Restaurants with NO nutritional facts

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Replies

  • Ohnoes
    Ohnoes Posts: 98 Member
    [

    yes, this is a better version of what i was trying to say.
    You'd still have a general idea. You wouldn't be doubling the salt for example. You didn't weigh your hand cut bread loaves? How did you have any idea of inventory control if you didn't know what your portion sizes and costs per portion were? If the hand cut loaves were within an ounce or 2 of each other, not a big deal, but if someone keeps making bigger and bigger loaves until they are 4-5 oz bigger than what you expected, then you'd be losing money.

    we did measure portions, but we definitely did not weigh anything other than the coffee. for the soups, we had a budget per pot and used different amounts of veggies every time depending on availablity etc.... i never cooked soup from a recipe, made variations all the time, and as a result our soups were very popular! seasonal and fresh and interesting. and some things were measured by eye and taste... for example the chicken salad had strict measurements for proportions of chicken, celery, etc but we added mayo until it looked right. mayo is cheap, and when we tried to create a standard measurement the chicken salad would come out either too wet or too dry, depending on the batch and how much the chicken shrunk in cooking.

    truth, it would have been very possible to provide an estimated calorie count for our sandwiches and salad dressings. but it was not required, and for many menu items not practical, so we simply did not do it. my neighbor restaurant changed their menu weekly, and i can only imagine the extra time it would have taken them to create nutritional info for each new dish every week.
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
    What's your opinion on eating from restaurants that don't have nutritional facts? I have a place near me that is targeted to people with a healthy lifestyle; serving salads, wraps, smoothies etc. but they have yet to make a nutritional facts sheet. I really want to eat there again but I'm hesitant because I don't know the facts. Is this being too anal? And even outside this specific place, there are so many places that don't have the facts. Should you save these meals for cheat days only? I am on track with my diet but I don't want to restrict myself too too much.

    I think there is a law ( if you are in the US) where they have to release the nutrition facts if you ask.

    Please cite this law. This would be news to me.


    http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/24/business/24menu.html?_r=0 This article explains it. It only applies to chains though.

    Sadly, no mention of an actual law.
  • ClareKaczmarek
    ClareKaczmarek Posts: 42
    :ohwell: Why not go and just enjoy it? Lifes too short to worry about the calorie content of everything we eat :ohwell:
  • ClareKaczmarek
    ClareKaczmarek Posts: 42
    Why not go and just enjoy it? Lifes too short to worry about the calorie content of everything we eat :ohwell:
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
    we did measure portions, but we definitely did not weigh anything other than the coffee. for the soups, we had a budget per pot and used different amounts of veggies every time depending on availablity etc.... i never cooked soup from a recipe, made variations all the time, and as a result our soups were very popular! seasonal and fresh and interesting. and some things were measured by eye and taste... for example the chicken salad had strict measurements for proportions of chicken, celery, etc but we added mayo until it looked right. mayo is cheap, and when we tried to create a standard measurement the chicken salad would come out either too wet or too dry, depending on the batch and how much the chicken shrunk in cooking.

    truth, it would have been very possible to provide an estimated calorie count for our sandwiches and salad dressings. but it was not required, and for many menu items not practical, so we simply did not do it. my neighbor restaurant changed their menu weekly, and i can only imagine the extra time it would have taken them to create nutritional info for each new dish every week.

    This is truth, and an example why such legislation is simply political feelgood silliness.
  • ChaseAlder
    ChaseAlder Posts: 804 Member
    I just enjoy my meal.
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    This content has been removed.
  • ChangingAmanda
    ChangingAmanda Posts: 486 Member
    What's your opinion on eating from restaurants that don't have nutritional facts? I have a place near me that is targeted to people with a healthy lifestyle; serving salads, wraps, smoothies etc. but they have yet to make a nutritional facts sheet. I really want to eat there again but I'm hesitant because I don't know the facts. Is this being too anal? And even outside this specific place, there are so many places that don't have the facts. Should you save these meals for cheat days only? I am on track with my diet but I don't want to restrict myself too too much.

    I think there is a law ( if you are in the US) where they have to release the nutrition facts if you ask.

    Please cite this law. This would be news to me.


    http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/24/business/24menu.html?_r=0 This article explains it. It only applies to chains though.

