Not trying to say that all Americans eat huge portions or anything like that, so don't jump on me for this...BUT...we went to the States 4 years ago and couldn't believe the size of the servings when we ate out...it was incredible. My two boys had trouble getting through one meal when they shared it, cos that's what we ended up doing, getting them one to share, otherwise it was just a waste of money and food.
One morning we went to breakfast at Mimi's Cafe just across the road from Disneyland and my then 7 year old ordered a pancake stack. I specifically said to the waitress can we have a child's portion, yeah that was fine....it came out and there were 6 pancakes covered with butter and maple syrup with bacon on the side
. Needless to say, he ate about a quarter of the meal and was struggling.
Restaurants and cafes over here serve much smaller portions.
Just an observation