Restaurant Frustration!
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Welcome to the rest of the world.... I consider that I'm smart enough to pick a good or bad choice from the menu without being spoon fed all the details (pardon the pun!)
Do you really want to pay extra to have a staff member to have to calculate all the nutritional details for every meal?? Or only to eat somewhere that cooks identical meals in every single location, with no consideration for what is good and fresh and in season.
Not for me, thanks very much. If I wanted that I'd eat at McDonalds!
Yep, I really want to pay extra so I know exactly what I'm eating. Maybe not so much if I go to a local mom & pop restaurant. But If I go to a large chain restaurant I think they should be required to disclose nutritional information. Besides, sometimes the "healthy" options aren't so healthy at those places.
For example, let's say you go to Outback and you decide to pick the "healthy" options:
Side of green beans - 149 calories, 11 grams of fat, 607 mg of sodium
Baked potato (no butter or toppings) - 329 calories, 4.4 grams of fat, 2298 mg of sodium
House Salad (Ranch dressing) - 318 calories, 24 grams of fat, 671 mg of sodium
The only reason I know that is because Outback was thoughtful enough to provide that kind of information.
To the OP - I would imagine that Texas Roadhouse and Outback would be quite similar in nutritional values. That's why I picked that for my example. They won't be exact matches, but I'm sure it's close. And Outback makes all of their ingredients fresh every day too, just like Texas Roadhouse.0 -
The way I feel is if they don't provide the nutritional values then stay away! You need to know what calories you are taking in so you can accurately decide how you eat throughout the rest of the day and how much exercise you need to do to even out. The problem with restaurants is they may cook things in butter and put tons of salt on them, etc... so unless you can find out online what their nutritional values are I would suggest staying away. Losing the weight is so worth it compared to eating at a restaurant.
AMEN!! avoiding or refusing to disclose nutritional content isn't about a 'logistical' challenge for a restaurant, it's ALL about hiding the unhealthy nature of the food they are serving.0 -
When all else fails, I get one of the salads with grilled chicken or shrimp and dressing on the side. I also have them leave off any wontons or noodles or croutons. Normally that's a good, satisfying meal for me.0
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Many of them have it available online. You can check before you go, or if you have internet on your phone check while you're there.
Unfortunately Texas Roadhouse does not.0 -
At many of these restaurants, there are plenty of reasonable calorie meals you can eat. It is the massive amounts of sodium that will probably do the most damage, even on seemingly good choices otherwise. Sometimes the salad will have nearly an entire day's worth of sodium in the dish.
I don't worry all that much about exactly what the damage is if I go out to eat. I just try to make a better choice, and continue to eat well at home. The odd day out with a meal that isn't "perfect" isn't the end of the world, so don't worry too much over the exact numbers.0 -
I now stay away from places that withhold that info. I ate at Maggiano's once, couldn't find the info, they didn't have it..............then found an obscure copy on the internet from a Maggiano's in Pennsylvania that someone had scanned into the web. It was astounding. Each dish had 2-4 THOUSAND calories. 1 dish could have 600+ grams of carbs (as a Type 1 diabetic who needs insulin for my carb intake I just about had a heart attack when I saw that). Their sodium content in a few dishes was enough for a WEEK.
Disgusting.
No wonder they don't want people to know.
The Cheesecake Factory is somewhat similar (though not as bad).0 -
If the restaurant doesn't post or provide their nutritional info where does MFP get it?
From other users that add it in themselves by guessing. Sometimes places like calorieking.com or diet.com may have more accurate info than guessing because they have sent a meal off to a lab for caloric info. But usually it's from someone guessing. Even NI on MFP that is from a label is wrong on MFP because a user typed it wrong or the company updated info and the MFP entry is old.
One of the reasons MFP is free is because the food info is inputted by users, not MFP.
My son has type 1 diabetes...and when he was first diagnosed at 11 it was critical for us to know how many carbohydrates were in the food he was eating so he could get the correct amount of insulin. We bought a book (Calorie King) I think. It has tons of restaurants, chains, etc. If the particular restaurant wasn't in there we would guesstimate.
