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Eating at restaurants used to be fun, now it's kind of stressful.

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Replies

  • Posts: 12,950 Member
    JoRocka wrote: »

    It's not the government's job- or the restaurant's job to take care of you.

    They shouldn't be forced to do it anyway.

    ^ This. Forcing a business to provide inaccurate data helps no one.
  • Posts: 19,251 Member
    JoRocka wrote: »

    It's not the government's job- or the restaurant's job to take care of you.

    They shouldn't be forced to do it anyway.

    How is posting what's in your food taking care of you? We do it with store bought food already. Odd.
  • Posts: 3,556 Member

    You know there already are these laws right? And mom and pop places are currently exempt. I doubt doing some counting would put them out of business.

    The laws are for the chains. And if you had read I said any more. I don't agree there should have been mandated for the chains either. And, it's not as simple as just counting, there is a major cost & time that would have to be put in for mom & pop/small places to do this. Our favorite place to go out changes their menu daily to highlight new items, do you expect him to pay to have all this done properly because I can't make a decision on my own???? This would make him have to drastically change his restaurant if not put him out of business.
  • Posts: 19,251 Member
    edited December 2014

    It depends on how much it costs to make up all new menus with the calorie counts. Then if they have their menu online they have to pay their web developer to redo the site to show the calorie counts there too. Restaurant margins run pretty thin so yeah, if it's a really small place it could put a huge cramp in their finances.
    And something like a five year roll out would make that easier.
    Everyone eating at chains is going to hurt their bottom line more.
  • Posts: 12,950 Member
    And something like a five year roll out would make that easier.

    lol. I like you, you're funny.
  • Posts: 121 Member
    edited December 2014
    Many chains list their nutrition info online. Remember, restaurants do not care about your nutrition, they care about 3 things, sometimes only 1: The culinary arts, the taste of their meals, the profit. Your nutrition is your own. If it's not fun, make it fun. And you can't have fun without working for it first. Research the restaurant menu, plan for portions, go out less, eat healthier foods to change things up, and probably most importantly when eating out: expect a sodium overload. THAT is what "delays" your progress when eating meals at restaurants. Unless you're eating out more frequently than normal (outside of 1 or 2x a week), going out shouldn't make you feel defeated bc it will not do more than bloat you to high heaven, or constipate you. That's it. Rather than requiring an establishment to have that information (which is almost always wrong anyway), take it upon yourself to scale back and keep track of repeat visits and your results. If you don't want to do that, you have only two options: complain about how unfun it is, or enjoy your splurge with full knowledge that you'll have to pay for it later.

    Fast, good, healthy: You can only choose 2 if you leave your dietary life up to anyone but yourself.
  • Posts: 19,251 Member
    dbmata wrote: »

    lol. I like you, you're funny.

    What's the five year turn over of restaurants I wonder.
  • Posts: 19,251 Member

    The laws are for the chains. And if you had read I said any more. I don't agree there should have been mandated for the chains either. And, it's not as simple as just counting, there is a major cost & time that would have to be put in for mom & pop/small places to do this. Our favorite place to go out changes their menu daily to highlight new items, do you expect him to pay to have all this done properly because I can't make a decision on my own???? This would make him have to drastically change his restaurant if not put him out of business.

    Wow. Umm best of luck on your journey?
  • Posts: 3,556 Member
    And something like a five year roll out would make that easier.
    Everyone eating at chains is going to hurt their bottom line more.

    Sorry that you go to restaurants that offer the same stuff for 5 years straight

    No not everyone eats at chains, some of us also love the smaller restaurants that change frequently and offer a wide variety. Because I don't need the government, the restaurant or anyone else to tell me what I should or shouldn't eat.

    Also comparing restaurant food to mass produced packaged food is very different, it's not constantly changing

    But since all you ever like to do is argue and take no personal responsibility this discussion is probably useless
  • Posts: 3,556 Member

    Wow. Umm best of luck on your journey?

    Done just fine reached my goal and setting new ones.. so yea keep your luck I'll put the work in and not count on luck
  • Posts: 17,525 Member

    How is posting what's in your food taking care of you? We do it with store bought food already. Odd.

    It's the government sticking it's nose into private company business- and it's unnecessary and ultimately it's for "us".

    Seriously- it's way to overbearing- and not needed.

