The only time you cannot do this is when you go for a buffet meal. Any other meal you can order exactly what you want. In the places where the potions are huge ie Cheesecake factory, Bahama Breeze etc. my s-i-l and I only order 2 appetizers and ask them to put them in the middle with 2 extra plates. This is all we want. We remember to tip well and always make sure that we are very pleasant a to the server.