Orange County Register

This is why I eat fast-food more than casual dining eats: I know what I’m getting.

There’s no secret that most fast-food eats are fattening. Some chains offer low-calorie salads and better-for-you chicken. But, for the most part, fast-food cravers don’t think about calories and fat content when they’re at the drive-through window.

But in casual dining, the rules change. Many diners expect “reduced fat” and “diet” options. And, if they’re like me, consumers trust what restaurants say about diet choices on the menu. So, I it was interesting to learn that many well-known casual dining restaurants failed a recent undercover “menu” investigation conducted by ABC News.

In a report aired this week, the news agency said it took small samples of diet menu dishes from the menus of Chili’s, On the Border, Macaroni Grill, Applebee’s and Cheesecake Factory. Food items selected were promoted as low-calorie or low-fat, ABC said.

The meals were later tested by lab technicians, who weighed each sample, extracted the fat and then figured out the calories in each meal.

Now, for the stunning results:

Of the 23 items tested, 78 percent exceeded the fat limit listed on the menu and almost 69 percent of the samples went over the calorie count listed, ABC said.

Wow. That’s a huge failure rate.

Here’s some more specifics from the report:

The guiltless grilled salmon at Chili’s promises a dish that’s 480 calories and 14 grams of fat. But the tests revealed the dish was actually 664 calories and 35 grams of fat. Cheesecake Factory’s weight management salads, which according to the menu all have under 590 calories, found the salads were very close to the stated calorie count. But the fat totals of all of the salads were high, topping out at 49.7 grams.

The Cheesecake Factory countered by saying:

The Cheesecake Factory doesn’t list the fat content on their menu, so they said that their menu was correct, and people could order dressing on the side to help cut the fat.

To read the full ABC report, click here.

What do you think?
Do you believe other restaurant chains are making similar mistakes — even fast-food?

Write in and let us know.

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