As food prices continue to rise, many U.S. consumers say their restaurant portions are doing something else too: getting smaller.
The trend, commonly known as shrinkflation, has been frustrating shoppers for years. It refers to companies reducing product sizes while keeping the prices the same, or sometimes even raising them.
Food manufacturers, household brands, and restaurants have all been accused of the practice. Now, one customer is alleging a popular chain may be doing the same: Longhorn Steakhouse.
What Was Wrong With His Longhorn Steakhouse Order?
In a recent video, TikTok user Mathiah (@mathiah_) said the restaurant chain has got some explaining to do after receiving his order.
“I just ordered a chicken salad from Longhorn Steakhouse,” he begins. “And just look at the portions.”
He pans the camera across the container with salad, which he says “looks delicious,” filming the fresh-looking lettuce, feta cheese, grapes, and dressing on the side. He then arrives at the chicken compartment, which appears to contain about seven small pieces of grilled chicken breast, filling less than half of its designated space.
“…Come on,” Mathiah says.
In the comments section under his video, viewers gave mixed reactions.
One commenter mocked the small portion, writing, “A chicken sneezed near that salad.”
Another wondered if there was any mishandling on the way. “Are you sure the delivery person didn’t eat your chicken?” they asked.
A commenter claiming to have previously worked at a Longhorn Steakhouse restaurant said this isn’t common. “I used to work there and this does not look right!” they wrote. “If you call I’m sure a manager would be happy to have it remade for you!”
Are Other Longhorn Steakhouse Customers Reporting Similar Portion Issues?
There are some negative reviews online that focus specifically on portion size.
On Trustpilot, for example, one customer wrote that they ordered a 200-gram steak only to receive “150g at best”, and another said their ribeye resembled “a kneecap with several small morsels of semi-edible meat.”
On Facebook, one user posted a photo of his Longhorn Steakhouse plate and wrote, “Longhorn portion sizes got me feeling like I ordered from the kids’ menu… not bad in flavor.”
That said, the complaints do not appear widespread enough for Longhorn Steakhouse to be considered a major “offender” of shrinkflation in the restaurant industry.
Are Restaurant Portions Actually Getting Smaller?
In an economic report from Q2 2022, Yelp noted that customers were increasingly using the word “shrinkflation” in their reviews, as reported by Mashed.
Additionally, there are plenty of online communities dedicated to tracking what users believe to be cases of shrinkflation. One of the largest is the subreddit r/shrinkflation, where people post photos of smaller portions or compare current items with earlier versions.
Claims of shrinkflation frequently go viral on social media as well. In recent examples, one user alleged that Cheesecake Factory slices have gotten smaller, while another said Olive Garden’s pasta portions now resemble “a kids’ meal.”
BroBible has reached out to Longhorn Steakhouse via email and Mathiah via TikTok messages for comment.