Do you think all restaurants should be required to provide n

GeoJenna223

I absolutely think restaurants should be required to provide nutritional information...and law makers agree.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/fda-proposal-would-require-chain-restaurants-to-display-calorie-information/2011/04/01/AFOxCkHC_story.html

I think it would make a difference in some people's decisions at restaurants. I want to know so I can track it.

As far as chef's discretion/on the fly cooking...even those restaurants have steady menu items at least over seasons (winter menu, summer menu, etc.) I think anything that is offered for longer than a month at those places should have approximate figures, just to give people an idea.

I also don't think it would be that big of a burden for small business owners. The ingredients are all labeled with nutri data, just have a week where everytime someone makes a dish have them measure out the quantities and log it! I create every recipe i make and save it to my recipes on this site, it takes an extra 5 minutes each time i prepare a new meal.

aippolito1

I agree. I got frustrated waiting tables last year because my boss didn't know nutritional information of anything he had his kitchen staff making... it can't be THAT expensive to hire someone to calculate it all out, can it? Ugh.

These days I typically only eat fast food (Subway, Chipotle, Chick-Fil-A, etc.) or chain restaurants where I know I can figure out the calories. The tricky stuff is asian food. I love Korean but there are only a couple dishes I can find, and it's all done in grams so it's hard to know how much I'm supposed to eat of it.


Staying in and cooking for yourself is your best bet.

TourThePast

It's hardly rocket science.

If I, as an amateur, can easily and quickly work out the calories in food that I prepare, often in bulk, I see no reason why restaurants should not be compelled to do likewise.

And if the menu ends up looking too scary calorie wise, and people are put off ordering food? Well maybe that restaurant needs to re-examine its policy on ingredients and portion sizes.

If every restaurant had to do it, I bet it would soon become a real selling point among people who care for their health.. "See what amazing food we can put before you for 600 calories"

ElizabethRoad

I also don't think it would be that big of a burden for small business owners. The ingredients are all labeled with nutri data, just have a week where everytime someone makes a dish have them measure out the quantities and log it! I create every recipe i make and save it to my recipes on this site, it takes an extra 5 minutes each time i prepare a new meal.

You know they can't just use an online tool like MFP, right? OMG. And this would open them up to liability if the info was wrong. I don't think you understand the ramifications.

amysj303

I wish they did. I bet I would be surprised sometimes.
I think it would be hard for them, though, and it wouldn't be very exact for restaurants where different people are making things...

0RESET0

I asked a grocery store if they had nutritional info for some specialty burgers they had in the meat case. They looked at me like I was nutz. The butcher said "well, it's 80/20". I could see the cheese they mixed into it. I asked what else was in it and they listed off several things. I listened to the ones I knew would add calories and left it at that. I also got some stuffed fish items and was surprised to find that other grocery stores had similar items and were in the database. I used those entries when I ate the fish.

I have the MFP app on my phone and really wish restaurants would add bar codes to the menu so I could scan my choice to have it entered. Much faster than asking for nutritional info and other customers wouldn't get the "sticker shock" if they didn't want to.

Sd0510

I have seen a lot of them, but when they make their food fresh, it's hard to provide accurate nutitrional facts for EVERY meal made since size of item, amount of seasoning, and chef differs daily.

unmitigatedbadassery

If you have the genuine need to know then the burden is on you to investigate it. The information IS out there if you apply effort. I have NEVER had an issue with having dinner at a restaurant only to find out later that I had been hornswaggled into eating 800 calories more than I thought. I applied logic and common sense when placing my order.

If you're a vegetarian/vegan - ask about related ingredients/procedures
If you're on a low cholesterol diet - don't order the fried chicken
If you're low carb - don't get fries or bread
If you're low calorie - pass on the dessert and maybe order grilled chicken
If you're low sodium - ask if they have any low sodium options, if not go somewhere else or improvise

It really doesn't need to be so complicated

TourThePast

If it's for calorie restrictions or specific dietary needs I feel like a little common sense goes a long way on this. Example: if I'm trying to lose weight I know that the double bacon cheddar burger isn't the way to go - I don't need nutritional data to convince me.

Sounds so simple doesn't it, but the reality is that cooking methods and choice of ingredients make a HUGE difference to the calorie content of a meal.

I can put together a double bacon cheddar burger for under 500 calories, but in a restaurant it could easily be 2,000. How can you tell? Often you cannot.

Information is power, as a consumer in a recession, I demand information - and companies who deny me this are going to lose out on a growing market share.

