Long held under the guise of good customer service, a TikToker has revealed that restaurants may have an ulterior motive for handing out bread before a meal.
It’s a time-honoured tradition that maybe gets less mileage than it used to: sitting down to dinner with a bread roll and knob of butter ready to get you started.
While it doesn’t seem so common nowadays – unless we’re dining in the wrong eateries – it’s nevertheless been a stable in pubs and restaurants for many a decade.
But what’s in it for the restaurant, if not to set a pleasant and welcoming atmosphere?
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It is to tide you over until your meal’s ready? There’s a good case for that, especially as there are few angrier people than hungry ones. A bread roll could spare waiting staff some hangry vitriol while the coq au vin gets spun through the microwave.
The aforementioned TikToker reckons there’s actually a financial incentive to it, if you can believe it.
So how does a restaurant turn free bread into profit?
The TikToker, Manvir Dosanjh (@manvir.dosanjh), shared his thoughts in a video of him and his partner sitting down at a restaurant.
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"Why do they give us free bread at restaurants?” he says.
"Look at this bread, it's delicious with butter.
"What happens when you eat the bread?” he explains, “[It] spikes your blood sugar, then it crashes.
"So what happens?
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"You want to eat more, you have more cravings at the end to buy desserts.” It’s an interesting theory, and it’s got some scientific merit. Because the carbohydrates in bread are easy and quick to digest, you do indeed experience a spike in blood sugar when you eat it.
When it drops back down, there can be a kind of rebound effect where your body suddenly perceives itself to be low on blood sugar, triggering cravings for sugary.
treats.
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However, your meal between the starter bread and dessert should also have an impact on your blood sugar levels, limiting the effect.
Nevertheless, it’s a phenomenon that Manvir and his wife look to avoid: "So what do we do instead?"
Instead, he and his partner imbibe little fibre packets instead.
"I did it, my fiancee did it," he said.
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"What happens is my blood sugar is now under control.
"No more cravings, no more bloatings. Now, at the end, you don't have to buy desserts.” Of course, if you want to eat dessert, feel free. Profiteroles and tiramisu aren’t only interesting when your blood sugar is low.
"You're going to feel better, take care of your health and save money while you're at it."
If you’re keen to keep the calories at bay, it’s sound advice.
Of course, the free bread can be chalked up to other things.
In 2022, people wrote to the Guardian to share their own takes on the pre-dinner treat.
Ken Grant, a chef with over 40 years’ experience, said: "I would say that, in some cases, an establishment has a good baker and a great recipe and just wants to showcase it.
"In other cases, it might be to reduce consumption in an 'all you can eat' situation.
"In other cases, it is simply a delightful pairing to get the taste buds flowing and might induce further requests for other options or courses. But I will say: if the bread is not good at the start of any meal, it can easily spoil the entire meal."
A pragmatically-minded person added: "It’s because bread defrosts quicker than the meal."
Another said: "Most restaurants in the UK don’t do this now, in my experience. Bread is now one of the starters listed. Even in places where it appears to be complimentary, you are generally charged for it."
That certainly chimes with our earlier comment that free bread seems to be rarer than it used to be at restaurants. Nothing is sacred in these penny-pinching times.
Rachael Davis