Have Restaurants Gone Mad???

prdough

The restaurant business is really tough -- no one is going to stay in business unless they serve people what they want. The crazy thing is that people basically WANT 3000 calorie meals. (Studies show that even when you tell people how many calories are in the meal, they pretty much order the same thing.)

IMHO, restaurants have gotten better about offering at least 1 or 2 healthy choices on their menus. Now if more people would order those, we'd see more choices.

^^this

It is economics. IF any of you think you can open a restaurant based on smaller portions and super healthy meals do it! If they don't exist, there is a big hole in the industry that could be filled!

The only problem is that if you put 100 random people into a room, and have them choose between a plate of a "healthy" portion and a plate with an "oversized" portion, people will probably 90 times out of 100 go with the oversized.

I own stock in a company called Ufood grill. its a healthy fast food place in a lot of airports. (its a penny stock mind you). ITs growing. So maybe the trend is catching?

coloradocuppiecake

The same thing when you walk into Walmart and look for healthy foods. There isnt a pita or a true whole grain bread in site.

My Wal-Mart definitely has pita, and their produce section (fresh and frozen) is really good. I don't know how to tell a true whole grain bread from a faux whole grain, so I'll take your word on that one. ;-)

Aha! They are hiding it! I mean a whole grain that isnt made with white flour. A heartier whole grain. :happy:

kmbrooks15

I had to eat at Olive Garden for work the other day. I went online ahead of time and researched the calories in each of the dishes. I went in already knowing what I was going to order; that way I didn't even have to look at the menu and see all of the temptations. I ordered water (0 calories, obviously), a bowl of Zuppa Toscana soup (170 calories-and I told the waitress to bring me ONE BOWL, no more), and the Venetian Apricot Chicken with broccoli and asparagus (290 calories for a lunch portion). I left satisfied and not one bit hungry for 460 calories. So it CAN be done.

I have noticed that Olive Garden is now offering whole wheat pasta for their "create your own pasta" dish. That and some marinara sauce would not be that many calories. The danger for me at Olive Garden is the breadsticks (150 calories a pop!). When they came to the table, I just passed them right on down the line. It all comes down to choices.

I did see a post by someone the other day who was going out to lunch for work. She posted the menu from the place they were going...holy cow! It was awful. Nothing under 600 calories except a bowl of soup. So some restaurants are worse than others. I just avoid those restaurants whenever possible. When it's unavoidable, you just do what you have to, even if it means eating a hefty, low-calorie snack beforehand so you don't eat as much at the restaurant.

HMonsterX

The thing is that in this day and age those of you who want to eat healthy, and actually watch their calories are in the minority.

Restaurants obviously cater for the majority.

The majority not only want the really tasty stuff, as going out to eat at a restaurant should be a treat, they also want "value for money", i.e. bigger portions.

exacerbe

I don't think restaurants really care about people's health. They're a business and businesses are fueled by revenue. Yes, the portions are absurd and most meals are loaded with sodium, fat, sugar, etc.... but it's the user that should be aware about what they are consuming. You can make the same argument about bars selling alcohol in mass quantities that poison our system. Moderation. Split portions. Don't go to restaurants, if possible.

hmstarbuck

It's not the restaurants responsibility to make the U.S. population is eating "correctly". It's OUR responsibility. Some care, some don't. If you CHOOSE to eat a restaurant, do you research, know what your getting in to. If you can't find their info, CHOOSE not to go there. And yes the portions are huge. CHOOSE not to eat the entire thing. I love left overs! I eat them for lunch the next day.

All in all, it's up to you to make better choices. Restaurants sell what people order. They are a business and businesses want to make money. No one to blame....................

HMonsterX

It's not the restaurants responsibility to make the U.S. population is eating "correctly". It's OUR responsibility. Some care, some don't. If you CHOOSE to eat a restaurant, do you research, know what your getting in to. If you can't find their info, CHOOSE not to go there. And yes the portions are huge. CHOOSE not to eat the entire thing. I love left overs! I eat them for lunch the next day.

