The Chips And Salsa Mistake You're Probably Making At Mexican Restaurants - Tasting Table

"From a business standpoint, offering the complementary appetizer is (perhaps counterintuitively) a profitable tool. Tortilla chips and salsa sit at a uniquely advantageous intersection for restaurants: light enough to avoid dampening patrons' appetites, yet flavorful enough to stoke their palates and prime the taste buds for greater enjoyment of the meal to come. Still, there are roughly 286 calories per two-ounce serving of chips and salsa. Not enough to kill an appetite, but a substantial snack."

"However, if not (or if you're going someplace after dinner, and won't be able to pop those leftovers in the fridge within a two-hour window), then over-ordering can be an unfortunate way to generate food waste. Those tasty chips and salsa are also a sly tool that helps restaurants upsell in the beverage department. After snacking through a whole basket of salty chips, patrons are more likely to order a second (or third) drink that they might not have ordered otherwise."

Free tortilla chips and salsa brighten the dining experience while also serving as a profitable restaurant strategy. The appetizer is light enough to avoid fully spoiling appetites yet flavorful enough to stimulate palates and enhance meal enjoyment. A two-ounce serving contains roughly 286 calories, making it a substantial snack despite not being meal-ending. Overindulging on chips and salsa can lead patrons to order more food and additional drinks. The saltiness of chips triggers osmotic thirst, increasing beverage purchases. Excess ordering can generate food waste when leftovers cannot be stored within safe time limits.

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