How credible is the nutritional fact on restaurants website.

Strengthcamp001
Strengthcamp001 Posts: 18 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Last night i was craving pancakes , so i was checking Ihop restaurants website for options that can fit into my calorie intake (i had around 1000 calories left) , i was very surprised to find (according to their website) that 4 strawberry banana pancakes were only 760 calories , i highly doubt it , is this things regulated or restaurants can make up any marcos as they wish to fool their customers ?

Replies

  • estherdragonbat
    estherdragonbat Posts: 5,283 Member
    Labels on packaged foods can legally be off by up to 20%. I shouldn't think restaurant foods would be that different. It's going to be around what it says, but it could be over or under. Also, keep in mind that cooks and other food prep people aren't robots. If you order a sub and the calorie count on the website is based on 1tbsp of mayo, but the server's knife managed to scoop up 1.5 tbsp... little things mean a lot.

    As for the calories in pancakes, a generic listing (https://www.nutritionix.com/i/usda/pancake-1-large-pancake-7/57619f13b165c79b156e093f) gives 182 for a 7", 80-gram pancake. I don't know how big they are at IHOP, but four of the generic ones come in at 720, so it seems the listing could be legit. Is the fruit in the batter or is it the topping? If it's in the batter, it could be replacing some of the flour and might be lowering the calories
  • Strengthcamp001
    Strengthcamp001 Posts: 18 Member
    estherdragonbat wrote: »
    Labels on packaged foods can legally be off by up to 20%. I shouldn't think restaurant foods would be that different. It's going to be around what it says, but it could be over or under. Also, keep in mind that cooks and other food prep people aren't robots. If you order a sub and the calorie count on the website is based on 1tbsp of mayo, but the server's knife managed to scoop up 1.5 tbsp... little things mean a lot.

    As for the calories in pancakes, a generic listing (https://www.nutritionix.com/i/usda/pancake-1-large-pancake-7/57619f13b165c79b156e093f) gives 182 for a 7", 80-gram pancake. I don't know how big they are at IHOP, but four of the generic ones come in at 720, so it seems the listing could be legit. Is the fruit in the batter or is it the topping? If it's in the batter, it could be replacing some of the flour and might be lowering the calories

    There were pieces of banana on the batter , the strawberry was more like a syrup that was drizzled on the pancakes , in addition to all that they topped it off with whipped cream , doesn't look like a 760 calories food to me :smile:
  • estherdragonbat
    estherdragonbat Posts: 5,283 Member
    Just checked the site. It looks like they calculate the pancakes separate from the toppings. So the 4 pancakes are 670, the strawberries are 70, and the banana slices 20. The whipped cream would add more, though on the site I checked: https://www.ihop.com/en/nutrition-information it's not listed as part of the item. Vanilla ice cream is.
  • psychod787
    psychod787 Posts: 4,099 Member
    They can be widely variable. Sometimes under, usually protein because it is expensive, to waayy over on carbs and fat, they are cheap. Some things I have read have stated restaurant meals can be over by as much as 50%.
  • fitoverfortymom
    fitoverfortymom Posts: 3,452 Member
    I tend to trust them, more or less. We eat out a lot so I have to rely on the posted information. So far I've done well as I've lost 100lbs and kept it off for a year.
  • missysippy930
    missysippy930 Posts: 2,577 Member
    Restaurants usually don’t weigh and measure the food and the food preparers can be more or less generous with serving sizes. I would just log as the restaurant site says and keep in mind it could easily be more or less calories and move on.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    Cbean08 wrote: »
    I used to work in the restaurant business.

    What to Trust
    meat
    alcohol

    Both of these are very expensive for a restaurant and they will track these both very closely. So that 6oz steak is definitely 6oz, and the glass of wine is definitely a 4oz pour.

    What to Semi-Trist
    cheese- expensive, but not as much as meat. It is also more likely to be measured by "handful, spoonful, sprinkle etc." if it's sliced cheese, it's more reliable.
    soup - is typically a specific recipe or it comes in pre-made to ensure it's the same every time.
    baked items/dessert - these usually require a specific recipe that is not changed. Baking is much more of a science.

    What Not to Trust
    sauce/spread- measured by ladle, squirt, dollop etc.
    starch- cheap for restaurants and used as fillers. if the plate looks empty, add more rice/pasta/beans/bread/fries/potatoes/chips etc.

    Yeah but cake/pie slices are never cut perfectly either... you can have smaller or bigger slices.

    I also always assume on the high end.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    fitoverfortymom wrote: »
    I tend to trust them, more or less. We eat out a lot so I have to rely on the posted information. So far I've done well as I've lost 100lbs and kept it off for a year.

    this
    pinuplove wrote: »
    I usually go with my gut. If the portions look too good to be true, I assume they probably are and might log something like 1.25 entrees.

    and this!
  • hesn92
    hesn92 Posts: 5,966 Member
    edited September 2018
    Probably a good enough estimate. I highly doubt they are spot on because I the people in the back making the food are probably not carefully measuring each and every thing that goes in there, but what do I know. It's probably close enough though.
  • psychod787
    psychod787 Posts: 4,099 Member
    Interesting video here...https://youtu.be/y0Td1QB7vqY

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