All in all, it's up to you to make better choices. Restaurants sell what people order. They are a business and businesses want to make money. No one to blame....................

A perfect summation, ty

hmstarbuck

This is why I like to cook at home. It's so fun!
Plus the liquor is cheaper...

Ditto that!!!!

maygans

My husband and I were also quite shocked to see there were no 'real' restaurants, it was all fast food.

What the hell are you talking about?

:huh:

I am an American and unless you live in a large city where there are ethnic areas all of the "restaurants" are chain restaurants and fast food.

I am fortunate to live in the St Louis area and some of the neighborhoods in the city have some fantastic sit down restaurants.

I lived up north in Vermont for 26 years and I have to disagree. We had a LOT of local "real" restaurants to choose from, and I would say it doesn't get much more small town than VT! There are obviously chain restaurants and in some towns the fast food places, but it's certainly not hard to find "real" restaurants to dine at. Also fun fact: Montpelier (the capital of Vermont) is the only US capital to not have a McDonalds. So please don't just make blanket statements about America ONLY having this or that, when you haven't been to every place in the United States and can't speak for everywhere. Clearly some places have a lot of fast food or chain restaurants but I have never visited a place where I absolutely couldn't find an original "real" restaurant to go to.

p.s. I live in North Carolina now and there are plenty of good local (i.e. non chain) places to eat at.

rml_16

So since I started MFP, I have been researching nutritional content and calories of different restaurants. Well, it's insane and barbaric. Cheesecake Factory, for example, has items that have over 2000 calories in them....what?? Who is this supposed to be feeding, Godzilla?

I mean come on, no wonder I am fat and the obesity rate is soaring in this country. Why won't restaurants make healthier options?? I just don't get it...would someone please enlighten me??

I don't think anyone is being dragged to restaurants and force-fed the high-calorie food.

And, really? "Barbaric"???

rml_16

My husband and I were also quite shocked to see there were no 'real' restaurants, it was all fast food.

What the hell are you talking about?

:huh:

I am an American and unless you live in a large city where there are ethnic areas all of the "restaurants" are chain restaurants and fast food.

I am fortunate to live in the St Louis area and some of the neighborhoods in the city have some fantastic sit down restaurants.

I lived up north in Vermont for 26 years and I have to disagree. We had a LOT of local "real" restaurants to choose from, and I would say it doesn't get much more small town than VT! There are obviously chain restaurants and in some towns the fast food places, but it's certainly not hard to find "real" restaurants to dine at. Also fun fact: Montpelier (the capital of Vermont) is the only US capital to not have a McDonalds. So please don't just make blanket statements about America ONLY having this or that, when you haven't been to every place in the United States and can't speak for everywhere. Clearly some places have a lot of fast food or chain restaurants but I have never visited a place where I absolutely couldn't find an original "real" restaurant to go to.

p.s. I live in North Carolina now and there are plenty of good local (i.e. non chain) places to eat at.

I agree! I grew up in Chemung County, New York. It doesn't get much more rural than that. We had more local places than chains. I think the chains just starting coming in over the last 10 years since I left there, but people still go to the local restaurants, which are awesome.

I also lived several years in St. Marys, GA. The entire county had 50,000 residents. We had very few chains and lots of local places.

SoDamnHungry

I just wish we could buy half portions for half the price. A few restaurants offer half portions, but only charge 1 or 2 dollars more for the full portion.

Sweet13_Princess

I completely agree! It's so hard to make good choices when eating out, because something can appear healthy by all accounts, but have additives in it that drive the calorie counts up to insane levels.

I was appalled twice in the last few months by Perkins and Red Robbin. Perkins had some pancake and waffle breakfast specials that looked delicious. When I checked their website out, even by removing all of the toppings, I couldn't get the meal below 1000 calories. It was nuts! Also, Red Robbin has practically no burger under 800 calories. What's the point of going there if you can't get a decent burger anyways?

I've almost restorted to cutting out restaurants completely. My husband and I are lucky if we go once a month and I always check the menu out before we go and order exactly what I picked when I get there. It's hard to do otherwise without sabbotaging yourself.

