Restaurant Frustration!
Huskeryogi
Posts: 578 Member
I find it really frustrating when restraurants don't have menu nutrition information available. Especially national chains - it's not like they are rotating their menu weekly. There are places I like to eat (Texas Roadhouse) where I KNOW it's going to be lot of calories. I'm making a choice to eat there anyway - I just want to know how much damage I'm doing!
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Replies
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Have you written to the company?0
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Since they are knowingly withholding the information, I suggest no longer eating there.0
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The Texas Roadhouse website says that because they make their food from scratch, every day - providing exact numbers is impossible. I call that El-Toro poo-poo. You can provide exact numbers, and then make a disclaimer that allows for a +/-10% variation due to the hand-made nature of their food.
However, the good folk at MFP have this information - I use the iPhone app - and I LOVE it. Let's me look up the nutritional menu; and make informed choices.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/nutrition-facts-calories/texas-roadhouse0 -
I know, it's so annoying! Just have to try and find equivalent food on here, but it would be nice to know how much damage you're doing *exactly*.0
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It helps if you look up their nutrition information beforehand. If you know where you're going to be eating, search the MFP food database (or online if it is not already on MFP) and plan out a few low calorie meal options so that you're prepared. Also, if you have the app on your phone you can look up meals while their menu is right in front of you
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The way I feel is if they don't provide the nutritional values then stay away! You need to know what calories you are taking in so you can accurately decide how you eat throughout the rest of the day and how much exercise you need to do to even out. The problem with restaurants is they may cook things in butter and put tons of salt on them, etc... so unless you can find out online what their nutritional values are I would suggest staying away. Losing the weight is so worth it compared to eating at a restaurant.0
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Have you written to the company?
That's a good idea. I'll do that.0 -
I believe they have to have the nutritional available - you just need to ask your server to provide it for you.0
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The Texas Roadhouse website says that because they make their food from scratch, every day - providing exact numbers is impossible. I call that El-Toro poo-poo. You can provide exact numbers, and then make a disclaimer that allows for a +/-10% variation due to the hand-made nature of their food.
However, the good folk at MFP have this information - I use the iPhone app - and I LOVE it. Let's me look up the nutritional menu; and make informed choices.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/nutrition-facts-calories/texas-roadhouse
Thank you! I ran a search and somehow didn't find this.0 -
Welcome to the rest of the world.... I consider that I'm smart enough to pick a good or bad choice from the menu without being spoon fed all the details (pardon the pun!)
Do you really want to pay extra to have a staff member to have to calculate all the nutritional details for every meal?? Or only to eat somewhere that cooks identical meals in every single location, with no consideration for what is good and fresh and in season.
Not for me, thanks very much. If I wanted that I'd eat at McDonalds!0 -
If the restaurant doesn't post or provide their nutritional info where does MFP get it?0
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I agree with you, it's definitely a pain. I would agree on writing to them as well. Fast food places have provided nutritional info, why can't they? It could be a simple insert on their dinner table or an addendum to the back of their menu. I actually ate out at a local chain last night and had no idea what the nutritional info was so I got a salad with an oil based dressing, and only ate half of my portion of pasta. I considered it my cheat day even though my total was probably under what I needed for the day. Totally feel you on the frustration!0
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I LOVE TEXAS ROADHOUSE! I usually get the 6oz sirloin dry, or the BBQ grilled chicken breast, with steamed veggies dry, and a sweet potato dry with a side of cinnamon and a side of raw horseradish (for my steak).
When I go to places like that I use all the key words "dry, no mayo, dressing on the side, no butter" etc - then I guesstimate the portions and add them to the tracker. Its not fool proof by any means, but unfortunately even when restaurants place nutrition info out there it isn't always accurate anyway.
Best of luck!0 -
If the restaurant doesn't post or provide their nutritional info where does MFP get it?
From other users that add it in themselves by guessing. Sometimes places like calorieking.com or diet.com may have more accurate info than guessing because they have sent a meal off to a lab for caloric info. But usually it's from someone guessing. Even NI on MFP that is from a label is wrong on MFP because a user typed it wrong or the company updated info and the MFP entry is old.
One of the reasons MFP is free is because the food info is inputted by users, not MFP.0 -
When that's the case with restaurants, I just try to order something as simple as I can, like grilled chicken and steamed broccoli. Not as fun I know but when they don't provide it, it;s better not to take a chance. Otherwise, I jsut say screw it! I'm out to eat!0
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There is an app out called 'Restaurants' if you have an iphone or ipod you can download it and it has alot of restaurants nutrional info available! I use it and it helps me to make better choices when eating out. Hope this helps you out!0
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I haven't read all the replies to your frustration so I hope mine isn't a repeat.
