Have Restaurants Gone Mad???

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.

dmpizza

I agree about portion sizes.
I remember 35 years ago when the McDonald's Quarter Pounder and small fires was considered a big meal. Now some "sliders" are that big.

Alee4nia

a) Some people are being rude, this is a support site, no? Be nice people, why are you attacking people who have had different experiences...even if you have something different to say don't need to put it in an offensive and aggressive demeanor.

b) Yes, it is the consumer's job to know what they are buying, but common sense also says too much is a bad thing...meaning why are industries adding not just a bit bigger sizes but huge sizes of food...with huge amounts of calories in them. That does mean that the industry is lacking some education regarding this matter. I am not talking about restaurants force feeding...I am talking about the bigger picture here...the food we eat is controlled by a few companies...they are the only people that get to make decisions on how food is grown, processed, etc...why? Many of the foods we eat also has been genetically altered...something that maybe be healthy actually may not be as our bodies do not know how to process them as they are the synthetic versions...just as we hold ourselves accountable we also have to hold big businesses accountable for not using common sense and just worrying about PROFIT.

c) My main point is that there are not enough healthier options available at restaurants. Yes, I do agree that there are not enough "real" restaurants...it really depends on where you live. The majority of my eating out is at these real restaurants and mostly I eat food from my ethnicity...which is all homecooked anyway....I do lots of homecooking myself...

d) My hope was that people had suggestions on low cal foods at restaurants. Many people did have good ideas and thank you for giving out those..I didn't know you could order directly from the cook...

HMonsterX

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.

Thank you so much for using one particular word..."Healthier".

That's the golden word. Not everything has to be healthy, just overall Healthier than the old "you".

If i was to go out for a meal, say a friend i haven't for years come over for a while, I'd get some good cardio and lifting in the day, skip breakfast, have a very light lunch, then I'd go balls to the wall that night! I'd have whatever i wanted to make it a great night out, and sod the calories!

...for that one night.

Next day, back to normal. It's all good

nixickle

I think some people are being quite defensive about my comments. My point was certainly not to offend! It was simply an observation that where we went to, in the two weeks we were there, we did not manage to eat in any 'real' restaurants; we could only find chains and anywhere that was more like a 'real' restaurant, we felt rushed; going back to one of my first comments, being rushed for a meal is not something I am used to! My hubby and I still go on dates and we like to go to a restaurant and spend 2-3 hours there! We did not feel we could do this in any of the places we ate in Oregon...yes I am very aware this is not the only place to visit in America! In the UK it is not uncommon to wait 30-40 mins for a starter in many restaurants, whereas our time in Oregon...we were never in a food place for longer than 40mins! (this was not necessarily a bad thing as I was pregnant at the time and receiving food quickly was quite beneficial ). I'm sure there were some fancy restaurants somewhere where we were staying, but we could not find them...hence why I was shocked! Just different in different places I guess so apologies again if I offended anyone! (no doubt someone will slate this message too )

rachemn

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 live in a small town on a very scenic tourist location (the north shore of lake Superior). We have no fast food despite high levels of tourist traffic. The closest is 30 miles away south of me there is a McDonald's and a Culvers, but there are over 20 awesome restaurants (some nationally known) and in the other direction (60 miles north) there is a subway and a DQ. LOL! However you will find some of the best restaurants in MN in this 100 mile stretch of shoreline!

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.

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.

My point wasn't that all small towns or communities don't have restaurants. My point was that suggesting there were such places is not "asinine".

rml_16

I think some people are being quite defensive about my comments. My point was certainly not to offend! It was simply an observation that where we went to, in the two weeks we were there, we did not manage to eat in any 'real' restaurants; we could only find chains and anywhere that was more like a 'real' restaurant, we felt rushed; going back to one of my first comments, being rushed for a meal is not something I am used to! My hubby and I still go on dates and we like to go to a restaurant and spend 2-3 hours there! We did not feel we could do this in any of the places we ate in Oregon...yes I am very aware this is not the only place to visit in America! In the UK it is not uncommon to wait 30-40 mins for a starter in many restaurants, whereas our time in Oregon...we were never in a food place for longer than 40mins! (this was not necessarily a bad thing as I was pregnant at the time and receiving food quickly was quite beneficial ). I'm sure there were some fancy restaurants somewhere where we were staying, but we could not find them...hence why I was shocked! Just different in different places I guess so apologies again if I offended anyone! (no doubt someone will slate this message too )

I think the issue is you stated "small town America" (or something like that) and not "where we went."

America is a big place and you will have very different experiences depending on where you go. But to paint all small towns in the entire country with that brush is kind of small-minded.

nixickle

? I never once said small town America! All I said was my hubby and I were shocked there were no 'real restaurants'

HMonsterX

c) My main point is that there are not enough healthier options available at restaurants.

Simply because their research has proved it isn't as popular as "unhealthy" options. Therefore, they will make more profit from providing what most people want.

And yes, they are all about profit. They are businesses after all. Ethics vs profit is a whole different debate though

alcon79

? I never once said small town America! All I said was my hubby and I were shocked there were no 'real restaurants'

Your first post basically said that you were on vacation and you couldn't find a "real restaurant". That's a blanket statement since you didn't define where you were or other issues, and of course people are going to get defensive. It'd be like saying I visited Notting Hill and British people all have terrible teeth - obviously not true and you'd take offense.

On the calorie thing, I work in Bethesda, MD where it's law to post the calorie counts (only calories, not fat, sodium, etc.) next to every single food item in a coffee shop/restaurant, etc. The research has been showing that a) people may be shocked but don't change their order, especially once they're in line and b) after a while people don't even see the calorie counts because they're so used to them being written.