I'm going to get a bit snarky here...if my son with a life threatening disease could guesstimate on the nutritional information so that he could eat out and live as normal a life as possible then I certainly believe that people who are simply counting calories and trying to eat healthy can do the same.0 -
I now stay away from places that withhold that info. I ate at Maggiano's once, couldn't find the info, they didn't have it..............then found an obscure copy on the internet from a Maggiano's in Pennsylvania that someone had scanned into the web. It was astounding. Each dish had 2-4 THOUSAND calories. 1 dish could have 600+ grams of carbs (as a Type 1 diabetic who needs insulin for my carb intake I just about had a heart attack when I saw that). Their sodium content in a few dishes was enough for a WEEK.
Disgusting.
No wonder they don't want people to know.
The Cheesecake Factory is somewhat similar (though not as bad).
Found it. Check out the full-size spaghetti and meatballs. Almost 14000g of sodium and over 700 carbs...and 5000 cals. How is that even POSSIBLE?
http://caloriecount.about.com/maggianos-little-italy-nutritional-info-finally-ft1662190 -
Welcome to the rest of the world.... I consider that I'm smart enough to pick a good or bad choice from the menu without being spoon fed all the details (pardon the pun!)
Do you really want to pay extra to have a staff member to have to calculate all the nutritional details for every meal?? Or only to eat somewhere that cooks identical meals in every single location, with no consideration for what is good and fresh and in season.
Not for me, thanks very much. If I wanted that I'd eat at McDonalds!
You may not be smart enough, considering some restaurants do "sugar washes" on their salads and veggies that bring up the carb/sugar/calorie count dramatically. Some drench their steaks in butter and salt, adding hundreds of calories and mgs of sodium to a dish that shouldn't be high in either. I went to a steakhouse the other day where their idea of a "baked potato" was a whole baked potato, battered and FRIED, then stuffed with sour cream, cheese, and butter, bringing it from a couple hundred calories to closer to a thousand. No, the potato wasn't described as fried--that wasn't clear until it arrived at the table.
Do I really want to pay extra to have a staff member to have to calculate all the nutritional details? Well, that's not what it would take, but even if it did? You betcha, thanks for asking.
Kris0 -
I guess I just have a really different attitude to most of you - I don't have any sense of entitlement to a detailed nutritional breakdown for every dish on a restaurant menu. Or that they are deliberately "withholding info" if they don't have it.
The only places (I can't call them restaurants!) that provide this info that I know of in Australia are McDonalds and Subway. I think it is another one of those differences between USA and the rest of the world.
For me, if I go out to dinner I expect to eat good food that won't be cooked as I would do it at home. I fully expect that they will use more butter and oil and salt than I do. I also expect that the food will be fresh and tasty and will change with the seasons.
I just don't expect that they will provide me with a menu with a nutritional breakdown. If it's important to you, by all means seek it out.0 -
I now stay away from places that withhold that info. I ate at Maggiano's once, couldn't find the info, they didn't have it..............then found an obscure copy on the internet from a Maggiano's in Pennsylvania that someone had scanned into the web. It was astounding. Each dish had 2-4 THOUSAND calories. 1 dish could have 600+ grams of carbs (as a Type 1 diabetic who needs insulin for my carb intake I just about had a heart attack when I saw that). Their sodium content in a few dishes was enough for a WEEK.
Disgusting.
No wonder they don't want people to know.
The Cheesecake Factory is somewhat similar (though not as bad).
Found it. Check out the full-size spaghetti and meatballs. Almost 14000g of sodium and over 700 carbs...and 5000 cals. How is that even POSSIBLE?
http://caloriecount.about.com/maggianos-little-italy-nutritional-info-finally-ft166219
Exactly my point. What person in their right mind would even imagine that a 700 calorie dish when made at home would become a 5,000 calorie dish in a restaurant? Horrifying, and any restaurant that resists sharing this information is sending the message that it knows what crap it's serving, it just doesn't want US to know.
