Paying the same price and getting half as much doesn’t sound a promising business model, but when you look a little more closely at Halfsies, it starts to make sense. Halfsies is a dining experience with a difference. It’s a concept which helps people lose weight, reduces waste and fights world hunger at the same time. So hopefully, everybody wins.

At the moment, Halfsies is a social initiative based in Austin Texas and New York City, which aims to team up with local restaurants. Those who participate choose a set of meals on their menu that comply with the programme and are designated with a special symbol. The customer receives a half portion of the meal while still paying full price. Ninety per cent of the proceeds go to support the fight against hunger with the remainder going towards running the Halfsies operation.

This idea seems to have great potential and could certainly be imported to the UK. Many diners are keen to lose weight and happy to support charities fighting world hunger. The challenge seems to be balancing this off against the need for restaurants to make a profit in difficult times. I see no reason why this can’t be run in a way which enables the restaurant and organisers to make a profit while helping the good cause at the same time though.