Worst/Unhealthiest restaurants you've been to

officiallymrswhite
officiallymrswhite Posts: 423 Member
edited September 29 in Food and Nutrition
Went to Bravo! Over the weekend and was so frustrated that they did not have the nutrition facts available. To play it safe, I got just a plain garden salad (a huge one!) with just veggies on it and a small portion of marinated chicken breast with balsamic vinaigrette on the side. I was extremely frustrated that they did not have nutrition facts available, not in the restaurant or online. What are the worst and/or unhealthiest restaurants you have been to? Worst meaning they do not display the nutrition facts. Frustrating!! It makes eating healthy at restaurants sometimes impossible!:frown:

Replies

  • officiallymrswhite
    officiallymrswhite Posts: 423 Member
    Just looked up the nutrition facts for Joe's Crab Shack...YIKES!!
  • Bellyroll
    Bellyroll Posts: 316
    Applebees, I pretty much ate 2 to 3 days worth of food.
  • clrrrr
    clrrrr Posts: 261 Member
    I used to work the concessions stand at an AMC...they posted the stats, but they were problematic.
  • bjohs
    bjohs Posts: 1,225 Member
    Dining at Famous Dave's tomorrow night and searched high and low for nutritional information. Found a little bit, but there is nothing on their website. I wonder why??? LOL

    Every single restaurant will have something healthy to eat like a salad, etc. But I also think it is okay to indulge a little bit now and then. We have all the tools readily available to work off the bloat after the meal for the next day or two. Enjoy the foods that you like... just in moderation. :)
  • Jorra
    Jorra Posts: 3,338 Member
    The unhealthiest (and my favorite sadly) restaurant I've been to is called Buster's. They have the best burgers that only come in half-pound! When we go we also get an appetizer of house tortilla chips and chipotle cream cheese. The chips are made very fresh, so they are COVERED in oil!

    Last time I went there I estimated the calories I ate to be at 1,046. That was only half the burger and I know I underestimated because I had more chips and cream cheese than I recorded.
  • barbiex3
    barbiex3 Posts: 1,036 Member
    granite city...
  • officiallymrswhite
    officiallymrswhite Posts: 423 Member
    Dining at Famous Dave's tomorrow night and searched high and low for nutritional information. Found a little bit, but there is nothing on their website. I wonder why??? LOL

    Every single restaurant will have something healthy to eat like a salad, etc. But I also think it is okay to indulge a little bit now and then. We have all the tools readily available to work off the bloat after the meal for the next day or two. Enjoy the foods that you like... just in moderation. :)

    I agree that it is good to enjoy it in moderation. Just nice to see the nutrition facts so you can make a healthier decision if you need/wanted to. I know for me it is for health reasons as I have extremely high cholesterol and need to know the saturated fat content in my foods. Just frustrating when they do not have it available.
  • Avalonis
    Avalonis Posts: 1,540 Member
    Dining at Famous Dave's tomorrow night and searched high and low for nutritional information. Found a little bit, but there is nothing on their website. I wonder why??? LOL

    Every single restaurant will have something healthy to eat like a salad, etc. But I also think it is okay to indulge a little bit now and then. We have all the tools readily available to work off the bloat after the meal for the next day or two. Enjoy the foods that you like... just in moderation. :)

    FDs isnt as bad as you would think, actually. Depending on what you get, you can get out of there fairly healthy/painfree.
  • JustBreathSB
    JustBreathSB Posts: 103 Member
    Bubba Gump Shrimp Co....I cannot find their nutrition info anywhere....I wrote to them to complain because we went there this weekend and I didn't know what to log. So frustrating.
  • mpkartist
    mpkartist Posts: 2 Member
    IHOP. They now print the calories on the menus here in CA. *cry* Some of the meals are 1200 calories and above. Damn I wish I was a lumberjack some days. It's off my rotation now.
  • Hollirot
    Hollirot Posts: 92 Member
    There's lots of little local restaurants that I love to eat at, but the nutritional facts are pretty much impossible to know. I always end up adding them to MFP as generics, but UGH, I always feel like I could be way off.
  • Colieque1
    Colieque1 Posts: 4
    Red Robin is horrific. Even the wraps are terrible, and many of the salads are higher in calories than some of the burgers. I haven't been there since I started counting calories because of it. Makes me so sad.....
  • bjohs
    bjohs Posts: 1,225 Member
    Dining at Famous Dave's tomorrow night and searched high and low for nutritional information. Found a little bit, but there is nothing on their website. I wonder why??? LOL

    Every single restaurant will have something healthy to eat like a salad, etc. But I also think it is okay to indulge a little bit now and then. We have all the tools readily available to work off the bloat after the meal for the next day or two. Enjoy the foods that you like... just in moderation. :)

    FDs isnt as bad as you would think, actually. Depending on what you get, you can get out of there fairly healthy/painfree.

