Restaurants - Are You Kidding Me?!?!

PunkyRachel

Yep, "healthy" foods are usually more. Plus we have all these venting machines and junk food everywhere you look. People wonder why America is so fat!

nakabi

In England we have a portuguese restaurant called nandos and the calories generally aren't too horific but for a salad it can be a bit excessive especially when you're trying to keep the cost and the calories down. also they put on the menu to order sides with your dinner so it all quickly adds up on both counts but one meal at nandos with a soft drink would cost like $20


http://www.nandos.co.uk/themenu click on nutrition for the calories

mmmmmmmmm I love me some Nandos!!!! awesome periperi chicken!!!

jonward85

At Zaxby's for a side salad (lettuce, tomato, and cucumber) it's $2.99 but a side order of french fries is $1.29. Hmmm. You tell me which side item most people will choose?

Yes, but you can order fries in larger quantities. You can store the fries (if frozen) for a very long time compared to fresh lettuce and such. Also, tomatoes are one of the more pricey items at a restaurant.

artbkward

You didn't have to throw the Winking Lizard under the bus, it's not like they're the only ones that do this. I love that place, I always get the buffalo chicken sandwich with steamed veggies- one of the lowest cal things on the menu.

Also, go to the store and buy all those ingredients and see how much it costs. It's not out of line.

patchesgizmo

the main reason is because the salad items expire faster and need replacing therefore they cost more to keep on the menu.

artbkward

Wait a second, where are these restaurants where you can get a salmon dinner for under ten dollars?!? That would be at least $18 here, and the salad would be 9 or 10 before adding chicken (that would cost you 3 or 4 dollars more.) I need to move to the middle of nowhere. :grumble:

This particular restaurant is either in Cleveland, Ohio or Columbus, Ohio. Hardly the middle of nowhere.

deenie169

I wonder if this has something to do with the perishable nature of most salad items. I imagine that most items in a "bad for you" meal are processed and/ or frozen. Lots of the salad items are also susceptible to damage in transit, too, so it's more costly for the supplier to ship & handle the items.
Also, supply/ demand economics figures in: if you buy lots of a given product (hamburger, fries, etc.), the supplier may offer a volume discount, whereas the products bought in smaller quantities (tomatoes, avocados, etc.) are not given a bulk discount.

It can be frustrating to pay a little more for something that's leaner and gives you more nutrition, BUT it's worth it when I feel that I've spent the money to take good care of myself. I hope that you find some small comfort in paying the "premium" for a better life and giving your body the kind of fuel it can really use!

FrugalMomsRock75

Restaurant salads are usually not actually "healthy" alternatives... some have even more calories, fat, and sodium than eating a big fat burger! It's a little insane...

MissTattoo

Applebees salads are pretty high in calories! It's the dressing!

42kgirl

Restaurants are not around to feed you healthy meals.

They're around to make money.

Yes, we want to make money, but we also care about quality food not processed crap. We are big believers in farm to table. It costs more than McDonald's, but is so worth it.

NovemberJune

CAJUN CHICKEN
SPINACH SALAD
Charbroiled chicken breast seasoned
with our own Cajun spices, on a bed of spinach
and mozzarella cheese, garnished with
chopped egg, bacon, tomatoes, olives
and mushrooms. $8.49 grumble

BACON CHEESEBURGER (Burgers include fries, or a comparable side dish, and all the trimmings on the burger)
American cheese topped with strips of
Applewood bacon. $7.99 explode

Wait, wait, wait - It gets better.

You know how typically seafood is more expensive -

GRILLED SALMON DINNER
Wild caught Alaskan grilled salmon. Consider basting
with one of our signature sauces as an alternative.
$8.99 mad


The ingredients simply cost more. Fries especially are relatively cheap for restaurants. Anything that doesn't keep as long (as in stuff that can't just be stored in the freezer for a few weeks) is going to cost more. These price differences seem small to me actually....

PaleoPath4Lyfe

That Salad probably has as many calories as the burger. Cheese, eggs, bacon, and proably drenched with dressing nothing healthy about it.

There is nothing unhealthy about cheese, eggs, or bacon. As far as the dressing goes, get it on the side or bring your own home made dressing (which is what I sometimes do).

The croutons, tortilla strips and candied nuts are what makes those salads unhealthy.

PaperThinLips

Well I can't tell how real the burgers are at McDonalds, but I am pretty sure they are just fake crap, so they are going to be cheaper. They can last a hell of a lot longer than a salad does.