    Sadly, no mention of an actual law.

    http://thanksobamacare.org/index.php?id=8
  • TedStout
    TedStout Posts: 241
    If you want to go through life worrying about a meal at a restaurant...knock yourself out. Its a meal. Eat. Enjoy. Estimate if you wish and move on with life. Eat until you are full and then stop. You will be just fine.

    My opinion, of course.
  • JUDDDing
    JUDDDing Posts: 1,367 Member
    I usually try to avoid them at all costs. If I can't, I try to choose what I know is somewhat healthy, ask how it's made, and then eat about half of it.

    Me too.

    But if it's a local place I'll ask them to provide it. It's just laziness that they don't do it. They know the serving sizes (portion control is part of any properly run restaurant) and ingredients. The USDA has done most of the work for them (calorie counts for basic ingredients) - their suppliers are required to provide the info, etc.

    Maybe they still won't be 100% exact - but they should make an effort. And as a consumer, if they won't - I'll go somewhere that will.
  • TedStout
    TedStout Posts: 241
    Why not go and just enjoy it? Lifes too short to worry about the calorie content of everything we eat :ohwell:

    Exactly. Its food. Eat.
  • Joreanasaurous
    Joreanasaurous Posts: 1,384 Member
    What's your opinion on eating from restaurants that don't have nutritional facts? I have a place near me that is targeted to people with a healthy lifestyle; serving salads, wraps, smoothies etc. but they have yet to make a nutritional facts sheet. I really want to eat there again but I'm hesitant because I don't know the facts. Is this being too anal? And even outside this specific place, there are so many places that don't have the facts. Should you save these meals for cheat days only? I am on track with my diet but I don't want to restrict myself too too much.

    I think there is a law ( if you are in the US) where they have to release the nutrition facts if you ask.

    Please cite this law. This would be news to me.


    http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/24/business/24menu.html?_r=0 This article explains it. It only applies to chains though.

    Sadly, no mention of an actual law.

    http://www.martindale.com/food-beverage/article_Whiteford-Taylor-Preston-LLP_1041560.htm


    .

    http://thanksobamacare.org/index.php?id=8


    It's amazing what one can find with absolute minimal effort.

    Although I do believe I already posted a link earlier in the thread that listed the actual law... That took all of 10 seconds to find. Sadly that post seems to have been conviently ignored.
  • aepdx
    aepdx Posts: 218 Member
    This bothers me too! I usually just order a salad, or something that I can figure out the calories for very easily. I zig-zag calories though so that I can have two days a week that are “cheat” days, although they aren’t at all because I make up for them the rest of the week. You could try doing that so you don’t feel bad about eating something higher in calories. Once I stopped being so anal and having a couple high calorie days a week (with 1240, 1400, 1540 cal days), I have been dropping pounds faster and feel better. You should try it out! I get to eat 1700 calories today, so I can hang out with friends later without being super stressed about a slice of pizza I am eating. This is life, ya know, we gotta learn to live it again without MFP – but healthier.
  • RachelHoffman0709
    RachelHoffman0709 Posts: 101 Member
    See below a link to the federal law.

    https://www.federalregister.gov/regulations/0910-AG57/food-labeling-nutrition-labeling-of-standard-menu-items-in-restaurants-and-similar-retail-food-estab

    I am kind of torn on this. While I do like the convenience of the calorie contents being displayed. They are not entirely accurate. As state above by other posters and having working in the fast food industry in years past, nothing is measured exactly. Not all foods are cut in precise measurments, ketchup, mayonaise, and other condiments are not equally distributed on each sandwich, even so called low fat options are not all created eqaully. Its a guess, an educated one, but still only an estimate on the caloric content we are consuming. Additionally posting only the caloric content of foods leaves out other important nutritional info. Sure you may only be consuming 500 calories in that meal from Taco Bell, but what about the sodium? More than likely it is through the roof. I'm not convinced that a law like this really benefits 'the people'.
  • lraien
    lraien Posts: 29 Member
    I'm not big on legislating anything that doesn't absolutely need to be and I'm in agreement that more often than not, it's symbolic bs so someone can pat themselves on the back, have a ribbon cutting ceremony or a nice blurb for their re-election pamphlet --- all that being said, I certainly appreciate the companies that do put out accurate nutritional information. My nephew was 6 when he was diagnosed with type 1 juvenile diabetes. When we were all just getting the hang of dosing his insulin (his pre-pump days), we'd have to leave and go eat somewhere else if we couldn't get our hands on a guide. We couldn't just wing it. I completely understand that it isn't feasible for some restaurants but for those that it is, I think it's a great service.

