You can (I imagine) always ask for and receive a half order unless it's on something very portion-controlled like a 4 oz filet mignon or some such. The kicker is how much they'll charge you for your half order - I can guarantee it will be more than half, and it may very well be close to the full price. There's no real graceful way to argue that topic once you get the check, unfortunately. My advice is to either split a meal if you're not dining alone or order an appetizer - the nicer sitdowns have WONDERFUL appetizers that are plenty big enough to serve as a smaller-sized meal on their own. Kids menu is an option as well in most places, but your choices may be limited to hot dogs or chicken fingers. At counter service places, keep in mind that you don't have to order the "combo" even if it's the only thing listed on the menu. You can always just get the cheeseburger or chicken fingers or whatever, without the fries.
