Restaurant Shame List

I heard that omelets from IHOP actually have pancake batter in the eggs "to make them fluffier" and it makes the calorie count insane.

Also getting a salad almost anywhere is more than you expect. The one time I didn't look up a quesadilla explosion salad before I ate it, I ate the entire salad, and it ended up being 1200 calories!

Chipolte - I get the burrito bowl, and add fajita veggies & no sour cream or guacamole, I get 2 meals out of the bowl, each about 350 calories

As long as a restaurant makes some effort to post/list the calories and macros in their foods, they're A-OK in my book.

Chilis has a Margarita chicken dish that is VERY macro friendly, and tastes baller.

Chili's Margarita chicken is so freaking good. And it's only 550 calories for the chicken, rice, black beans, torilla strips, and pico. :drinker:

Much better than anything on their "lighter" options menu, in my opinion.

5 Guys...so good, so bad!

CPK has the best salads... I go for the 1/2 Miso Salad with Shrimp... under 500 calories!!!

Cheesecake Factory has a fabulous menu called "Skinnylicious"... really good stuff and still big portions

I agree TGIF should just burn down. Even if I wanted fatty foods, I wouldn't pick that craptastic chain

Applebees is GROSS with a capital G

Fried Chicken Places: KFC, Popeye's and Cane's

Here's one that needs to go away: Long John Silvers..... WTF is this?

See I like Applebees because they at least make a token effort. Their under 550 menu has a few options and is actually pretty good. The Sirloin and Garlic Shrimp is actually pretty good IMO (other than the Sodium which of course is something all restaurants seem to have issues with).

I agree. Their under 550 menu does have some good options, again with the exception of sodium. My boyfriend's parents prefer chains so its nice to see some better options on the menu like these.

Cracker Barrel, for refusing to give out nutrition info beyond 'we don't know, it varies from serving to serving, so why bother worrying about it." (only slightly paraphrased)

I only go to Cracker Barrel for a splurge meal. Not because they don't show their calories, but when I go someplace like that, I want to be able to order whatever I want. Country Fried Chicken, Fried Okra, Mac and Cheese, and Biscuits.... MMMMMM.

I haven't been it probably years, but I always get breakfast.. pancakes, eggs, toast, hash browns, mmmm .. they have the BEST breakfast!!

Applebee's
Texas Roadhouse
Friendly's

I mostly eat at non-chain restaurants and I never know the calorie counts at those!

You are mistaken about Applebees. They have many weight watchers entrees that have lower calories and many under 500.

I think now that the majority of companies publish their nutritional information the shame is less on the companies and more on the people who either make decisions without looking at the nutritional menu, or look at the menu and decide they don't really care. Yes, a few years ago saying "eat this healthy and fresh salad" when it's loaded until it's worth 1000 calories of crap was shameful on the parts of the restaurants seeing as there wasn't much healthy about that, but now we're educated and they're not saying it's a better alternative therefore I find the onus on the consumer not the company.

I really don't eat out anymore. Not to brag, but I'm a pretty fabulous cook, so my food tastes better than nasty restaurant food and is a million times healthier... We used to really love cheesecake factory and tgi fridays. The last couple times I went to cheesecake I got very sick bc the food must be cooked in 10 lbs of butter and grease. My stomach just couldn't handle it- I'm not used to eating like that. Not to mention it tasted like crap. Same with Fridays, and really anywhere else. It all tastes like crap to me now because I know what REAL food should taste like when it's fresh and it's not deep fried and coated with butter, oil and salt. But I feel like people should know what they are getting into when they eat out. What do they expect ya know?

Famous Dave's BBQ - the "normal" menu is outrageously bad BUT they have a "Citrus Grill" menu that entices you with smaller portion sizes and side dishes under 100 calories, which is great but they don't tell you for example, the Salmon plate is only 600 calories and the Sodium is over 2200!!!! What is in Salmon and broccoli that warrants 2200mg of Sodium --- it is Criminal.

After doing MFP for 3 weeks, i was watching everything I at and being very careful. Once I felt like I had made a good habit of things, I decided to look at the online nutritional content of my fav foods @ restaurants. I was appalled at what I was so used to eating.

For example.....my fav burger @ Friday's is 1300+ cals all by itself without the fries and honey mustard I normally would have gotten.. ....AND the sodium was almost 2 full days worth (4,000+) all by itself!

Even my second fav food there was 1100 cals, and a day and a half's worth of sodium

It turned me off going to Friday's for anything.

Chipolte is my goto when I want to eat out for low cal, No sour cream or guac and you can save a ton of calories right there,

I get tacos. FYI you don't have to get three. I get two and it is plenty filling.


I take my daughter to freindlys a couple times a year as a treat and I will order the 1/2 turkey sandwich and 1/2 salad which I tink was like 500 calores.

Well it looks like there is a gap in the market for a Healthy restaurant brand if anyone has got the skills, capital, and guts to go for it.

I was thinking the same thing. I've got the guts and the skills, but no capital. LOL :ohwell:

Its probably been mentioned, but the Olive Garden 'free' salad is pretty ridiculous, and they don't TELL you that you can get lower fat dressing with it...

Everything else on their menu is horrific, but I know a lot of people who think they're doing good by "filling up on salad first" so they eat less pasta. They're always shocked when I tell them to go look at the nutritional content of that thing.

ALL restaurants belong in the hall of shame for the sodium content though!

Is there one here on MFP or anywhere else? I think we need one. I'm thinking a list of chain restaurants that should be publicly shamed (and their CEO's potentially Flogged) for their uncanny ability to take seemingly healthy foods and make them calorie laden, fat gorged dining enigmas from hell. If anyone else is interested, here's a few that I'd nominate for that list early on:

Chili's - By far the most hideous minefield of a menu. Almost all their meals are well over 1000 calories and many exceed 2000.
California Pizza Kitchen - I think there's like two meals below 1000 calories
Qdoba - I love Qdoba but seriously how do you turn a chicken burrito into an 1100 calorie entre

Thoughts? Do you disagree? Is this the lamest topic ever?

Arby's Market Fresh Sandwiches and Salads. I was shocked to find out that their chicken salad sandwich, which isn't THAT large a sandwich, is over 600cals! Two slices of multi-grain bread, leaf lettuce, and about a 1/4 cup of chicken salad (chicken, mayo, grapes, pecans, and celery)=600+ calories?! Seriously?! What the crap are they adding to it? COME ON!

I'm guessing at least 200 or so cals in the bread, and of course full fat mayo which prob plugs in 200 cals or so then chicken at minimum 100 cals, then all the other ingredients... we have chicken salad at home too, but I use fat free mayo (sparingly) and low calorie bread. And it's not a very regular meal. Once every month or two.

Yeah, I know that now that I am more educated on restaurant food and all the crap they add to it. They used "wholesome" ingredients, but if they're going to advertise it that way, it wouldn't have cost them anymore to use a lower calorie bread (thinner slices, too) and fat free or lowfat mayo, and it would taste just as good that way. I haven't bought any of their sandwiches since then and that was more than two years ago.

Pappasitos! Fajitas aren't that bad really...until they serve you with the garlic butter. It's all oh-vah from that point on!