There is a great book out called "Eat This Not That". Every imaginable restaurant and fast food chain is in this book and lists the nutritional values so that you can make a better decision on what to eat when you go out.
We took a 2 week road trip and it was fun to thumb through the book and make a "Better" choice at say, Wendy's for an example.
Get the book, it's invaluable! You might also like the book "Make This Not That"
I hope you enjoyed your dinner!!
Debbie
Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Free Calorie Counter0 -
I LOVE TEXAS ROADHOUSE! I usually get the 6oz sirloin dry, or the BBQ grilled chicken breast, with steamed veggies dry, and a sweet potato dry with a side of cinnamon and a side of raw horseradish (for my steak).
When I go to places like that I use all the key words "dry, no mayo, dressing on the side, no butter" etc - then I guesstimate the portions and add them to the tracker. Its not fool proof by any means, but unfortunately even when restaurants place nutrition info out there it isn't always accurate anyway.
Best of luck!
I worked at Texas Roadhouse (myrtle beach, sc). EVERTYTHING that goes on the grill gets brushed with butter!! Make sure when you order you tell your server NO BUTTER!0 -
I LOVE TEXAS ROADHOUSE! I usually get the 6oz sirloin dry, or the BBQ grilled chicken breast, with steamed veggies dry, and a sweet potato dry with a side of cinnamon and a side of raw horseradish (for my steak).
When I go to places like that I use all the key words "dry, no mayo, dressing on the side, no butter" etc - then I guesstimate the portions and add them to the tracker. Its not fool proof by any means, but unfortunately even when restaurants place nutrition info out there it isn't always accurate anyway.
Best of luck!
Totally with you! My biggest problem is that what REALLY sounds good is country fried chicken - my guess is it's the worst thing on the menu. If I can eat half of it, a baked potato, and one roll with cinnamon butter for 1000-1200 calories I can make it fit and it would still be a "Maintenance Day" - not under calories, but not over either.
I love steak too though so I should probably just go with that. It would be safer.0 -
Have you written to the company?
I tried that with TGI Fridays and got some bull**** about how they strive to use only fresh ingredients ( before flash freezing them prior to being deep-fried) and that specific dietry needs can be catered for by contacting the chef at each restaurant.
basically this tells me they couldn't care less about letting ME know what i am PAYING for to eat at THEIR restaurant.
Very very shabby.0 -
Welcome to the rest of the world.... I consider that I'm smart enough to pick a good or bad choice from the menu without being spoon fed all the details (pardon the pun!)
Do you really want to pay extra to have a staff member to have to calculate all the nutritional details for every meal?? Or only to eat somewhere that cooks identical meals in every single location, with no consideration for what is good and fresh and in season.
Not for me, thanks very much. If I wanted that I'd eat at McDonalds!
Yep, I really want to pay extra so I know exactly what I'm eating. Maybe not so much if I go to a local mom & pop restaurant. But If I go to a large chain restaurant I think they should be required to disclose nutritional information. Besides, sometimes the "healthy" options aren't so healthy at those places.
For example, let's say you go to Outback and you decide to pick the "healthy" options:
Side of green beans - 149 calories, 11 grams of fat, 607 mg of sodium
Baked potato (no butter or toppings) - 329 calories, 4.4 grams of fat, 2298 mg of sodium
House Salad (Ranch dressing) - 318 calories, 24 grams of fat, 671 mg of sodium
The only reason I know that is because Outback was thoughtful enough to provide that kind of information.
To the OP - I would imagine that Texas Roadhouse and Outback would be quite similar in nutritional values. That's why I picked that for my example. They won't be exact matches, but I'm sure it's close. And Outback makes all of their ingredients fresh every day too, just like Texas Roadhouse.0 -
The way I feel is if they don't provide the nutritional values then stay away! You need to know what calories you are taking in so you can accurately decide how you eat throughout the rest of the day and how much exercise you need to do to even out. The problem with restaurants is they may cook things in butter and put tons of salt on them, etc... so unless you can find out online what their nutritional values are I would suggest staying away. Losing the weight is so worth it compared to eating at a restaurant.
AMEN!! avoiding or refusing to disclose nutritional content isn't about a 'logistical' challenge for a restaurant, it's ALL about hiding the unhealthy nature of the food they are serving.0 -
When all else fails, I get one of the salads with grilled chicken or shrimp and dressing on the side. I also have them leave off any wontons or noodles or croutons. Normally that's a good, satisfying meal for me.0
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Many of them have it available online. You can check before you go, or if you have internet on your phone check while you're there.