Kris0 -
I guess I just have a really different attitude to most of you - I don't have any sense of entitlement to a detailed nutritional breakdown for every dish on a restaurant menu. Or that they are deliberately "withholding info" if they don't have it.
The only places (I can't call them restaurants!) that provide this info that I know of in Australia are McDonalds and Subway. I think it is another one of those differences between USA and the rest of the world.
For me, if I go out to dinner I expect to eat good food that won't be cooked as I would do it at home. I fully expect that they will use more butter and oil and salt than I do. I also expect that the food will be fresh and tasty and will change with the seasons.
I just don't expect that they will provide me with a menu with a nutritional breakdown. If it's important to you, by all means seek it out.
I think more and more people are feeling entitled to them. I certainly do. I have Type 1 diabetes and I HAVE to know the carb content to give myself insulin. Either that or I can't eat there. End of story. As all types of diabetes become more common and the number of people on insulin increases, more and more restaurants/chains are discovering they are being asked for this information. If they want insulin-dependent diabetics to eat at their restaurants, they better give that information to customers.0 -
Check if they post the information on the company website. My group where eating at On the Border Mexican Restaurant. I was able look up nutritional information online. It will shock you what some of standard plates have for calories,fat, sodium, etc.0
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I can relate to how frustrating it is when trying to eat out and the nutritional info is not available. I also avoid those restaurants however, I don't always get to pick if we are going out with friends or family. Or the dreaded office luncheon. The only restaurant near my office building is Dave and Busters and it is always challenging. If I know in advance where I am eating, I study the online menu and figure out my options. Or do what has already been suggested...add each ingredient separately and guess on the high side measurements like olive oil/salad dressing, etc.
Always ask for salad dressing on the side, baked potato dry, etc. I request salsa and use that for dressing. It's low cal and dresses up a salad while giving it a little zing.0 -
Have you written to the company?
I tried that with TGI Fridays and got some bull**** about how they strive to use only fresh ingredients ( before flash freezing them prior to being deep-fried) and that specific dietry needs can be catered for by contacting the chef at each restaurant.
basically this tells me they couldn't care less about letting ME know what i am PAYING for to eat at THEIR restaurant.
Very very shabby.
I always have a hard time trying to see what to eat at TGI Fridays. I just stick with a salad or whatever fish they have to be on the safe side. Other than that, I avoid TGI Fridays like a plague.
O'Charleys is good about offering meals under 550.0 -
I now stay away from places that withhold that info. I ate at Maggiano's once, couldn't find the info, they didn't have it..............then found an obscure copy on the internet from a Maggiano's in Pennsylvania that someone had scanned into the web. It was astounding. Each dish had 2-4 THOUSAND calories. 1 dish could have 600+ grams of carbs (as a Type 1 diabetic who needs insulin for my carb intake I just about had a heart attack when I saw that). Their sodium content in a few dishes was enough for a WEEK.
Disgusting.
No wonder they don't want people to know.
The Cheesecake Factory is somewhat similar (though not as bad).
Found it. Check out the full-size spaghetti and meatballs. Almost 14000g of sodium and over 700 carbs...and 5000 cals. How is that even POSSIBLE?
http://caloriecount.about.com/maggianos-little-italy-nutritional-info-finally-ft166219
Exactly my point. What person in their right mind would even imagine that a 700 calorie dish when made at home would become a 5,000 calorie dish in a restaurant? Horrifying, and any restaurant that resists sharing this information is sending the message that it knows what crap it's serving, it just doesn't want US to know.
Kris
To the ladies I just quoted, OP, and anyone else curious, I recommend you check out this book:
http://www.amazon.com/End-Overeating-Insatiable-American-Appetite/dp/1605297852
I received this book, and Im about 3/4 of the way through it. It talks in depth about what the chain restaurant industry does to our food. Which explains the 5,000 calorie dish. Im not done with the book yet, but what I've read so far has dramatically changed my choice in restaurants and what I will order.0 -
I now stay away from places that withhold that info. I ate at Maggiano's once, couldn't find the info, they didn't have it..............then found an obscure copy on the internet from a Maggiano's in Pennsylvania that someone had scanned into the web. It was astounding. Each dish had 2-4 THOUSAND calories. 1 dish could have 600+ grams of carbs (as a Type 1 diabetic who needs insulin for my carb intake I just about had a heart attack when I saw that). Their sodium content in a few dishes was enough for a WEEK.
