What do you think of the whole calories on the menu thing?

[gophins72]

i like the idea of having the calories on the menu and wish more or all places did it.

 

[Fingolfin269]

Information is good. I don't care if it's on the menu or not but it should be readily available and accessible upon request.

 

[MustISO]

I wonder how many regular, non-informed people know what they're supposed to be getting daily. They may look at 2,000 calories for a burger and not realize that's most of their daily allowance. And why the hell does everything at a restaurant have so much sodium. Is it impossible to make an entree with less than 2000mg of sodium. Many of well over 2,000mg. Is it simply to make the food shelf stable or is there another reason?

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

I wonder how many regular, non-informed people know what they're supposed to be getting daily. They may look at 2,000 calories for a burger and not realize that's most of their daily allowance. And why the hell does everything at a restaurant have so much sodium. Is it impossible to make an entree with less than 2000mg of sodium. Many of well over 2,000mg. Is it simply to make the food shelf stable or is there another reason?

It's the chain quick method of gaining flavor along with fat. Everyone loves to talk about eating healthy but, no one wants to do it.

After months of hearing requests for healthy offerings, I did a Sunday brunch advertised as a healthy alternative. We never received so many complaints as we did that one meal.

Actually, I knew it would happen, I just wanted to shut up the whiners.

 

[DangerAardvark]

More information > less information

More information > less information

More information > less information

It's your fault if a number spoils your dumb appetite.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

It's your fault if a number spoils your dumb appetite.

In general. I agree. Unfortunately, most of my customers wouldn't recognize a peanut butter without a sign. I've even had the hosts of catered functions complain that I didn't put signs out. Um...you're the "Host" and it's your duty to let your guests know what the menu is or, arrange for signage ahead of time?

 

[ShawnD1]

I'm actually quite annoyed. I haven't dined in chains for a while but while I was at BJ's last week, my friend and I were thinking of ordering a pizookie. 3 people actually. She finally flipped the menu close because it was 1000 calories.

I hope your friend doesn't eat at Subway. The Spicy Italian foot long is well over 1000 calories.

Speaking of which, Subway should have the calories on the menu. Way too many people thinking they're eating low calorie food when they're not

 

[alkemyst]

It's the chain quick method of gaining flavor along with fat. Everyone loves to talk about eating healthy but, no one wants to do it.

After months of hearing requests for healthy offerings, I did a Sunday brunch advertised as a healthy alternative. We never received so many complaints as we did that one meal.

Actually, I knew it would happen, I just wanted to shut up the whiners.

without knowing your brunch menu no one can say if they failed or you did.

 

[DominionSeraph]

I don't think knowing the calorie count is of much use to anyone who isn't already good at maintaining their weight. Eating is an emotional thing and you do not have much control over the amount of calories your body is set to crave.

A skinny person thinking he's a pound or two overweight could, knowing the calorie count, put aside a super-rich restaurant dessert and make a casual mental note to do a light workout to counteract the meal with no repercussions.
A fat cow limiting her intake would go home and treat herself two gallons of "Light" ice cream to congratulate herself on her self control.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

without knowing your brunch menu no one can say if they failed or you did.

We pretty much took the middle road and stayed fairly close to our usual offerings. We just substituted items with less fat, salt and sugar. Turkey bacon instead of real bacon, roast pork loin instead of prime rib, oatmeal with toppings instead of biscuits and gravy, that kind of thing.

The resounding result was "Bring back the fat!"

 

[zerocool84]

We pretty much took the middle road and stayed fairly close to our usual offerings. We just substituted items with less fat, salt and sugar. Turkey bacon instead of real bacon, roast pork loin instead of prime rib, oatmeal with toppings instead of biscuits and gravy, that kind of thing.

The resounding result was "Bring back the fat!"

Duh because everything you substituted was infinitely inferior to what you had.

 

[ShawnD1]

I don't think knowing the calorie count is of much use to anyone who isn't already good at maintaining their weight. Eating is an emotional thing and you do not have much control over the amount of calories your body is set to crave..

The problem is when people don't know that what they are eating is high calories. Lots of people will not eat a big mac at mcdonalds, but they'll order the salad because "i'm on a diet." Well guess what, the salad is ridiculously high calories because the salad dressing is all fat. They thought they were controlling their diet in a positive way, but this food is just as bad as the other one!

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

Duh because everything you substituted was infinitely inferior to what you had.

In your opinion. What substitutions can you think of that fit the bill of being 'healthier' without straining the finer sensibilities of gastronomic cowards ie the public?

 

[DominionSeraph]

The problem is when people don't know that what they are eating is high calories. Lots of people will not eat a big mac at mcdonalds, but they'll order the salad because "i'm on a diet." Well guess what, the salad is ridiculously high calories because the salad dressing is all fat. They thought they were controlling their diet in a positive way, but this food is just as bad as the other one!

But that's the thing -- it's a fallacy that a diet does anything anyway.
If you do, through force of will, reduce your caloric intake and lose weight (and you don't need to know calorie counts to know you're starving yourself -- hunger lets you know), you're just going to put that weight back on and more when you go off the diet.
The actual calorie count of the salad doesn't matter since a dieter maintains their diet by riding hunger, and hunger is according to calories. If it's a 800 calorie salad instead of 200 they'll end up skipping 600 calories in the next few hours because they won't have extreme hunger overwhelming them to make up for the 600 calorie deficit.
Eating the 200 calorie salad just means they're gonna eat more later.