Once again, GOOD Magazine has introduced me to a mouth-watering social innovation. This time it’s about dining out. We’re all quite aware of the fact that restaurant portions have grown significantly over the decades, right? And the result is a barbell of extremes: we are eating way more than is healthy for us or we end up wasting criminal amounts of food in a world where there are way too many that experience food insecurity each day.
So here’s an idea that isn’t all that half baked … even if it’s called Halfsies.
This Austin, Texas-based social initiative is delivering a heaping plate of new thinking. It is teaming up with restaurants to “turn the simple act of dining out into a charitable giving opportunity,” as its Facebook page says. Halfsies-authenticated restaurants will offer the following option to its customers:
1. Customer orders an item on the menu with a Halfsies logo by it
2. Customer receives one-half the portion he or she normally would
3. Customer pays full price for item
I know, sounds crazy: pay full price for half the portion. But the deal is that 90% of the excess price you’re paying goes straight to fighting hunger. And that other half of your meal that’s missing on your plate? Well, it’s not going straight to your waist. Clearly, eating half-sized portions and paying for full portions isn’t the definitive answer to either problem, but this is an interesting way to raise awareness of a couple of important social issues together.
Sure, sometimes we will be fortunate enough to find those opportunities that will make big changes with big impacts. And we should always be on the lookout for those grand plans. The reality is that a lot of our opportunities will be small changes with small impacts. But with many people making small impacts, we can create very big changes.
Let’s not underestimate or under appreciate the power of many people doing little things. And that little thing with Halfsies could be the cherry on top of your dessert.
Check out Halfsies’s excellent video below.