Disgusting.
No wonder they don't want people to know.
The Cheesecake Factory is somewhat similar (though not as bad).
Found it. Check out the full-size spaghetti and meatballs. Almost 14000g of sodium and over 700 carbs...and 5000 cals. How is that even POSSIBLE?
http://caloriecount.about.com/maggianos-little-italy-nutritional-info-finally-ft166219
goodness me..that is simply DISGUSTING on EVERY SINGLE LEVEL. I'd compare it to involuntary manslaughter if they fail/refuse to disclose this.0 -
I now stay away from places that withhold that info. I ate at Maggiano's once, couldn't find the info, they didn't have it..............then found an obscure copy on the internet from a Maggiano's in Pennsylvania that someone had scanned into the web. It was astounding. Each dish had 2-4 THOUSAND calories. 1 dish could have 600+ grams of carbs (as a Type 1 diabetic who needs insulin for my carb intake I just about had a heart attack when I saw that). Their sodium content in a few dishes was enough for a WEEK.
Disgusting.
No wonder they don't want people to know.
The Cheesecake Factory is somewhat similar (though not as bad).
Found it. Check out the full-size spaghetti and meatballs. Almost 14000g of sodium and over 700 carbs...and 5000 cals. How is that even POSSIBLE?
http://caloriecount.about.com/maggianos-little-italy-nutritional-info-finally-ft166219
goodness me..that is simply DISGUSTING on EVERY SINGLE LEVEL. I'd compare it to involuntary manslaughter if they fail/refuse to disclose this.
What concerns me the most is A)diabetics like me going in, not knowing, and giving themself insulin for a NORMAL amount of carbs found in pasta........and then having an extremely high blood sugar that may result in a hospital stay and b)those who need to be on a low-sodium diet due to heart problems who have NO CLUE that this food has THAT much sodium in it.0 -
I now stay away from places that withhold that info. I ate at Maggiano's once, couldn't find the info, they didn't have it..............then found an obscure copy on the internet from a Maggiano's in Pennsylvania that someone had scanned into the web. It was astounding. Each dish had 2-4 THOUSAND calories. 1 dish could have 600+ grams of carbs (as a Type 1 diabetic who needs insulin for my carb intake I just about had a heart attack when I saw that). Their sodium content in a few dishes was enough for a WEEK.
Disgusting.
No wonder they don't want people to know.
The Cheesecake Factory is somewhat similar (though not as bad).
Found it. Check out the full-size spaghetti and meatballs. Almost 14000g of sodium and over 700 carbs...and 5000 cals. How is that even POSSIBLE?
http://caloriecount.about.com/maggianos-little-italy-nutritional-info-finally-ft166219
goodness me..that is simply DISGUSTING on EVERY SINGLE LEVEL. I'd compare it to involuntary manslaughter if they fail/refuse to disclose this.
What concerns me the most is A)diabetics like me going in, not knowing, and giving themself insulin for a NORMAL amount of carbs found in pasta........and then having an extremely high blood sugar that may result in a hospital stay and b)those who need to be on a low-sodium diet due to heart problems who have NO CLUE that this food has THAT much sodium in it.
yep..involuntary manslaughter...AND gross negligence. I hate people who do this.0 -
Tonight I actually decided to go to Applebee's tonight versus my favorite restaurant Arirang Hibachi Steakhouse because at least at "The Bee's" I can get the calorie info where I cant get squat out of the people at "The Rang" on whats in their food!
Im still going to eat the bazillian calorie spinach dip - but at least its MY decision. Turning 30 is bad on the waistline in a lot of ways - lol0
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