Good news thrifty diners, you’re not the only ones asking to share dishes at restaurants these days. Thanks to the recession, it’s becoming acceptable for everyone to split their dishes, and restaurants aren’t complaining. “Now all bets are off,” said David Pogrebin, manager of the snazzy French restaurant Brasserie. “People are not ashamed of being frugal.”

“I do worry sometimes about people thinking we are being cheap, but I tend to feel that I am still spending money there over eating at home, and I try not to worry about it,” said Marcy Robison, a stay-at-home mom from Columbus, Ohio. “In the end, we are trying to be wise stewards of our finances and if someone finds fault with that, so be it.”

Robison, who writes a blog called “Stretching a Buck,” said she and her husband typically eat out two or three times a week and frequently split an entree or order two entrees and split them with their 3-year-old daughter.

She said that by sharing dishes, the family saves $5 to $12 each time.

Of course, the savings can dwindle at restaurants that charge a splitting fee, which can go as high as $5 for an entree.

If you’re going to split a dish, remember that you’re not the only one grasping for every dollar. Help out your server with a slightly larger tip.

Splitting that spaghetti? You’re not the only one [AP]
(Photo: sleepyneko)

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