Going out to eat is practically our national pastime. In fact, according to United Press International, the average American eats 4.8 restaurant meals per week.
What can we say? We like restaurants. They make regular meals feel a little fancy. It's nice to get gussied up and have someone cook (and clean up) for us. And while it's possible to eat healthy meals for reasonable prices at restaurants, it's not easy. Why? Because restaurants don't exactly want you to eat healthy meals at reasonable prices.
"The restaurant industry has spent millions of dollars and years of research to understand human behavior and how it can subliminally get us to order more and eat more," says Erin Palinski, RD, CDE, CPT, a registered dietician and author of the forthcoming "Belly Fat Diet for Dummies."
After all, the more you eat, the more money they make. But don't worry -- we uncovered these 10 tricks that restaurants use to overfill your belly (and drain your wallet) so that you'll have the facts the next time you go out to eat.
Some restaurants list calorie counts and other nutritional information on their websites, or even right on their menus (in some cities, this is required by law).
But that doesn't mean that the numbers listed are necessarily the right numbers. "At Kentucky Fried Chicken, partially hydrogenated oil is listed on the menu ingredient list many times, but KFC claims some of their food -- such as chicken -- have zero grams of trans fat," Palinski says. "According to labeling standards set by the US Food and Drug Administration, a food can be labeled as containing zero grams of trans fats even if it has 0.5 grams of trans fats per serving." In other words: "Zero" doesn't always mean "zero."
Photo 3/11
Sometimes, they just lie
In 2008, a class-action lawsuit was brought against Applebee's because the chain was claiming some items on its Weight Watchers menu contained far fewer calories than they actually did. In fact, the foods had twice the amount of calories and eight times the amount of fat. It makes you wonder: Could other restaurants be messing with us when they list "lower calorie" or "lighter fare" options?
Photo 4/11
They know we're suckers for "healthy"
A study by Cornell University found that we end up ordering and eating more at restaurants that we consider healthy. In fact, we consume about 130 percent more calories at these "health food" joints than at restaurants where we consider the food to be bad for us, Palinski says. "This may be because we feel that if we're ordering a healthy entree, we have room to splurge a bit." So even when you're picking a lean, healthy entree, don't overdo it with sides, appetizers, and desserts. And keep an eye out for seemingly healthy dishes, like veggie burgers and sweet potato fries. Depending on how they're cooked, they could be just as fattening as a Big Mac and fries.
Photo 5/11
They know how to manipulate the menu
Ever notice how, when you go to a fancy restaurant, you'll see something like this on the menu: "Filet Mignon, 54"? Not $54, or $54.00, or even 54 dollars? It's not because the menu maker forgot about currency. Another study by Cornell University found that diners spend less when the word "dollars" or a dollar symbol are used on a menu, says Palinski. By dropping the symbol, restaurants are hoping you'll focus on the food, not the price tag.
Now, take an even closer look at the menu. See that picture of the big, juicy steak? It looks delicious -- and it's also probably the most expensive item the restaurant serves. So why'd they choose that particular entree to photograph? Because you're more likely to order a certain dish when you see a picture of it. Very often, the images on restaurant menus are there because these items cost more than anything else.
And where is that steak picture located? In a prime spot of course. Restaurant menus typically feature the most expensive (and rarely the most good-for-you) entrees in the most eye-catching spots: usually on the right-hand side. This placement encourages you to notice them, upping the chances that you'll order these dishes and drop more cash.
Going out to eat is practically our national pastime. In fact, according to United Press International, the average American eats 4.8 restaurant meals per week.
What can we say? We like restaurants. They make regular meals feel a little fancy. It's nice to get gussied up and have someone cook (and clean up) for us. And while it's possible to eat healthy meals for reasonable prices at restaurants, it's not easy. Why? Because restaurants don't exactly want you to eat healthy meals at reasonable prices.
"The restaurant industry has spent millions of dollars and years of research to understand human behavior and how it can subliminally get us to order more and eat more," says Erin Palinski, RD, CDE, CPT, a registered dietician and author of the forthcoming "Belly Fat Diet for Dummies."
After all, the more you eat, the more money they make. But don't worry -- we uncovered these 10 tricks that restaurants use to overfill your belly (and drain your wallet) so that you'll have the facts the next time you go out to eat.
