How Many Courses Do You Have in a Restaurant?

Usually just one. But sometimes starter and main OR main and pudding. Never all three .

A lot of my friends ask for the starter as their mains. Then they may or may not have a dessert.

Just a main meal

Two - main and afters

I can’t manage a main course, a big plate of food puts me off eating altogether, so I have a starter and sometimes a pudding ( or share one with DH).

I read recently that some restaurants are introducing a minimum charge for food, They are saying people are not spending enough and also more people are not drinking alcohol so less profit on that.
I personally can only manage a main course, like puddings but tend to avoid.

Astitchintime

It really does depend on the restaurant and the portion sizes tbh. If it’s a new place to us we generally swerve the starters, have mains and depending on the size might have a dessert if we’re still ‘hungry’.

I visited a posh restaurant ( it was a gift to me) and had three courses and a coffee, got home still hungry and made cheese on toast, so yes it hugely depends on the restaurant.
Normally I have a main and then a coffee only.

I would like to see more restaurants offering smaller portions for those without big appetites. It is so wasteful when food is returned uneaten, and many won't allow over 12s to order from the children's menu.

I do understand that smaller portions still have to be prepared and cooked, so the discount can't necessarily be proportionate to the portion size, but even a small discount would be good.

They might find that more people ordered starters and puddings if the portions were smaller, particularly at lunchtime.

Many restaurants here in Germany have a "Seniorenmenu" - smaller portions for older customers, as well as a "Kindermenu" for children. Even if I order one of those dishes, it is invariably too much and I end up taking half of it home. I certainly ask for it to be wrapped up if I have to order a normal sized portion. I just can't eat a great amount any more.

I suppose I should order just a starter but I haven't had the nerve to do that so far.

Some restaurants here do smaller plates for older custoners too.
DH usually has 3 courses, so I have starter & main, as I don't like sitting there hungry while he has his starter, but don't mind having a coffee or even just waiting, while he eats his pudding.

Depends on the menu. Sometimes a starter and main. Don't eat desserts.

I like a starter and a dessert- I feel you get a wider choice and don’t feel too stuffed!

Terribull, why not just ask to see the pudding menu before you order any starter/main?

Usually two. I look at the starters first and if I like something I will have a starter and a mains. Or I might look at dessert and if there is something I really fancy or that I like I will sometimes opt for mains and dessert. I rarely have three courses, sometimes I do at Christmas but usually mains and Christmas Pudding.

Depends entirely on the restaurant and the company, if lots of people and interesting conversation then the meal takes much longer and may well eat more.
In a top tier place I would have however many courses on offer as they would be smaller and better balanced not overly large and heavy.
In a middle of the road place i would have either just a main or else a starter and dessert.

Friends of mine usually have a main each and have a pudding with 2 spoons ! I can only manage a main.

When there is a dessert I really want I have a starter as my main then the dessert, otherwise it's just the main.

I either have two starters or just the main meal. Portions are so large these days and I hate wasting food.

2 max either starter or dessert! Usually dessert as that's a treat...lol

Whitewavemark2

Depends on the restaurant.

High end - all courses on offer.

Reasonable - maybe starter and main.

Cheap and cheerful - one - maybe main or starter.

Cheap and not so cheerful - I avoid like the plague.

It seems that the less you may the bigger the portions😄😄

This is the point really. You go to your bog standard cheap and cheerful pub meal and it's a huge plate of food with chips offered. It's not just high end that have small portions.

I'm on holiday in September and was asked if I want the evening meal. Three courses I thought oh no. I'll look at the pubs around this "conference centre that takes guests too"

Then I looked at the pix and saw small elegantly laid out portions tho its a pretty ordinary "northern" menu. and of course starters can be a hearty soup or a slice of melon or slim bit of toast and veggie or meat pate - and pudding fresh fruit salad.

The pubs nearby would have saved me a bit but huge huge everything. And if you are staying at the place you can take your pud up for later.

Actually a favourite as I'm not into sweet stuff much is to order two or three starters for the variety.

Whitewavemark2

Depends on the restaurant.

High end - all courses on offer.

Reasonable - maybe starter and main.

Cheap and cheerful - one - maybe main or starter.

Cheap and not so cheerful - I avoid like the plague.

It seems that the less you may the bigger the portions😄😄

This.

3 or 4 courses in high end restaurants.
Each one complements the other.

Poppyred

Just a main course for me too since I had a month in hospital a year ago with Pancreatitis. I was always a 3-courses gal when we went out to dine, but it seems to have changed my eating patterns.

However later when home we do have an ice-cream lolly as a belated pudd'. I've always found that vanilla ice-cream acts as a digestive for me and I think that's possibly why I've never ever had indigestion.
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I've never thought of having a starter instead of a main.
I only usually go to the Harvester, and a lot of their starters include nice "picky bits".
I reckon I could have a starter and a dessert. (and the salad, too, of course!)

I can only eat a main and possibly a light dessert. I used to always have three courses but for the last few years the starter has been abandoned. The strange thing is that I eat less but have put on weight.