My issue is, why isn't this type of thing more regulated? If we trust restaurants to be clean, we should also be able to trust that they have healthy options to serve us too.:-(

Shannon

rml_16

The same thing when you walk into Walmart and look for healthy foods. There isnt a pita or a true whole grain bread in site.

My Wal-Mart definitely has pita, and their produce section (fresh and frozen) is really good. I don't know how to tell a true whole grain bread from a faux whole grain, so I'll take your word on that one. ;-)

Aha! They are hiding it! I mean a whole grain that isnt made with white flour. A heartier whole grain. :happy:

Walmart is the only place around here that I can find Joseph's Flax and Whole Wheat pitas, which are definitely whole grain and definitely pitas and one of my favorite things. They also sell FlatOut multigrain wraps, which aren't made with white flour, and Arnold's Double Fiber Whole Wheat bread, which is also not made with white flour.

Maybe it's YOUR Walmart, but that would be based on what people in your area tend to buy, not so much what Walmart chooses to sell. I find plenty of healthy, whole foods there.

bcattoes

I don't mean to sound rude, but if go to someplace called "Cheesecake Factory" expecting healthy food the problem might not lie with the restaurant. There is healthy food to be found in restaurants, if you use common sense.

bcattoes

We have Japanese visitors to work all the time and they are always shocked about the portion sizes. They often take pictures if it's their first time in the States.

I had a similar experience when a friend in the military brought home his new Korean wife. She said "Everyone here is so large" and when we ate out, she said "Is all this for me?" when she saw her plate.

Qarol

If I want healthy, I'll make it myself.

bcattoes

And this is an asinine response. The day it's hard to find a real restaurant you can say this stuff. But where did you live? Seriously. There are far more sit-down restaurants in the greater Phoenix area than fast food. joints. Same was true when I lived in New York and Michigan. New York City, LA, Chicago, Seattle, New Orleans and Miami (and many other US cities) are KNOWN for, among other things, incredible dining. Just because someone is too lazy to google restaurants in their area doesn't mean they don't exist.

All of the cities mentioned are pretty large cities. There are many places outside these big cities where only fast food is availabe without driving many miles. And I'm not talking chain restaurants, I'm talking fast food (McD, BK, Subway, etc.). My husband and I went to a rural location to geocache once and arrived very late and the ONLY thing open was McD. It was the first time I'd been to one in 15+ years but it was late and we were very hungry after a long drive. The next day we drove many miles in both directions (only one road through this "town") and never saw anything other than McD and Subway. Even going all the way back to the Interstate (well over an hour) only provided 4 more fast food joints and a Cracker Barrel.

shaj316

I just wish they would supply nutrition info on their menus.

Half of the places, you can't even locate info on. That's the frustrating part.

To the folks who say WE are the ones demanding it, I don't think that's true. Speaking for myself and a number of friends, I know that if I know what is in it, I tend to make much better choices.

I think California passed legislation making restaurants with 20+ locations put the calories right on the menu. I remember reading about how Panera decided to do it at all restaurants in the country after that passed. It definitely changed what I ordered at Panera.

Here's a link to a Wash Post article from a few years ago. I don't live in California so not sure if it is still doing this but I thought it was a great idea...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/30/AR2008093002620.html

hmstarbuck

sarahmaryfearnley

There is no reason to order straight from the menu as it is. If I'm giving them my money, I will ask them to prepare it the way I want. I have never been told, no we can't do that from local places to chain style.

I really like Applebee's and I don't order off the 550 calorie menu. We went there this week. I ordered the parmesan steak and shrimp but asked if I could get the 7oz steak instead of 9oz and skip the garlic mash taders for extra steam veg. The taders are delicious because the secret ingredient is butter. Mmmmm, butter. The whole meal (the way I ordered it) was 560 calories. Not too bad for eating out and I was stuffed and satisfied and had the calories for 2 beers with dinner.