    Secondly a 5 year roll out? god- even chili's changes it's menu around more often than 5 years.

    I don't even think the chains should be required to do it. I think it's nice- but the government forcing them to do it- totally against what I believe in as a human being participating in our society.
    #doesnt'likebiggovernmentincaseyoudidn'tnotice
  • Posts: 4,599 Member
    One of my life's passions is travel. I try to take one or two big international trips per year, when I visit a new place, sample the foods, backpack around, and soak up local culture.

    It would be silly for me to say, oh, I have to stay home now because that's where my food scale is.

    I usually lose weight when I travel anyway, just because I'm out walking around all day instead of sitting at a desk. I am leaving on vacation for 2 weeks tomorrow and I plan to not log or track anything, and to just enjoy myself within reason. I'm sure I'll come back lighter.

    Life isn't meant to be avoided. It's meant to be lived. After all, that's what most of us are losing weight for.
  • Posts: 12,950 Member

    What's the five year turn over of restaurants I wonder.

    Fairly significant. Back when I was in the industry, median age was around 2 years, with mode not being too far off in the market I lived in, less for bigger markets like SF.
  • Posts: 1,276 Member
    What's the five year turn over of restaurants I wonder.

    50% of all restaurants that open fail in the first five years.
  • Posts: 12,950 Member

    50% of all restaurants that open fail in the first five years.

    Last I read, that was one-two years, not five. Then the remainder are closed in general before their 4th anniversary.
  • Posts: 5,481 Member

    Sorry that you go to restaurants that offer the same stuff for 5 years straight

    No not everyone eats at chains, some of us also love the smaller restaurants that change frequently and offer a wide variety. Because I don't need the government, the restaurant or anyone else to tell me what I should or shouldn't eat.

    Also comparing restaurant food to mass produced packaged food is very different, it's not constantly changing

    But since all you ever like to do is argue and take no personal responsibility this discussion is probably useless

    Love mom and pop type restaurants. Here in Florida, right on the coast, I can get FRESH seafood!!
  • Posts: 2,973 Member
    Serah87 wrote: »

    Love mom and pop type restaurants. Here in Florida, right on the coast, I can get FRESH seafood!!

    Same up here in Maine. <3 it!
  • Posts: 34,971 Member

    Done just fine reached my goal and setting new ones.. so yea keep your luck I'll put the work in and not count on luck

    Accountability FTW!!!!
  • Posts: 4,298 Member
    Ang108 wrote: »
    3 - The notion that one meal out is going to somehow be your undoing is ridiculous.


    I think this is the trap/excuse so many people living in the US fall into. I am not singling the US out, but know from experience that many other countries are " cook & eat at home " cultures, where people only go out to eat on very special occasions.
    When you say " it's just one meal ", there is no way of knowing if that is one meal a day, a week, a month or a year, which makes the point moot.
    The newest USDA report on 2013 says that the average American eats 37 % of their calories away from home, which clearly indicates that people eat much more than " just one meal " in a restaurant.
    If consuming a third plus of their calories in restaurants then yes, the smart person would worry about each meal, because 35% is not small potatoes.

    Wonder if the poll took into consideration the number of meals people pack themselves to eat away from home. If not, 35% of meals away from home != 35% of meals eaten are restaurant food.

    I eat about 30% of my meals at work. Often with meals I made myself. I'm guessing there's a lot more people out there that do the same.
  • Posts: 12,950 Member
    603reader wrote: »

    Same up here in Maine. <3 it!

    One of my favorite places is a mom and pop in kittery.
  • Posts: 3,556 Member
    Serah87 wrote: »

    Love mom and pop type restaurants. Here in Florida, right on the coast, I can get FRESH seafood!!

    Same here! The restaurant we love to go to in the summer gets fresh seafood from the boats coming in daily and tailor the menu around that. I would hate to lose that

    Government should not be involved... too many damn laws already... lets accept responsibility, make choices for ourselves and stop looking for other people to do everything for us.
  • Posts: 32 Member
    Not sure if you did this or not...you can always ask the staff to go easy on the grill baste. Most restaurants slather their meat in butter before grilling. I order a fajita chicken salad at our favorite Mexican restaurant and ask for little to no butter before grilling. The chicken comes out tasting a tad dry but at least I know it's not loaded with butter. Then you can order a plain baked potato and put a little bbq sauce on it for flavor. Just a couple of suggestions. I used to waitress when I was in college so I know what goes on the kitchen;) They even put butter in their veggies most of the time. It makes eating out hard but you can usually ask them to modify their cooking methods.
  • Posts: 563 Member
    JoRocka wrote: »

    It's the government sticking it's nose into private company business- and it's unnecessary and ultimately it's for "us".

