My husband and I always Celebrate our anniversary with another couple at Melting Pot. DH and I always order the Big Night Out for 2. Obviously, this would be a waste of money now. So if any of you have gone post VSG how did you handle ordering? Did you get one full dinner and then a kids' version? Would they let you share a meal for one? I know most of their food is not "doggy baggable" so we'd need to order what we could eat there.

Any ideas?

The wife and I most often order ONE entree and split it, even then we sometimes have stuff to bring home, portions are THAT much out of control.

I'm unfamiliar with the restaurant you reference, is it a buffet? Buffets are pretty much a waste on me but surprisingly the cost of the meal is on par with what a decent meal at another restaurant is so I'm not out any more cash that we would be if we both bought separate entrées., I just don't get me monies worth and can't take anything home.

Perhaps call ahead, ask their policy. Some docs issue a card stating you've had WLS surgery asking if they will allow you to order children's or seniors portions.

If all else fails then look around for another restaurant. We no longer frequent a few of our old favorites, it's just impractical or just not worth it.

Congrats on the anniversary.

Here's what we do: Since I don't always feel like having what anyone else is having, I'll typically buy what I want a'la carte, then I'll pick stuff off everyone else's plates, mostly DH's... LOL Me and my family are very close like that and it's something we've always done - so it's no big deal. Caring is sharing!

I'm not really big on bringing home any leftovers, I really prefer to cook the meals at home because I know exactly how it's being prepared (and I'm a really good cook *toot* *toot*). So once I leave the restaurant, I leave the food there too.

I haven't really been to any type of buffet what so ever since being sleeved, I just have it in my head that paying $10 bucks for one piece of chicken and two bites of something else is just a big waste of money... not to mention that I have a weird phobia wondering who's dirty hands might have been touching the food...

Sorry, I guess I thought everybody knew what The Melting Pot is. The Melting Pot is a fondue restaurant. You have a salad, cheese fondue with fruits and breads, then your cooking oil with raw chicken, steak, shrimp, mushrooms, and then a chocolate fondue for dessert with cakes and bananas and strawberries, etc. We have always done the Big Night Out for Two which was enough of all of this for two people. But now I would mainly eat the cheese with a VERY few items and the main course for proteins, which you cook yourself. Possibly a teeny tad of chocolate on a banana (hard to resist). It is about a 2-3 hour process and really is designed just for the experience. It's a once-a-year splurge that we have always done. It's definitely NOT a buffet.

a friend works at the melting pot close to where i live and she has had people come in with a dr note and they will gladly prepare a smaller sized portion but she says most waiters dont need a dr note just to say "i have a medical condition i can only eat X pieces tonight, can you make me a smaller portion of the _____ ?"

a friend works at the melting pot close to where i live and she has had people come in with a dr note and they will gladly prepare a smaller sized portion but she says most waiters dont need a dr note just to say "i have a medical condition i can only eat X pieces tonight, can you make me a smaller portion of the _____ ?"

Thanks, so much!!! So far I haven't run into any situations in restaurants where they were NOT helpful to me. I just wasn't sure about Melting Pot since it is so different. We probably won't be going until August. I will call in advance just to make sure there's not an embarrassing problem.

I am familiar with the melting pot and if it was me and my friends didn't know about the surgery...I'd order what I have always ordered but eat only what I wanted. If they notice you aren't eating as much as usual tell them that you had a large lunch or snacked a lot during the day...something like that. It is wasteful to order food you won't eat and if that is an issue then try ordering something smaller.

I am going to a barbeque dinner with friends this weekend at one person's house (who is an excellent cook) and my plan is say that I had a late, large lunch if I am presented with food I can't eat (namely large hunks of grilled meat) The hostess generally makes a lot of appetizers so I figure I can eat some of them and trying to let my sparkling conversation distract from my picky eating!

Yes, the Melting Pot will work with you if you just ask. At least my local one did. I guess each one may be different in their policies, but you could ask. They just reduced the price for me. They want you to come back

I love the whole experience, too, it's more than just the food isn't it? Good luck!!

We eat out more often than not. I have only run into one situation where I could not find something on the menu that night, ( I think it was my mood) and that was the first and only time I ever said to the waiter that I had surgery and I can't eat a lot and he let me order off the kids menu. I just don't feel the need to share my medical history with strangers! Most of the time my husband and I share something or we order chicken fajitas or the like and share it. On the days I don't like or feel like having some thing different I just take home what I cant eat and have it for lunch the next day. Eating out costs have been cut in MORE than half! I have only been to the melting pot once but from what I remember I would just end up eating what ever the hubby ordered. NOW the dessert part would kill me,, how does one pass on the melted chocolate??????

I think it would be an easy choice - everything cubed smallish, dip as much as you want, good choices of fruits, meats and cheeses - just stay away from the dessert-ish cake/bread things. I guess when I went we ordered a cheese one, a chocolate one and a meal one and 3 of us shared it...

DH and I just went for our 10 year anniversary and it was so AWESOME! It was my first time ever going and I was worried but it worked Great. We ordered 1 meal. Cheese course, salad for him and then the French Quarter dinner and the Smores Dessert! It was PLENTY of food for both of us and then some and he's a big eater! The staff never once questioned anything and it was all fantastic! I was 6 months post-op at that time!

i've never been but ironically a friend suggested it for our friend's bridal shower that we're doing in October. I'd heard of it but the menu was a concern to me. But it's a few months off and it will be for brunch.

With the way you order at the melting pot, I would skip it.. They have the 'big night out' which includes the cheese, main course, and dessert. It is very expensive and WAY too much food for you. Plus going and not eating the chocolate would be PAINFUL. LOL You would do better and a nice restaurant and order somthing that you could take home and enjoy for 2 more meals. That way you get the most of your experience and money.

My husband and I have been 3 times in the last year. We still order the one of the 3 course meals for 2(bread/veggies with cheese, all the meats with funky broth, and then the white/milk chocolate) and just cook what we can't eat and bring it home.

For me, it's about the experience. We never get out of there in less than 2 hours. We actually went for my birthday in December, and we did the smallest "Tour of France" night out. They had 3 levels, and we chose the smallest one that included duck because neither of us had ever experienced duck.

There wasn't any food leftover with this option except the mushrooms (neither of us eat mushrooms), and several chunks of the dessert was left behind, but all the meat was eaten.

We share entree portions at a lot of chain restaurants, and no one ever questions us. Unless it specifies on the menu "no sharing" like at buffets then I highly doubt it'd be a problem.

I've never heard of that place but it sounds fun! I usually order a la carte and take home leftovers. Getting my "money's worth" and cleaning my plate got me overweight to begin with so doing quite the opposite with the help from the sleeve is a small price to pay for being a size 8!

Was just there over the weekend. We did order the big night out b/c we were with friends. I ate maybe 2 apple slices, 2 slices bread, 1/4 of the salad, and 1/2 of the meat. No dessert. It was a big waste of money if you look at it for the value of food, but well worth the money for the time spent with friends. My Melting Pot does not have a kids menu. I'd suggest ordering a smaller meal.