Hubby and I are from the Gulf Coast and LOVE seafood. There's a local place in our new town we went to check out. Like most seafood places, everything on the menu is fried. Fried flounder, fried shrimp, fried oysters, fried catfish. I ordered the seafood feast which on the menu was a fillet of fried flounder, 6 fried shrimp, 6 fried oysters, and 6 cocktail shrimp. I simple asked, can I have my fish grilled? All cocktail shrimp? And switch out for the raw oysters? This is a total mom&pop type place and their response was, "sure, absolutely, no problem".

Take Home Message - Order what you want, not what's listed on the menu.

mjshmily

As long as there is a market to sell to, someone will sell to it. 30 Years ago portion sizes at resteraunts were much much smaller. And people were more physically active without much of todays technology to keep them glued to their bottoms.

The food industry caters to what the consumers demand. Unfortunately there is the mentality of "more for my money" that runs rampant. People often want large portions so they feel they have gotten their money's worth. The problem here is that most people feel the obligation to eat everything on their plate. It's ok to eat half and take the rest to go and take it for lunch the next day.

If nobody was buying the double Big Mac supersized meal it would eventually leave the menu. As long as people want it, it will be there. There are other choices and it is up to the consumer to make them. I seldom go to a mcdonalds now and if I do I share an order of fries with my daughter, or I have something small. If I have to eat out I frequent Extreme Pita where all the nutritional data is posted right there on the wall so I can make a healthy decision quickly. Anytime you go into a fast food place request the nutritional info, if enough people request it, they will make it more available.

It's not really the restraunts that have gone mad. It's the consumers. We are the ones that buy it all. If we go to Dairy Queen we have the choice to order a small sunday or the extra large Blizzard. Blaming the food industry for obesity is like blaming the liquor store owner when your uncle Bob drinks too much. Or blaming the grocery store because I bought a tub of ice cream and had to eat the whole thing. That being said, here in Canada most big chains are noticing the movements towards healthier food and offer better alternatives. Many take part in the HealthCheck program where if there food meets certain criteria they can list it as HealthCheck approved. Other places are far more willing to customize your order and remove dressings or mayo and swap out fries for greens. If they won't, take your business elsewhere.

Part of trying to live healthier means making healthier decisions-it doesn't mean there aren't unhealthy options. We can choose a small burger instead of the massive one, we can order the half size lasagna instead of the full size-or we can take half home and eat the other half tomorrow.

chubby_checkers

i do this too.

Jennyisbusy

Caramel Frappe Small W/ Whipped Cream, 12 oz

Mcdonald's - 450
Starbucks- 290
Mine- 105

Sure you can say the responsibility is mine to look everything up but I still want to know WTF? This is the BEST recipe that they can come up with?

And I don't believe anyone wants a "3000" calorie dish! They want a fun restaurant atmosphere, a really tasty dish, service from a friendly waitstaff, a break from cooking at home... If they had all those elements and the dish rolled in at "600" calories they wouldn't be looking under the table for their missing calories.

Acg67

And I don't believe anyone wants a "3000" calorie dish! They want a fun restaurant atmosphere, a really tasty dish, service from a friendly waitstaff, a break from cooking at home... If they had all those elements and the dish rolled in at "600" calories they wouldn't be looking under the table for their missing calories.

i do, i went out to a nice restaurant last sat, since i was out and paying good money i wanted my money's worth. the whole meal prob was upwards of 4500-5000cals. the thing is 1 meal isn't going to make you fat, there is absolutely no reason you can't go to a restaurant and indulge a little

stefchica

you will just to have to either cook at home more htat way you know whats going into your food...OR when you order things from restaurants asked how they're cooked. if you do ordder veggies or a sald...ask for no dressing...or get it on the side....if veggies asked that it not be tossed in butter or salt or margarine...if you order a steak, ask that it be grilled w/o butter or things like that. just choose restaurants wisely. cheesecake factory, i if remember right, was on some list for the top restaurant offenders calorie wise...they are HORRIBLE!!! i go there once in a blue mood..but i must admit, i'm a SUCKer for avocado egg rolls and they're the closest i've come to besides my fav BJ's Restaurant back in california. I wish more places out here were healhtier, i loved back in so. cal there were TONS of places that surrounded their menus with vegan items, vegetarian or FRESH, low fat, easy meals...soo good.