    As far as weight/health goes - I personally try to search in advance of going somewhere so I can at least have a general idea of what I'm taking in - even if it isn't the exact perfect match.
  • cbirdso
    cbirdso Posts: 465 Member
    I used to stress about this too, but I've come to realize that even restaurants that post nutritional information are no more accurate than me doing an estimate based on known ingredients and adding additional calories like oil it was cooked in, etc. This is due to the fact that it is really dependent on the chefs and helpers in the kitchen to follow the receipe EXACTLY...which, when you think about it is unrealistic. Therefore, it is not really an issue anymore because I realize fried chicken is higher in calories than baked chicken, that mashed potatoes have lots of added calories that you can't see, that salads are not necessarily low cal and so on. Think about the base calories and how the item was cooked plus keeping in mind portions and you will get as accurate an estimate as if the nutrition info was posted.
  • jsquash
    jsquash Posts: 19 Member
    I think there is a law here in California that requires restaurants to post nutritional information. I worked at a restarant a while back and they out of the blue made these nutritional info pamphlets, to comply with the law when it was passed.
  • RunsOnEspresso
    RunsOnEspresso Posts: 3,218 Member
    Ever heard of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act? Specifically section 4205, controlled by the FDA.

    Last I read it was to be implemented in 2014 but it has been delayed since 2010 so we may never see it actually come to fruition. Some places, as I mentioned before, have already started doing this since some states/cities/counties already require.
  • cindylu35
    cindylu35 Posts: 43 Member
    When going out to eat....I order what I want, but I eat HALF! Who cares about the calories then? :)
  • roseymacdoo
    roseymacdoo Posts: 113 Member
    This is ridiculously easy to find. Have you discovered Google yet? If not, hit the below link:

    http://lmgtfy.com/?q=restaurants+display+calorie+information

    The notion that showing data is "nannyism" is amusing.

    If it's ridiculously easy to find, please post a direct link to the federal law so that the whole class can read it.

    The notion that forcing someone to take responsibility for you is not nannyism is amusing.

    How is providing information that allows people to make informed choices 'forcing someone to take responsibility for you'? Your definition of nannyism is weird
  • kskonkol
    kskonkol Posts: 14 Member
    You could probably estimate to the best of your ability, and ask the waiter was they use when they cook it (like any oils) to make sure there's not too many hidden calories. You could also request that they start posting nutritional information - after all, since they're into making healthier foods, it shouldn't be too much to ask. You could be totes casual about it - ask it they have one, and when they say no, just be all "That's okay, but it would be totally awesome if you did in the future."

    Estimating is okay. But I also know I have been completely shocked into never going to certain restaurants by looking at the nutrition information on the websites. I've gone to quite a few that will have the information based on 2 or more servings for an entree. If someone wasn't really thinking or whatnot, you could sit there and eat your whole day (or more) in one entree and not realize it.

    Without saying the name of the place I was looking at soups on the menu. There was an option for a bread bowl. Just that bread bowl was 1000+ calories alone. You'd turn 300 calorie bowl of soup into 1300+.

    And some salads can be more calories than the steaks and burgers on a menu.

    It is all a matter of perspective, really. If knowing and tracking accurately is important to you, having that information provided is a good thing. If you mostly estimate only... the information would probably be fluff.

    But I guess the short answer is:
    Yes, I like having the information.
    No, I don't stay away from places that don't have it. I choose carefully.
    No, I don't equate a restaurant that says it's "Healthy" means it's also "Low Calorie". Smoothies can be very high calorie with out trying.
  • aepdx
    aepdx Posts: 218 Member
    If you order anything but a salad without cheese, dressing and nuts, I think it would be safe to assume the meal is 700 to 1,000 calories at most restaurants.

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