Nutritional Information and Restaurants

[Barendd Nobeard]

Does anyone know what the rules/laws are about restaurants providing nutritional information in the U.S.? I thought there a law requiring restaurants to give nutritional information upon request. Was I just hallucinating?

 

[Rodrigo Istalindir]

I think they're state-by-state. There are some online resources that list info on the common chain restaurants.

 

[Barendd Nobeard]

Yeah, none of the sites I went to list Fuddruckers. It's like all of their data is secret and requires high-level clearance.

 

[Steve Jung]

Fast food places post them on a wall.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I'm on an extremely low-sodium diet, so I'm constantly looking for nutritional info.

Generally speaking, all dining establishments are supposed to have their nutritional info on premises...however, there are so many loopholes, you'll rarely find a complete menu available, and enforcement is nil.

Many fast-food chains will have the data available...online. Or they'll have only some older recipes in the store- the recipes of newer dishes are still "subject to change," so need not be posted.

Cafeterias have such broad and flexible menus, they only have to have the data available by mail or online. Again, any new dish need not be posted.

True restaraunts also need not have all of the information on hand because each dish is prepared individually. In other words, they have NO standard recipe, so they have no data.

 

[wingsandsword]

I know the laws may vary from state to state, but generally independent resturants not part of a chain don't have to do this.

After all, every local diner could hardly afford the several thousand dollars per menu item it would take to analyze and provide full information on everything on their menus. For small businesses, requiring by law nutritional information would destroy them.

In other words, you can get it at large corporate chains with deep pockets and total uniformity between locations, but anything small and independent, don't expect anything.

 

[Umbran]

Yeah, none of the sites I went to list Fuddruckers.

It is a burger joint. Better than most, but that's what it is. Which means that from a practical standpoint, you can start with the base assumption that it is bad for you - too much of the wrong kind of fat, too many calories, and too much sodium.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

A few hints on burgers & sandwiches for the sodium conscious:

If you like cheese, ask for Swiss- at 15mg/serving, its about the lowest sodium content of almost any cheese. Barring that, ask for cheddar, at 170mg or so. American- typical for most burgers- can be over 400mg per serving.

Many burger places actually season their patties. Ask if they do, then ask if you can get it without the seasoning. I've generally had good luck at Whataburger and TGI Fridays.

Ask for a different bread. Burger buns tend to be higher in sodium content, usually because of preservatives. Breads like sourdough, rye and others not only have lower sodium content, but may also improve the flavor of the burger...and are generally fresher besides.

Drop saltier toppings like pickles (substitute dry dill instead) and olives. Choose red wine vinegar instead of red wine vinegarette. Yellow and brown mustards are generally not bad, but fancier ones may be problematic. Tomatoes are great, but katsup is horribly salty.

I've found that using a salt-free butter on sandwiches I make at home is just fine as a spread, especially coupled with one of the various salt-free seasoning mixes. Things like Mrs. Dash Mesquite or Grilling mix is good on chicken or turkey. The steak mix is cool on Roast Beef or burgers.

 

[MonkeyDragon]

I know where I work, we don't keep nutritional information on hand, and are not allowed to look it up for customers in the store. My guess is because a lot of our products (particularly the bakery items) are pretty bad for you, and they don't want to lose sales. We are encouraged, however, to point customers to our website, which lists the nutritional information for just about everything on our menu.

One thing I NEVER see, though, is an ingredients list on anything. It's not on the website and it's not on the packages of the mixes we use for various products (like the powder we mix with coffee to get the base for our blended coffee drink). A few of the packaged goods (like the smoothie base) do have ingredients on their labels, but the information just doesn't seem to be available for a lot of the common items. I understand that the company probably sees the ingredients in the products to be trade secrets, but it does get frustrating to have to tell customers that I don't know what's in the item they're buying, and they'll have to go home to look up the nutritional info.

 

[Barendd Nobeard]

It is a burger joint. Better than most, but that's what it is. Which means that from a practical standpoint, you can start with the base assumption that it is bad for you - too much of the wrong kind of fat, too many calories, and too much sodium.

That's why I get a buffalo burger, no sides, and drink iced tea. The only real calories are from the buffalo burger + the bun--and that's it. I would like to know the info. for that one item, but they don't seem to have it available.

The hamburgers + fries are great there; I just don't eat them anymore. I don't even go there often. Lately, a co-worker and I have been walking to my house and grilling out (skinless boneless chicken breasts) for lunch. But once in a while we don't feel like cooking ourselves, so we go out.