EDITED TO ADD I've literally worked my *kitten* off over the last eleven months to carve the body I have now out of the obese blob that I used to be, and I'm VERY keen to support restaurants who are prepared to make it easier for me to keep it.

courtclerkkris

I guess my answer is a multiple part opinion. Do I think they "Should"--NO! Do I appreciate the ones that do--ABSOLUTELY. It really would be a burden on a mom and pop shop to HAVE to provide me with the nutritional stats on their menu items. We are all big people and if we care what the stats are on the food then we probably have the ability to kind of know how many calories it "might" contain. Yeah I know a lot of places put hidden stuff in their items to make them taste tastier but still I think WE need to put some accountability on ourselves and the decisions we choose to make. If we don't like that they won't/don't provide the stats...you know what, we don't have to eat there! Just my opinion.

0RESET0

I also don't think it would be that big of a burden for small business owners. The ingredients are all labeled with nutri data, just have a week where everytime someone makes a dish have them measure out the quantities and log it! I create every recipe i make and save it to my recipes on this site, it takes an extra 5 minutes each time i prepare a new meal.

You know they can't just use an online tool like MFP, right? OMG. And this would open them up to liability if the info was wrong. I don't think you understand the ramifications.

That is what disclaimers are for. I am sure MFP has one around here somewhere. ALL calorie calculations are approximations.

MrsJackieH

i wish they did only because it would help out alot of people!

courtclerkkris

If you have the genuine need to know then the burden is on you to investigate it. The information IS out there if you apply effort. I have NEVER had an issue with having dinner at a restaurant only to find out later that I had been hornswaggled into eating 800 calories more than I thought. I applied logic and common sense when placing my order.

If you're a vegetarian/vegan - ask about related ingredients/procedures
If you're on a low cholesterol diet - don't order the fried chicken
If you're low carb - don't get fries or bread
If you're low calorie - pass on the dessert and maybe order grilled chicken
If you're low sodium - ask if they have any low sodium options, if not go somewhere else or improvise

It really doesn't need to be so complicated

AMEN Brother!!!

BrettPGH

I also don't think it would be that big of a burden for small business owners. The ingredients are all labeled with nutri data, just have a week where everytime someone makes a dish have them measure out the quantities and log it! I create every recipe i make and save it to my recipes on this site, it takes an extra 5 minutes each time i prepare a new meal.

You know they can't just use an online tool like MFP, right? OMG. And this would open them up to liability if the info was wrong. I don't think you understand the ramifications.

It's adding. It's no burden at all. They know how much food they're using. It's just a matter of figuring out the calories. And I don't even think it's possible to sue a restaurant for not having accurate calorie counts.

livinginwoods

It would be helpful but I don't think they should be forced to do so.

unmitigatedbadassery

If it's for calorie restrictions or specific dietary needs I feel like a little common sense goes a long way on this. Example: if I'm trying to lose weight I know that the double bacon cheddar burger isn't the way to go - I don't need nutritional data to convince me.

Sounds so simple doesn't it, but the reality is that cooking methods and choice of ingredients make a HUGE difference to the calorie content of a meal.

I can put together a double bacon cheddar burger for under 500 calories, but in a restaurant it could easily be 2,000. How can you tell? Often you cannot.

Information is power, as a consumer in a recession, I demand information - and companies who deny me this are going to lose out on a growing market share.

That's part of the common sense part. You have to TRY to put together a bacon burger for under 500 calories. Common sense says that a restaurant is not going to try that hard and if they do it will be advertised some how. Knowing restaurant standards it's a fairly safe bet that they are using something around 80/20 across the board.

annameier8706

A lot of them still don't. For example Buffalo Wild Wings will not just post nutrition info on their site. You have to email them to get it. I emailed them 5 days ago and still have not gotten it.

Just fyi each wing is approx 100 cals...

gods_gal

A lot of them still don't. For example Buffalo Wild Wings will not just post nutrition info on their site. You have to email them to get it. I emailed them 5 days ago and still have not gotten it.

This website is great for finding calories and points for WW. Here's BWW for you:
http://www.exercise4weightloss.com/weight-watchers-points-buffalowildwings.html

namenumber

No, because eating at a restaurant is voluntary. For restaurants with only one or a few locations, definitely not. I think nationwide restaurants should provide it out of good will towards their customers but I don't think they should be required. I usually look up ahead of time to see if the restaurant has nutrition info and then try to find something not terribly high in calories. I have occasionally chosen one restaurant over another because one provides nutritional info and the other doesn't. However, if I really want to go eat somewhere that doesn't, I'll go. One meal won't kill me.

fuzzimama

I guess if you *like* cookie cutter food then you might expect a restaurant to be able to whip up nutritional guidelines for their menu items with ease. But that is really only feasible if you serve things in exact portions like MacDonalds and the like do. Where all your buns are made by the whopping bun machine that pops out the exact amount of bread dough every time, not a gram more, not a gram less, then sprinkles on 674 sesame seeds (and alerts the operator if its 675 or 673). Where your patty is measured by a machine to weigh the same amount every time.