    Seriously- it's way to overbearing- and not needed.

    Secondly a 5 year roll out? god- even chili's changes it's menu around more often than 5 years.

    I don't even think the chains should be required to do it. I think it's nice- but the government forcing them to do it- totally against what I believe in as a human being participating in our society.
    #doesnt'likebiggovernmentincaseyoudidn'tnotice

    100% Agree with this.

    The local restaurant my husband and I go to changes their menu a lot. They also offer special dinners with special menus. That would be a boat load of money for them to calculate all the calories in the courses and print up menus for it that are going to get tossed into the garbage at the end of the night any way.

    Regardless if you're mom & pop or a chain restaurant it's going to be a huge burden on any establishment.

    It's not the restaurants fault that people are obese but it's much easier to place the blame on some establishment rather than the people themselves and it's much easier to have Big Government step in and make it look like they're doing something to "fix" the obesity epidemic when all they're doing is butting their nose into private business and causing establishments to shut down.
  • Posts: 2,973 Member
    dbmata wrote: »

    One of my favorite places is a mom and pop in kittery.

    That's south of me but I <3 Kittery too lol
    I don't think I could leave coastal New England.

  • Posts: 4,248 Member
    kyta32 wrote: »

    Sorry, to be clear: Even if you order off the seniors menu or child's menu (which not every restaurant will allow you to do) the calories may still be high. It's better to do the research first, and not go to the restaurant hungry, to avoid misinformed/impulse decisions. Thanks! :)

    Fair enough, although I stated I rarely eat out so it's not an issue. Plus I live in England and we don't get massive portions anyway.

    Yes, of course if you eat out regularly it's best to plan what you're going to have.
  • Posts: 7,739 Member
    PikaKnight wrote: »

    Didn't he get returned, though?


    Yeah, but just like a bad case of the herp, he just keeps coming back.
  • Posts: 2,402 Member
    Well I like the idea of places in general providing calorie information. It's more information for consumers, and information you can't get on your own. However, there needs to be a balance and if it's an undue burden on small businesses that's an important factor as well. I don't personally know enough of running a restaurant to say whether this is feasible, although I could see there being ways to do this that are not incredibly burdensome. Whether or not it's by government mandate, it's still a laudable goal.

    But then again, I'm a dirty liberal :) And an obesity researcher. :)
  • Posts: 34,971 Member
    TR0berts wrote: »


    Yeah, but just like a bad case of the herp, he just keeps coming back.

    :sad:

  • Posts: 26,368 Member
    I think the hope with that law is that it will push restaurants to give more low calorie options. Which frankly is a good thing. And it's only for chains with more than 20 restaurants I believe.

    My favorite restaurants are local/non chain places as well but I really wish they would clearly show the low calorie options on their menu. Often it's just sandwiches or salads with all kinds of nuts and cheeses or breaded chicken or fish and it's just tough to figure out what's 'safest' to eat. Then you have the other extreme where the 'light menu' is pretty much egg whites with veggies and fruit or plain oatmeal and you just want to ask them if really they have no option between 300 and 1000 calories.
  • Posts: 3,556 Member
    Francl27 wrote: »
    I think the hope with that law is that it will push restaurants to give more low calorie options. Which frankly is a good thing. And it's only for chains with more than 20 restaurants I believe.

    My favorite restaurants are local/non chain places as well but I really wish they would clearly show the low calorie options on their menu. Often it's just sandwiches or salads with all kinds of nuts and cheeses or breaded chicken or fish and it's just tough to figure out what's 'safest' to eat. Then you have the other extreme where the 'light menu' is pretty much egg whites with veggies and fruit or plain oatmeal and you just want to ask them if really they have no option between 300 and 1000 calories.

    But why should they have to push for low calorie options. That would again be for a restaurant to decide on what they want for their business and no one should be pushing them either way.

    Way too much over thinking going on. If I'm trying to keep it lighter I ask for the sauce on the side if possible, or only eat a smaller portion and bring the rest home.
This discussion has been closed.