    Not on sodium I'm afraid. :) But I do have a plan in place after finding what I could on the Internet. Now... to just stick with the plan! lol
  • laurajordana
    laurajordana Posts: 48 Member
    cheesecake factory
  • helloiloveukitty
    helloiloveukitty Posts: 448 Member
    the cheesecake factory is just scary, most entrees are more then I'm allowed to eat in an entire day and then they encourage dessert along with that...its totally NUTS.
  • kanonxbou47
    kanonxbou47 Posts: 265 Member
    They need to show nutrition facts at all restaurants. Hmmmm, I wonder why obesity is such a huge problem? God.

    IHOP for sure. They put a "healthy choice thing" next to items less than 600 calories. An omelette really shouldn't have that much in them. I ate pancakes with over 900 calories in them, thank god I only ate half.
    Applebee's does the same thing with the "healthy choices." SMALL portion of ribs, which I ate about 2/3 of, was 1000 calories. Scary.
    Chili's, I think ribs half about 800 calories. Yes, I really like ribs.
    At Red Robin, my petite natural burger had a ridiculous amount of calories.

    I find that local restaurants have a lot less calories. I guess in chains, all the recipes have to be uniform, but in the pasta and pizza places in my neighborhood, I can just eat a normal meal. I usually add them as generic, but it's real food.
    The Egg And I (I don't know if that's a chain or not) and Perkin's aren't too bad.
    It also helps to order from the kid's menu.
  • princess_elle
    princess_elle Posts: 137
    I looove eating Sonic. however, one of their burgers is almost 1300 calories...what some people should eat in a single day!! =0
  • officiallymrswhite
    officiallymrswhite Posts: 423 Member
    the cheesecake factory is just scary, most entrees are more then I'm allowed to eat in an entire day and then they encourage dessert along with that...its totally NUTS.

    Just looked at Cheesecake Factory's nutritional facts....INSANE!!! One of their meals was double the calories I eat in 1 day. I am all for indulging every so often....but that is kind of disturbing.
  • aubarnold
    aubarnold Posts: 64 Member
    5 guys burgers and fries.....awful!!!
  • kapeluza
    kapeluza Posts: 3,434 Member
    >.> Mcdonalds...
  • daylitemag
    daylitemag Posts: 604 Member
    IMO, just about any restaurant worth eating in (i.e not a chain) doesn't have nutriction facts readily available. I will order things that I can easily guage (i.e. a chicken breast or piece of salmon). I have also, on occasion, asked the server to tell me the weight of the protein. Also, eating out less is important for those who are trying to eat healthier (and cheaper, too!).
  • NoPyForYou
    NoPyForYou Posts: 44 Member
    Red Robin is horrific. Even the wraps are terrible, and many of the salads are higher in calories than some of the burgers. I haven't been there since I started counting calories because of it. Makes me so sad.....

    I'm interested that you say this. I eat there a couple of times a month and never have trouble finding something that I can alter to fit my calories for the day.

    Two examples - as ordered from the menu, the Teriyaki Chicken Sandwich comes in at 900 calories. But, i order mine on wheat, no cheese and no mayo (there's teriyaki on the burger, so it's not dry) - and it's down to 445. On top of that, I sub the fries for broccoli. If I drink water, or iced tea, then I've got a low calorie, but delicious dinner.

    The other thing I get regularly there is the apple harvest chicken salad. From the menu, 812 calories. This is a huge salad and I can't usually eat more than half of it anyway. But, on top of that, I remove the blue cheese (-100 calories) and the walnuts (-94 calories). In addition, the garlic foccacia bread, while delicious, is a total trap (186 calories), so I only eat half of what they give me.