anyways.....the cheaper the supplies the more money restaurants make off people. and all that goes straight to the belly!! for those reasons i RARELY RARELY eat outside the house. IF I DO its just to get a beer and i'll get a salad with no dressing, or it on the side (i wish more places had an oil and vinegar option like they do in south america) *sigh* i hate eating out..haha

rml_16

And this is an asinine response. The day it's hard to find a real restaurant you can say this stuff. But where did you live? Seriously. There are far more sit-down restaurants in the greater Phoenix area than fast food. joints. Same was true when I lived in New York and Michigan. New York City, LA, Chicago, Seattle, New Orleans and Miami (and many other US cities) are KNOWN for, among other things, incredible dining. Just because someone is too lazy to google restaurants in their area doesn't mean they don't exist.

All of the cities mentioned are pretty large cities. There are many places outside these big cities where only fast food is availabe without driving many miles. And I'm not talking chain restaurants, I'm talking fast food (McD, BK, Subway, etc.). My husband and I went to a rural location to geocache once and arrived very late and the ONLY thing open was McD. It was the first time I'd been to one in 15+ years but it was late and we were very hungry after a long drive. The next day we drove many miles in both directions (only one road through this "town") and never saw anything other than McD and Subway. Even going all the way back to the Interstate (well over an hour) only provided 4 more fast food joints and a Cracker Barrel.

I'm sure that's true for some rural areas, but for many others, there are choices other than fast food or chains. I've lived in town so small you barely know they're there most of my life and always had "real" restaurants to choose from.

RangerSteve

And I don't believe anyone wants a "3000" calorie dish! They want a fun restaurant atmosphere, a really tasty dish, service from a friendly waitstaff, a break from cooking at home... If they had all those elements and the dish rolled in at "600" calories they wouldn't be looking under the table for their missing calories.

i do, i went out to a nice restaurant last sat, since i was out and paying good money i wanted my money's worth. the whole meal prob was upwards of 4500-5000cals. the thing is 1 meal isn't going to make you fat, there is absolutely no reason you can't go to a restaurant and indulge a little

^^^^^^^^^What this guy said.

Some of you people are ridiculous. If YOU don't want a 3,000 calorie meal then don't eat it. Some of us enjoy it once in awhile, especially after a long day of exercise that beats your body down. Also, some of you people are ridiculous because you go to a place called "The Cheesecake Factory" and wonder why things are high calorie. Seriously? It's called The Cheesecake Factory. What did you expect?

Kid: Hey mom! Why are we going to place called FAT FOOD?
Mom: To look at the healthy menu of course!!!
<arrives>
Mom: OH MY GOD!!!!! Why is everything so high calorie?
Kid: But mom....it's called Fat Food.....
Mom: Shut up kid! I need drama in my life!

rml_16

And I don't believe anyone wants a "3000" calorie dish! They want a fun restaurant atmosphere, a really tasty dish, service from a friendly waitstaff, a break from cooking at home... If they had all those elements and the dish rolled in at "600" calories they wouldn't be looking under the table for their missing calories.

i do, i went out to a nice restaurant last sat, since i was out and paying good money i wanted my money's worth. the whole meal prob was upwards of 4500-5000cals. the thing is 1 meal isn't going to make you fat, there is absolutely no reason you can't go to a restaurant and indulge a little

Me, too! When I know I'm going out for lunch or dinner, I plan ahead so I can eat high fat, high calorie, yummy, yummy food and even dessert.

I'm still very healthy and losing weight because it's only ONE meal like that and I exercise almost daily. When I go to Olive Garden, I have breadsticks, fried lasagna and dessert. And I work it into my calories.

And when I go for Indian, I have a fried appetizer, an entree and cheese naan. Every time. I love it. It makes me happy. But I do that about once a month at most.

Kickinthehabit

Caveat emptor.

That! This site arms us with the knowledge we need. Check before you go out to eat. It's shocking.