Where Did the Fries Go? How Restaurants Got Us Paying Extra for Every Side

I’ve noticed a subtle change when I go to restaurants lately. It seems that fewer and fewer entrées automatically come with a side dish. There was a time when one could order a steak with the expectation that it would come with, say, a baked potato and green beans. These days, that steak may show up with a tablespoon of caramelized onions or something that would have been considered a garnish 10 years ago. “Oh, you want brussels sprouts with that? That’ll be an additional $9, please.” 

When I worked at a down-home, country kitchen restaurant chain in Texas in the late 1900s, someone could order a chicken-fried steak and then choose two sides from the list of eight options. From macaroni and cheese to broccoli rice casserole to black-eyed peas, two sides came with the entrée: a starch and a vegetable. Or, if you were like me, two starches. Either way, it was two sides, end of story. Not anymore. Assuming a side comes with your entrée is a mistake.

Fries aren’t a given anymore

That seems to also be the case with hamburgers and sandwiches too. It wasn’t that long ago that french fries were just part of the order. You didn’t have to ask; it just happened. Now you have to read the menu very closely to ensure you’re going to get that deep fried potato that your body craves with a hamburger. Maybe potato chips are included in the price, but if you want an actual french fry, you have to pay for it. It’s one thing if the potato chip is house-made, thinly sliced, fried in duck fat, served with a garlic aïoli, but are you telling me it’s normal to order a hamburger and receive a handful of tired, broken-up potato chips poured from a bag? Oh, the humanity! 

Is this a garnish or a side?

Looking at a menu, it’s hard to decipher if what is coming with your protein is an actual side dish or a mere suggestion of one, like vermouth is to a Martini. If I order a pork chop, and the menu says it comes with a blistered pepper and a peach, is it enough food? Do I have to pay $14 more if I want crispy fried okra? No hate against a blistered pepper, but let’s not try to pretend that it can take the place of a serving of broccoli or spinach. And a peach? Is it a whole peach, a half a peach, or a sliver of peach that may as well be a cocktail garnish? It’s confusing and then you have to ask your server, “So, what exactly about the peach?” And then the server has to hem and haw, pretending that it’s enough food to fill you up when everyone knows that nobody really wants just a peach slice with their pork chop. 

Not all restaurants play this game. There’s a restaurant in my neighborhood that has grilled salmon on the menu and it says it’s served with asparagus and fingerling potatoes. When you order salmon, you know what you’re getting: a starch and a veg which is a far cry from a blistered pepper and a peach. 

Shrinkflation may be at play

Maybe this is just another form of “shrinkflation” where we’re paying the same price but getting less, like paying $1.99 for a 9.25 ounce bag of Doritos that used to be 9.75 ounces. Or noticing that the KitKat bar is a teeny bit smaller than it used to be. Gimme a break! This is the way of the world now. Businesses and restaurants have to do whatever they need to do to stay profitable. 

Maybe I think I still live in 1998 when a chicken-fried steak just came with mashed potatoes and fried okra, no question. When I sit in a chair at a restaurant and see entrées with no sides, I think they shouldn’t be able to do these awful things to me. But the restaurant looks at me and says, “But you are, Darron. You are in that chair,” so I order my chicken-fried steak and then pay extra for a side of mashed potatoes and pay extra again for a second side of macaroni and cheese. I’ve chosen my side, I guess.