Bigger Isn't Always Better

We could literally write an entire book about portion distortion, a phenomenon in this country taken by storm but we figured it wouldn't be worth playing those cards, nor do we have any intentions in discussing the food guide pyramid introduced by the USDA in 1992. When we designed the menu for Voluto Coffee in 2008, we knew that we wanted to introduce Pittsburgh to a more traditional espresso menu with smaller sizes right from the start and chose to completely omit the 20oz drink, a move that we stand behind to this day very firmly. Barb and I never even consume more than 12oz, but of course that's us and we are running a business where customers dictate some of our offerings. Larger portions ( whether it be food or drink) didn't become acceptable until the late 1980's if I recall correctly. "Super Sizing" was introduced more as a marketing tactic which would pour more money in the pockets of big CEO's and the like at a mere increased cost. The Extra Large Popcorn and Super Size Fries weren't created with the consumer's best interest at heart, nor is the 32oz TRENTA now available in Starbucks. Come to think of it, it is now hard to believe that Starbucks originally had a "short" (8oz) size on their menu, it was unfortunately taken off their menu in 1999 and the Venti ( 20oz) was then born. What happened to the original glass bottle of Pepsi Cola that was 6.5oz?

Our society has accepted this super sizing of the beverage & food industry to be the norm and we strongly believe that it has gone a little too far. Nonetheless, we didn't omit the 20oz drink to join in against the battle of obesity in this country. We want to make sure that you enjoy the best, and that the coffee is at the fore front of each beverage that is hand crafted by each one of us. If it the exquisite and intricate flavors & aromas of coffee you are after, than we should all be so happy that small independents like us ( & others in Pittsburgh, and around the country) dare to be different and stand apart from corporation nation. Support us and be loyal to us because of the utmost importance we place on the quality of our beverages, because we believe bigger isn't better. We'd rather you support us for those above reasons, rather than the selection of our cup sizes. Of course you can get a latte that's bigger than ours, and perhaps cheaper ( that's a whole other conversation) but is it better? Do you feel fully & utterly satisfied while nursing it the last drop over xx amount of time? Is worth a mere 4oz difference, is it that significant? IS IT?

Besides, when analyzing over the last year the smaller versus bigger sizes at our establishment, 58% of our hot beverages are 12oz. We honestly do not have that many customers demanding & asking for larger drinks and we've even had some of our customers downsize to the more traditional ones, which in our book, is worth more the extra profit to be had of a 20oz mocha.

Comments

[coffee lover]

There is a book by the former head of the FDA David Kessler - "The End of Overeating" which has some interesting info on the portion size stuff http://bit.ly/d8Wu2k