Chances are you have talked with your weight loss surgeon about the size of restaurant meals in Dallas. After all, everything is bigger in Texas, right?
Eating out is hard to do in the first place. The ingredients are hard to verify, the calorie counts are almost always skewed and the portions can often feed three. Over the past 50 years everything from the size of a piece of pizza to a glass of soda has doubled if not tripled in both size and calorie content. After bariatric surgery, it can be difficult to consume a whole proper portion, let alone a plate of restaurant food—and that is a good thing.
It should make bariatric patients smile to hear that some restaurants are applauding their weight loss efforts, even at the cost of their own menu prices.
Social Responsibility on the Menu
A growing number of restaurants are applauding the efforts of bariatric patients by making it easier for them to order off the menu. Restaurant owners are working together with weight loss surgeons to allow patients to order meals previously denoted for seniors or children. At some restaurants, bariatric patients are able to order half of an adult entrée without paying a shared plate fee.
In order to receive these benefits, weight loss surgery patients simply need to show proof that they have undergone bariatric surgery. No, you don’t need to bring your insurance documentation or a receipt. Instead, a small note from your weight loss surgeon or a medical history card that you would show a general practitioner will often do, though some restaurants may have more specifications.
It seems bizarre that so many bariatric patients have to pay more to receive half the amount of food, but this is the case at a lot of restaurants. However, a growing number of restaurants are permitting patients to receive half portions of their favorite plates at half the price—that way you are only paying for the smaller portion.
This trend actually started at restaurants in Brazil, but has since spread to the States. In fact, there are a few restaurants in Texas that have been giving bariatric patients discounts for over five years, including Souper Salad which has two locations in Dallas.
Before you head out to any restaurants and demand half price entrees, make a few phone calls. Bariatric surgery is becoming more common and there is much more weight loss awareness now than there was in the past, so you may be surprised how willing restaurant owners are to work with you. If you do find one that will give you a discount, ask what type of proof they require before you go to avoid any confusion when it comes time to pay the bill.
