Care to speculate on the lady's motivation?

If it was late in the evening it may be they already cooked a large batch of fettuccine and needed to get rid of it before it ended up in the trash. She can’t give you more for a smaller order without setting the expectations that it will always be the case. Usually the family order is better but you still pay more because you are ordering more. So that could be the case as well. More cost means a bigger tip for the server.

It was about 4:30. And it was carry our so no tip.

Was the woman’s name ‘Karen’?

There may have been no strategy other than being the center of attention.

It was just sales pressure. She’s probably been told to sell up, and maybe she really needed to score the points. However ineptly done, her push worked. You know what? I would have left.

(And I wouldn’t be calling her a lady.)

It was over the phone.

I don’t know what her thing was. Kinda strange. I’ve never had that happen to me at a restaurant, unless maybe they suggest it once just to make me aware of the deal. I think I might have hung up on her. I sure wouldn’t have ordered the family size. I’m contrary like that – the more someone pushes me to do what they want, the more likely I am to do the opposite.

I finished it, and the bread sticks, off today.

This oddity happened to me once on a road trip. It was a sit down affair. The waitress was obsessed with the portions sizes and she seemed to take it personally when I said I did not want a to go container.
Ironically it was in the midwest also. I think it was Nebraska about 6 years ago. To this day my daughter still comments about ‘that waitress that obsessed about food sizes”.

She’s trying to upsell you on the idea that portions are cheaper that way. She is right, but it’s only a deal if you are that hungry. The easiest answer is to tell her “Yes, it probably is a better value, but we just aren’t that hungry so we don’t want to waste.”. If she persists, then you just tell her “please just give us what we ordered.”

She didn’t say a single word about cost.

Prob told to upsell. At least you got to eat for more than one meal. That’s our strategy: order enough takeout to last at least two meals.

She was trying to save you money but could not say that in case “this conversation is being monitored for quality reasons”.
That was clearly the better deal. Save the extra home and give it to family members tomorrow.

I used to go to Boston Market and a single serving of chicken was about $8, which included two small sides. So dinner for two was over $16 after tax. However, a whole chicken with three large sides and dessert and a bottle of soda was called “the family meal” and was about $22. It was worth the extra $5 to get the family meal, which easily fed us for four meals. I think this is what the waitress meant, as @LuckyGuy said.

It’s all part of an illegal fettucini laundering scheme that is sweeping the pasta industry.

^^ Not to mention linguine layering and spaghetti sheltering! Pasta! hmph! It’s all a scam!

But you guys….she never mentioned cost or savings or money at all. Just prattled on about portion sizes and the fact that she could eat a family sized fettuccine by herself. None of it made any sense.

Definitely an upsell encouraged by Big Pasta.

@seawulf575 I have to disagree. There is no reason that one should have to justify their order.

@kruger_d That is true. But I was offering a semi-polite way of telling her to just get you your food. At my age I just say “I don’t want that. Get me what I want.”. But I’m told it comes off a little harsh.

Hey! You gett-a the family size, see? That way it can be pasta round to all-a you loved ones. Know what I mean?
Don’t be stingy! Family is everything.
And bread sticks, hey! Bread sticks are a gift from god. Bread sticks are perfect for getting sauce to your mouth.