You wouldn't buy a shopping trolley full of veggies, make a ton of salads, and sell them for the same price as a hamburger. You are most likely not going to be able to sell all of the salads before the expiry date arrives which then you would have to throw away and buy a whole lot more.

Well you can tell that the Burgers aren't real or just packed full of cheap crap if you saw Super Size Me lol.

they are made of crap.
my bf used to work back there and they take like a few seconds to make on the pressure grill..
and i used to be a crew trainer there.. . it was awful.. so many people would order huge amounts of food but think it's okay if they diet a diet coke

fatmom51

Although I think salmon is more expensive than chicken, at most of these places, the chicken added to the salad is a full piece -- 6-8 ounces, at least where I've gotten a chicken spinach salad. And even at the grocery store, bagged spinach from the produce aisle is somewhat pricier than plain old iceberg. If I'm remembering correctly, I think I read somewhere that restaurants charge 3x what it would cost to make at home to account for the labor, facilities, utilities, etc.
What's probably the most surprising is that the salmon isn't MORE expensive. The other prices seem to be what I'd expect to pay. (While it doesn't seem fair, salads likely are more expensive because of their short shelf life.)

sevsmom

If you plan on spending $8-10 for your dinner. . .what does it really matter? If it's healthy and tastes good, why worry about it costing as much or even a smidge more than a burger? Aren't you worth the expense?? I don't like to pay a lot for stuff like that, so I usually make my own at home, but if I'm out and want salad, I'll order it. You know you won't feel all gross like you do after a greasy burger and fries!

NovemberJune

i can't count the number of times i've seen someone choose the salad at the restaurant, and it's so massive and covered with toppings and dressing that they could have eaten a couple big macs instead and been better off. same thing at subway. "yeah, i'll have the footlong bacon with extra bacon and salami, extra southwest sauce."

Did you ever consider that that is just what they wanted to eat? I greatly prefer a yummy fatty calorific salad to a couple of big macs. wouldn't anyone? lol!
Anyway my friend's brother was telling me (long ago) how stupid it is to get a veggie and then get mayonnaise. Uh, how is that stupid? I like mayo, I don't like the meat?

MakeItWork_75

At Zaxby's for a side salad (lettuce, tomato, and cucumber) it's $2.99 but a side order of french fries is $1.29. Hmmm. You tell me which side item most people will choose?

Yes, but you can order fries in larger quantities. You can store the fries (if frozen) for a very long time compared to fresh lettuce and such. Also, tomatoes are one of the more pricey items at a restaurant.

Right, but you should have to factor the cost of oil in the equation when considering fried foods. Also, if the side salad was the only salad type item they offered I could see the price difference. Knowing that they keep these items on hand for other dishes on the menu and the fact that it is probably less than a cup of veggies total in the side salad, makes it seem like price gouging.

devil_in_a_blue_dress

Depending on where you live -- produce is probably only "cheap" half the year. In the winter months, if they are using decent produce all year, it's not being grown locally. Restaurants set prices based on making money over the year, so some of that is set to compensate for times of the year when they probably aren't making much on produce in the salads, after you factor in labor.

This is why it is really important to look for restaurants with seasonal menus -- you're going to get the food that tastes the best and at better prices.

And honestly, I like a lot of salads that are being produced by Wendy's and McDonald's. The sodium is higher than I'd like, the Grilled Chicken, Bacon, Ranch Salad (minus the dressing, which I don't care for) at McD's is 230 calories. A single cheese burger is 300.

navinator24

Wait a second, where are these restaurants where you can get a salmon dinner for under ten dollars?!? That would be at least $18 here, and the salad would be 9 or 10 before adding chicken (that would cost you 3 or 4 dollars more.) I need to move to the middle of nowhere. :grumble:

I was literally thinking the same thing. I don't live near any large cities like that and it's a blue collar community and it's nothing for a salmon dinner to be $15-$20. Salads, just plain with two or three slices of tomatos, two cucumber slices, and a couple of croutons is easily $7 or $8. Add chicken, shrimp, steak, or ahi tuna and charge $.50 - $3.00 more.

This is why I make dinner at home! haha...A LOT cheaper to buy farm raised fish from a farmer's market with spinach!!

meggonkgonk

Um, sandwich ingredients are cheaper and more easily bought in bulk. You can't store salad greens very long, but you can store bread like forever.