to serve in the military because of their weight.  One only need to observe to see that a great many Americans are overweight! 

Apparently, the following analogy needs to be said.  A gasoline engine requires gasoline to run.  The human body requires food to just stay alive. The gasoline and the food serve the same purpose, it keeps something running. You would not put 20 gallons of gas into a gas tank that only holds 17 gallons yet that is exactly what most people, certainly not you, do their bodies.  They put more food in than they burn off as calories which are required to keep from putting on excess pounds. 

As people grow older, some, if not most, become less active. I know this because I am now 81 years old as I write this.  I do not smoke; I rarely drink alcohol. I once was a runner that ran up to 10 miles at a time, and I played a lot of sports. I kept active until recently by maintaining the yard at our home. A permanently damaged knee, a broken back and age now keep me from doing any of these activities. It is simple math, if you do not burn off calories, you must reduce your consumption of food, or you will become overweight if not obese in your retired years. For the record, I have lost over 40 pounds over the past 2 years.  For the most part that is because I eat less and am careful to reduce the number of things I eat that contain a lot of sugar. 

My post was never intended to be a complaint or a bitch as some suggested. I was merely suggesting that local restaurants do what Middendorf’s of Slidell, LA has done; they offer a senior portion of many of their menu options. 

Habits are hard to break!  My parents taught us in the 1950s to eat everything on our plates.  It was not unusual to be told that there are starving children all over the world and it is our responsibility to eat what is in front of us on our plates. Obviously, that was an overstatement, but when you are taught lessons as a child, those lessons do NOT magically disappear from your unconscious mind, so you clean your plate well into your adulthood. “A happy plate is a clean plate!”  

Because of some health issues, my doctor has explained that your plate should be divided into types of food in relationship to “carbs” and sizes to help regulate your weight AND your blood sugar readings. Over the past several years, I have attempted to do that, and the result has been better blood sugar readings and the loss of 40 pounds; pounds that I put on despite a lot of running, sports and physical activities. I simply was NOT burning off more calories than I was taking in! One doctor joked about the best diet in the world was the “push away” diet plan.  He explained that simply pushing away from the table when you are full is a good plan. 

When I was young and healthy, I did not pay much attention to what or HOW MUCH I ate, and my weight was proof of that statement.  Keep in mind what I said, I do not smoke, I drink very little alcohol, in fact the only alcohol I drink is an occasional draft beer when we eat out. Plus, I was very active. Despite this routine, I managed to have a blocked artery that required open heart surgery.  I developed Type 2 Diabetes, I do not know why or how, but I did.  As I look around, it is impossible not to see grossly overweight people and my only thought is that if they do NOT have heart and blood sugar issues, it is only a matter of time. 

To say I was shocked that people would find fault with my post would be an understatement!  I was in the sales business for over thirty-three years.  The one thing I fully understood was that the customer was always right, even when they were wrong.  When I go to a restaurant, I am a customer.  I was simply stating a fact as to what THIS customer was thinking and would like to see happen as I looked down upon a plate of food that I could not possibly eat in one setting.  Many comments suggested that I eat at home and believe me, I have considered it.  I also have considered that taking my wife out for a night out is more important.  Call me selfish, I would like to have both a night out with my wife and a plate that did not runneth over with food I would never eat. 

I made the post without asking CharGPT if I might be the only person who thought like this.  I later did ask the question and the following is the answer.  In short, I am NOT alone (as many of the response posts would suggest).  I attribute most of the comments to people who are not nearly as old as I am so there is no way they could put themselves in my shoes BEFORE they made such critical comments implying I am too stupid to realize I could take the excess food home.  Dah!  

FROM CHATGPT: NOTE: Sections of the answer emboldened by me were also underlined for emphasis.

Yes, but with an important qualification: I could not find a large U.S. national survey that asks seniors the exact question, “Would you like restaurants to offer a senior-sized portion?” There is, however, fairly good research supporting the idea that many older adults prefer smaller portions and would benefit from having them offered.

One particularly relevant study interviewed older adults about their eating habits. Participants repeatedly described having smaller appetites, wanting smaller meals, disliking food waste, and sometimes ordering children's portions because regular restaurant portions were too large. The researchers specifically recommended that food-service businesses routinely offer smaller portions and noted that these could correspond to “senior menus.”

There is also quantitative evidence that older people actually eat smaller portions. One population study found that for 109 of 126 foods—86%—older adults consumed smaller portions than younger adults.

Restaurant research supports the concept as well. A CDC-published study of restaurant owners found that some restaurants already offered multiple portion sizes, with senior menus specifically cited as an established example of smaller portions. Owners said the reasons included giving customers more choice and allowing lower prices.

And a particularly interesting 2026 restaurant study compared customers ordering meals of 700 calories or less with customers ordering regular portions. The people choosing the smaller portions tended to be older. They consumed substantially fewer calories, reported essentially the same fullness, and most said they would order the smaller portions again.

What we can—and cannot—say

I would not claim something like “75% of seniors want senior menus,” because I haven't found a credible national study establishing a percentage like that.

But there is defensible evidence for saying:

Research indicates that older adults generally consume smaller portions, commonly report reduced appetites and concerns about wasting oversized servings, and can be well served by restaurants offering smaller, lower-priced portions.

There's an interesting business idea hiding in your question, too: rather than a stereotypical “Senior Menu,” restaurants could put a symbol next to entrées indicating “Smaller Portion Available — Reduced Price.” Seniors get what they want without being restricted to a separate menu, and anyone with a smaller appetite could order it.

Conclusion: The conclusion should be obvious.  Restaurants should either include a “senior menu”, mark their existing menus that “senior portions are available.”  Business Rule #2: The Customer is ALWAYS right, even when they are wrong!  What is Business Rule #1 you ask?  Never piss off a potential paying customer, EVER!