    My point is, Red Robin can totally be what you make of it. If you can't walk into a burger place without having beef or fries or whatever, I totally get that. But if you're really sad about not being able to eat Red Robin, I wanted to let you know that their meals are highly customizable and it's really easy to pinpoint where the major calorie pitfalls are. They have a great tool on their website where you can customize your meals and see the comparison between the original and what you made. It helps me a lot because I can plan ahead before I go.
  • Barneystinson
    Barneystinson Posts: 1,357 Member
    While I'd love to see nutritional info for more restaurants, it's not exactly rocket science that an appetizer consisting of a large bowl of gelatinous cheese and a basket of chips is full of calories. However, I do understand the frustration with non-chain and specialty restaurants not offering any nutrition info. Your best bet is to find a recipe online which uses the "full fat" versions of the ingredients and go from there.

    Here's a couple tips/rules when eating out:

    1. If it's covered in flavorings and sauce, it's generally high in calories.
    2. If the salad is a "dinner" portion and served in a big bowl with dressing added, it's full of calories.
    3. If it says crispy, it's most likely fried, and therefore full of calories.
    4. Most standard entrees run at 800-1200 calories at most chain restaurants.
    5. If there's a healthier option, many chains now point this out on the menu - expect the better choices to run in the 400-700 calorie range per entree.
    6. Most chain restaurants in the states are not in the business of catering to the health minded. If you have dietary needs, as many do, ASK the server to place items on the side or ask what selections on the menu are lighter. Most servers are pretty cool about this and if they do well - tip them well.
    7. Ask for sandwiches without the bun. There's 200 calories vanished.
    8. Most regular beers have 120 calories or greater per pint. Wine, dry, runs 70-110 for 4 ounces. Liquor, typically 70-100 per shot, not counting mixers.
    9. Just because it's upscale and served on a small plate doesn't mean it's not full of butter.
    10. Not all fast food is evil. Some of the worst offenders are places like TGIF's and Red Robin.

    As for the WORST chain in America, my vote goes to the Cheesecake Factory.
  • DianaPowerUp
    DianaPowerUp Posts: 518 Member
    While I'd love to see nutritional info for more restaurants, it's not exactly rocket science that an appetizer consisting of a large bowl of gelatinous cheese and a basket of chips is full of calories. However, I do understand the frustration with non-chain and specialty restaurants not offering any nutrition info. Your best bet is to find a recipe online which uses the "full fat" versions of the ingredients and go from there.

    Here's a couple tips/rules when eating out:

    1. If it's covered in flavorings and sauce, it's generally high in calories.
    2. If the salad is a "dinner" portion and served in a big bowl with dressing added, it's full of calories.
    3. If it says crispy, it's most likely fried, and therefore full of calories.
    4. Most standard entrees run at 800-1200 calories at most chain restaurants.
    5. If there's a healthier option, many chains now point this out on the menu - expect the better choices to run in the 400-700 calorie range per entree.
    6. Most chain restaurants in the states are not in the business of catering to the health minded. If you have dietary needs, as many do, ASK the server to place items on the side or ask what selections on the menu are lighter. Most servers are pretty cool about this and if they do well - tip them well.
    7. Ask for sandwiches without the bun. There's 200 calories vanished.
    8. Most regular beers have 120 calories or greater per pint. Wine, dry, runs 70-110 for 4 ounces. Liquor, typically 70-100 per shot, not counting mixers.
    9. Just because it's upscale and served on a small plate doesn't mean it's not full of butter.
    10. Not all fast food is evil. Some of the worst offenders are places like TGIF's and Red Robin.

    As for the WORST chain in America, my vote goes to the Cheesecake Factory.

    Great post!

    About Cheesecake Factory - whenever I go, I order the Seared Tuna Tataki Salad. It's only 440 cal, low carb (probably high protein, but not listed), and absolutely delicious! You'll even have room for a bite of someone else's cheesecake!
  • daylitemag
    daylitemag Posts: 604 Member
    About Cheesecake Factory - whenever I go, I order the Seared Tuna Tataki Salad. It's only 440 cal, low carb (probably high protein, but not listed), and absolutely delicious! You'll even have room for a bite of someone else's cheesecake!

    I LOL'd when I read this.. We don't have the Cheescake Factory here in Canada, but I guess I just naturally assumed that they sold.....well, Cheesecake. I was trying to figure out what sort of Cheesecake would have Tuna Fish in it. Sorry to go off topic. That does sound like a reasonable compromise when eating in a place that must specialize in high fat, high calorie foods.
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