Unfortunately Texas Roadhouse does not.0 -
At many of these restaurants, there are plenty of reasonable calorie meals you can eat. It is the massive amounts of sodium that will probably do the most damage, even on seemingly good choices otherwise. Sometimes the salad will have nearly an entire day's worth of sodium in the dish.
I don't worry all that much about exactly what the damage is if I go out to eat. I just try to make a better choice, and continue to eat well at home. The odd day out with a meal that isn't "perfect" isn't the end of the world, so don't worry too much over the exact numbers.0 -
I now stay away from places that withhold that info. I ate at Maggiano's once, couldn't find the info, they didn't have it..............then found an obscure copy on the internet from a Maggiano's in Pennsylvania that someone had scanned into the web. It was astounding. Each dish had 2-4 THOUSAND calories. 1 dish could have 600+ grams of carbs (as a Type 1 diabetic who needs insulin for my carb intake I just about had a heart attack when I saw that). Their sodium content in a few dishes was enough for a WEEK.
Disgusting.
No wonder they don't want people to know.
The Cheesecake Factory is somewhat similar (though not as bad).0 -
If the restaurant doesn't post or provide their nutritional info where does MFP get it?
From other users that add it in themselves by guessing. Sometimes places like calorieking.com or diet.com may have more accurate info than guessing because they have sent a meal off to a lab for caloric info. But usually it's from someone guessing. Even NI on MFP that is from a label is wrong on MFP because a user typed it wrong or the company updated info and the MFP entry is old.
One of the reasons MFP is free is because the food info is inputted by users, not MFP.
My son has type 1 diabetes...and when he was first diagnosed at 11 it was critical for us to know how many carbohydrates were in the food he was eating so he could get the correct amount of insulin. We bought a book (Calorie King) I think. It has tons of restaurants, chains, etc. If the particular restaurant wasn't in there we would guesstimate.
I'm going to get a bit snarky here...if my son with a life threatening disease could guesstimate on the nutritional information so that he could eat out and live as normal a life as possible then I certainly believe that people who are simply counting calories and trying to eat healthy can do the same.0 -
I now stay away from places that withhold that info. I ate at Maggiano's once, couldn't find the info, they didn't have it..............then found an obscure copy on the internet from a Maggiano's in Pennsylvania that someone had scanned into the web. It was astounding. Each dish had 2-4 THOUSAND calories. 1 dish could have 600+ grams of carbs (as a Type 1 diabetic who needs insulin for my carb intake I just about had a heart attack when I saw that). Their sodium content in a few dishes was enough for a WEEK.
Disgusting.
No wonder they don't want people to know.
The Cheesecake Factory is somewhat similar (though not as bad).
Found it. Check out the full-size spaghetti and meatballs. Almost 14000g of sodium and over 700 carbs...and 5000 cals. How is that even POSSIBLE?
http://caloriecount.about.com/maggianos-little-italy-nutritional-info-finally-ft1662190 -
Welcome to the rest of the world.... I consider that I'm smart enough to pick a good or bad choice from the menu without being spoon fed all the details (pardon the pun!)
Do you really want to pay extra to have a staff member to have to calculate all the nutritional details for every meal?? Or only to eat somewhere that cooks identical meals in every single location, with no consideration for what is good and fresh and in season.
Not for me, thanks very much. If I wanted that I'd eat at McDonalds!
You may not be smart enough, considering some restaurants do "sugar washes" on their salads and veggies that bring up the carb/sugar/calorie count dramatically. Some drench their steaks in butter and salt, adding hundreds of calories and mgs of sodium to a dish that shouldn't be high in either. I went to a steakhouse the other day where their idea of a "baked potato" was a whole baked potato, battered and FRIED, then stuffed with sour cream, cheese, and butter, bringing it from a couple hundred calories to closer to a thousand. No, the potato wasn't described as fried--that wasn't clear until it arrived at the table.
Do I really want to pay extra to have a staff member to have to calculate all the nutritional details? Well, that's not what it would take, but even if it did? You betcha, thanks for asking.
Kris0 -
I guess I just have a really different attitude to most of you - I don't have any sense of entitlement to a detailed nutritional breakdown for every dish on a restaurant menu. Or that they are deliberately "withholding info" if they don't have it.
The only places (I can't call them restaurants!) that provide this info that I know of in Australia are McDonalds and Subway. I think it is another one of those differences between USA and the rest of the world.
For me, if I go out to dinner I expect to eat good food that won't be cooked as I would do it at home. I fully expect that they will use more butter and oil and salt than I do. I also expect that the food will be fresh and tasty and will change with the seasons.
I just don't expect that they will provide me with a menu with a nutritional breakdown. If it's important to you, by all means seek it out.0
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