At a real restaurant you don't necessarily get your dish looking 100% like the person next door, because its real food.

If you've watched a real chef work then you'll know that they taste, taste, taste. Needs a bit more this and bit more that. How's that going to work?

I see that Washington Post story is for chain restaurants, which is understandable and completely different, from my preferred restaurants. I should ask my cousin who is head chef in his own awesome tiny, quirky, delicious Italian restaurant how he would feel about fitting calorie counting into his extremely busy schedule. You can't compare a 30 seat boutique restaurant to the giants of the chain world, its not reasonable. And you certainty can't compare their food! If it means dieters are left with only choosing chains for the restaurant experience, then that's their choice. For me, I'm happy with a guesstimate (especially given the rarity of my restaurant dining).

TourThePast

Common sense says that a restaurant is not going to try that hard and if they do it will be advertised some how.

But surely that's the whole point?

Restaurants don't try that hard.

If they were forced to publish nutritional information on their menus, I bet they'd try a hell of a lot harder.

This is not about helping one individual person who happens to be on a diet at one point, this is about educating an entire nation that is getting fatter and unhealthier with every generation.

neanderthin

So far nutritional labeling from supermarket to restaurants over the last 15 years have sent the obesity epidemic into a recesssion and the masses are getting healthier.........whoops, that's not right, must have been a dream. lol

HolleeERL

No, that is an unnecessary burden to put on small business owners.

I agree with this. Yes, it would be helpful, but whatever happened to personal responsibility? If you don't know what's in it, don't eat it. It's called free market and if you don't like that they don't show the nutrition facts of their food, don't eat there. Why should a restaraunt be responsible for YOUR personal lifestyle? This would just be more ridiculous regulation on something that isn't really needed. Use some common sense in your eating. Sheesh!!

killagb

The calorie variation of the actual food you get served to you will vary widely from the published amounts. You might as well give it your best guess and just don't make it a habit to be eating out all the time.

thelowcarbrecipes

The Nutritional Info should be on the menu, At minimum the calories should be in plain sight.

unmitigatedbadassery

Common sense says that a restaurant is not going to try that hard and if they do it will be advertised some how.

But surely that's the whole point?

Restaurants don't try that hard.

If they were forced to publish nutritional information on their menus, I bet they'd try a hell of a lot harder.

This is not about helping one individual person who happens to be on a diet at one point, this is about educating an entire nation that is getting fatter and unhealthier with every generation.

I get what you are saying completely. I agree, if they had to publish the nutritional data they would generally produce better quality food. I just don't think that it should be a government mandated issue.

killagb

Common sense says that a restaurant is not going to try that hard and if they do it will be advertised some how.

But surely that's the whole point?

Restaurants don't try that hard.

If they were forced to publish nutritional information on their menus, I bet they'd try a hell of a lot harder.

This is not about helping one individual person who happens to be on a diet at one point, this is about educating an entire nation that is getting fatter and unhealthier with every generation.

They want to sell food. They do not care if you aren't able to control your eating and get fat from it. Plenty of fast food places here publish their horrid calorie counts directly on the menu, does it stop people much? Hell no.

Angel87a

That's one of the things I liked about California calories were posted everywhere.. you won't find that in Mass.. unless it's like a specialized health food place.

killagb

Common sense says that a restaurant is not going to try that hard and if they do it will be advertised some how.

But surely that's the whole point?

Restaurants don't try that hard.

If they were forced to publish nutritional information on their menus, I bet they'd try a hell of a lot harder.

This is not about helping one individual person who happens to be on a diet at one point, this is about educating an entire nation that is getting fatter and unhealthier with every generation.

I get what you are saying completely. I agree, if they had to publish the nutritional data they would generally produce better quality food. I just don't think that it should be a government mandated issue.

Let's be clear now....high calorie does not equate to low quality. Foods high in calories are not inherently bad for you either.

DannyMussels

Most chain restaurants get supplies and product from their own company, so every burger, bun, sauce, condiment, etc is portioned and fairly accurate.

In other restaurants (usually smaller) where stuffs prepared fresh, and products from from a variety of suppliers theres a lot of variation in how its prepared (or even within the products themselves). Even an extra squirt of oil or pat of butter would throw your nutrition off a few hundred calories. Not to mention them swapping a product for something similar cause it's cheaper, or more readily available.

Either way, sticking with a plain salad and grilled chicken is 9/10 your healthiest bet as far as volume vs calories. Most food for least calories.