We dine out quite a bit. Nashville has developed a vibrant restaurant scene, and we try out as many trendy places as we can. The menus are always filled with choices that all sound delicious, and we cannot help but try a variety of items. That usually means getting an appetizer before our main course.
At most places, the appetizers bother me.
It is not the taste. In fact, I have found few appetizers that I did not like. Rather, it is the number. I have noticed that many restaurants serve their appetizers in odd numbers.
We order the cheese fritters at Amerigo, and they bring out five. This is us after eating five fritters.
We order deviled eggs at Bricktop’s, and they bring out five. For those who are not familiar with deviled eggs, they cuts eggs in half and take out the yolk. They then mix the yolk up with other great stuff and put that mixture back in the egg white. When I see five deviled eggs, I see two and a half eggs and wonder what happened to the other half. Why not bring out six?
The odd number of appetizers bothers me because they cannot be divided evenly among the diners. Just take the five fritters. If there are two dinners, which is often the case, then there may be a fight over the fifth one. That may definitely happen because the fritters are awesome.
Think about what happens if there are three diners. For example, there could be parents with a child. Then, you have one each and two left over. How do you divide that?
A lot of times, couples dine out together. Do you divide the fifth fritter into quarters?
The only way this works is if five people are dining, and I am certain that does not happen very often.
In my opinion, restaurants should tackle this issue because it is definitely a misstep within the industry that leaves diners in a quandary. Luckily for them, I have a few suggestions.
First, count the number of diners at the table and serve that many portions of the appetizer.
Two people equal two portions. This would also prevent them from stuffing themselves before the main course.
Three people equal three portions.
You get the point.
If it is a large table, then we understand that restaurants cannot financially do this. Those people can order more than one appetizer.
Second, serve an amount of portions that is easily divided amongst everyone. I have thought about this a lot and determined that six is the best number.
Two people get three portions each. They may not be hungry when the main course arrives, but the fritters or deviled eggs were definitely divisible.
Three people get two portions each. See, you have taken care of two amounts of diners that are probably common.
Four people gets trickier, but it is not insurmountable. Each person gets one, and the other two are split between each couple.
Five diners make six portions impossible to deal with. My suggestion is to leave the fifth wheel at home.
I have been thinking about this problem for a while, but I finally decided to write about it after dinner on Friday night. We went to the Yellow Porch and ordered appetizers. They were awesome, and, lo and behold, they were served in an even number. It was not the optimum six, but it was an easily handled four.
Finally, a restaurant is close to figuring out the oddity of appetizers.
SBI: A Thinning Crowd 
I have also noticed this and find it really irritating. They also do this in grocery stores. They give you five pieces of chicken. Five. Not four. Not six. How do you freeze them? Which night do you not get enough to eat?
It is infuriating.
Agreed. What a weird phenomenon!
Very strange, indeed.