When you dine in a restaurant, if you have a significant amount of food leftover, will you ask for it to be wrapped to take, or will you leave it?

I always take it home. I can’t really eat a full restaurant meal in one sitting and I am always happy to have leftovers. I also have an almost pathological aversion to wasting good food.

And really, I am not likely to make pad thai at home.

Take it home always. I eat frequently, but can’t eat large amounts at one time. So, going out to eat usually means that I am building up a second (and possibly third) meal at home for later. Opening the fridge to a bunch of Indian food containers is a great feeling.

I rarely eat out since we’re paleo but when I do I will take it home. Fajitas are great next day.

I don’t have a problem with asking for a food container. I don’t like stuffing myself.

When I was in high school my buddy and I ate large pizza with everything on it by ourselves. And I didn’t suffer at all. Nowadays if I eat more than 3 small pieces of pizza then I’m in trouble (with acid and gas).

I always take my leftovers home. I love having another meal or two from whatever I ordered, and besides, that gives me an excuse to order dessert!

I was raised to finish the plate or get a beating, so that situation has never once arisen.

I usually take anything that I think I’ll eat, home, yes.

No one has mentioned any sort of social stigma about it to me. Servers seem quite happy to provide containers.

@Zaku Not only are they happy to provide containers, they almost always offer them when they see how much is left on my plate. I can’t eat a lot at a time; I hate feeling full. My ex and I used to love breakfast buffets, but after one too many times of feeling miserable afterwards we swore off them.

@Zaku I find they are happy to provide containers. I was asking because of the article in today’s NY Times that stated that many people no longer request to take food home. Maybe in hoity toity restaurants it’s considered gauche.

@ragingloli We didnt get beaten but we were only allowed to take what we could eat. So if you took an extra serving, you didnt just walk away or save it. You ate it or risked a whipping or other punishment.
Its actually so common here, we joke about the ‘clean plate club’ often.
Sorry that happened.
*I snuck my extras to the farm dog.

If the food is good, I’m happy to take some home. Somethings like french fries don’t really reheat well so those I will leave – if there are any left.

When I eat at a friend’s restaurant for free, I sometimes order steak and take ⅔ of it home and make fajitas for several days afterwards.

Sometimes if I have a small bit of meat, I’ll take it not because I intend to eat it but because I can give it to the cats, or to the stray animals that i feed outside.

Take it home for later or dogs.

I find abusing kids for not eating all their food a great way to create an unhealthy relationship with food. Even now, I struggle with not forcing myself to eat everything even when I am so full I feel sick by continuing to eat. And I was never even hit for it just yelled at. Never understood parents doing that

We never, ever shamed our daughter into finishing her meal and we certainly never whipped, beat or punish. That’s how eating disorders start.

I usually take it home. I ask for a box, because I want to wrap it up, I don’t want the waiter to do it for me. I eat it later that day or the next day.

@ragingloli You weren’t raised in the US the last 30 years, the restaurant portions are usually huge. I am completely against forcing children to finish their plate, but that is a different topic.

I take it home. I paid for it, so I’m taking it home. However, that’s not to say that I haven’t left food behind if it was too little to bother to take home or if it tasted horrible or it was something I felt wouldn’t reheat well or preserve well till I get home. One serving of food is often enough for two meals for me. I don’t like taking hot subs home. Like a chicken parm sandwich. The bread gets mushy and the chicken hard or a steak sub. After a half hour that bread is just soggy. Cold sandwiches are okay for a while so long as their is no condiments or oils to soak the bread. But most restaurant dinners can last and reheat well.

If I do go out, I only order what I plan on eating there. One the off chance there are leftovers, I take it based on what it may taste like when reheated.

Take it home. In fact, did that just last night.

I have regular places where I only eat half of what they serve, and plan on eating the other half for a dinner another night.

If there are leftovers I always take them home. I don’t care where I am.

If the venue is too fancy for such behavior l will force myself to finish what was served.

haven’t seen you in a bit, @LuckyGuy wb

We always take home if there is a lot left. Portions are usually too big for us to eat it all there.
Restaurant food is too expensive to waste anyway.

9/10 I take it home. The only times I’ve left it is when I’ve had dinner before a “night out” partying or clubbing so I can’t carry it around with me.
I was raised never to waste food as its a high form of disrespect. Personally I think that food waste in the west should be a crime. Its horrendous how perfectly good food is thrown out by companies.
I believe France (one of the rare times I’ve agreed with their policies) has made it illegal for supermarkets to throw away good food. I think this should be applied everywhere. No one would go hungry with a bit of organisation.

I’ve been enjoying my birthday all weekend, my fridge is full of lovely leftovers! ;-)