hmmm restaurants owners can't figure out how to use the internet to find out nutrition information in food?? The would have to if they put it in a bottle or box..why not on a plate? The information is free. The amounts they use can't vary that much or they would have no inventory control. I don't see how it would be such a burden for restaurant to offer cal, fat, carb, and protein information. They might have to say it is an aproximation, but then so are all nutrition labels. I run a small business. I know businesses are required to do all kinds of things that are far more expensive and time consuming and have far less benefit. Offering nutrition information would not put any restaurant out of business.

I don't think that they are saying that small businesses CAN'T do it, but it is harder for them to. Also, lots of mom & pop restaurants and truck stop restaurants don't always have the same menu, like at McDonalds, so it isn't like they would have to calculate the info ONCE and be done with it.

There was a member on here who had calculated for the coffee shop she owned all of the nutrition information...I wish I remember who it was...but she talked about how hard it was to get information from her suppliers and etc...if your menu changes, it would be really difficult to keep up! I understand mom and pop restaurants not being able to do it...but they also could probably at least tell me WHAT is going into the food.

but it would get easier with time too...if restaurants need to do it, then suppliers would. And I think there would be levels - mega chains might have to go the certified route, smaller places could go the software route. Nobody is saying wham do it instantly.

absolutely ingredients should be available

Chain restaurants aren't going to put nutrition information for all their items on their menus because, as seen in the Ruby Tuesday's situation, when the information IS public, people are shocked. Probably they thought "Wow, Ruby Tuesday's is really unhealthy. I'll go to T.J. McApplebee's instead," not considering that the T.J. McApplebee's menu would show similar counts.

Without being legislated to do so, any restaurant that puts full nutrition info in the menu is just sticking their neck out to be chopped off. I'm not normally a fan of legislating things like this, but it wouldn't be unreasonable to require chains/franchises to provide full nutrition information either on the menu or in booklet form that a patron can request. Mom and pops and even small/local chains could be left off the hook, so as not to overburden them. But Applebee's? **** yeah, I think they should HAVE to provide nutrition information in print form.

It's a public health issue, as much as cleanliness and freshness rules are.

One thing I was shocked to learn recently is Red Robin doesn't provide their nutritional information anywhere. I really think that they should have it on their website but they don't. It is kind of scary since they are one of my favorite "regular" restaurants.

Aren't we supposed to be living in the information era? It might take some time to get the ball rolling, but it is doable and eventually, years down the road people and restaurants wouldn't think twice about it. It would just be "what's done". Imagine buying a packaged loaf of bread or a jar of peanut butter without the info on it? No, of course not. It would and could eventually be the same for restaurant items.

Robin,
Go to another country and often they don't have the nutritional information on packaging, even products that have it here in the US like Coke. You might not even get an ingredients list. I think we are lucky that we do have the information printed.

I don't think it should be on the menu, because, let's face it, sometimes people DON'T want to know, and they should have that choice, too! However, a pamphlet that you could request and online access would be nice. I like the places that do that already.

Nelie, that's one of the reasons I choose to live here. We have many things that other countries don't. We are the leaders of the free world. Along with that comes some higher expectations.

I find that restaurants who do not post their info online probably have something to hide. Some people make different decisions armed with info. I had some tiramisu from Olive Garden at home once. I knew it was high calorie. I ate half the serving thinking that the whole serving might be 600-700 calores, so half of that worked into my day was okay.

Later I looked up the calories....Ummm, try 1500 calories per serving.

I'm fairly educated with nutrition, cooking, etc., but how in the world are 1500 calories packed into something that size? A chunk of butter would have been less.

Companies do not want the calories on the menu because it would turn people off. Some restaurants prepare food with methods and ingredients that would not be used by a household chef. Anyone who has read Fast Food Nation might recall the debacle that occurred when it was revealed that McDonald's fries were not vegetarian.

Companies will go as far as laws will let them...and sometimes the public's health is risked along the way.

Information is power...Not everyone has internet access (I know, shocking isn't it?).

I also don't need it on the menu,I could see where that would be a distraction to some. I think that it should be available upon request.

Most menus list how much things cost.. I find that very distracting.

I agree, and it would take a lot of space. I think it SHOULD be printed "nutrition information available, please ask your server" so that people know they CAN see it if they want to.

Having looked up a lot of website info, I have to say I like the manner in which domino's presents theirs. I've seen a lot of restaurants make it difficult to calculate what you actually eat or say stuff like "due to the number of combinations possible we only provide information for our most popular choices" Like they make the assumption that you will have the dish with cornbread and coleslaw even though you could have chosen salad and zucchini as sides.

Dominos lists everything separately. Crust choice X. Sauce and Cheese, each topping separately. Pick your poison and add them up.

I asked for info about something once, can't recall what, and the Applebee's waitress had no idea. She wasn't offering to find out either, so I made it a point that I needed to know. She had to (gasp!) go read the ingredients on the packaging. Yup, the nutrition and ingredients ARE on the packaging, just as they are in stores. You just have to be adamant about getting that info, MAKE them go look.

I just ordered the grilled chicken with garden veggies and a side salad at Bob Evans today. I asked if there was a sauce on the veggies. She swore there wasn't, but when I got them, there WAS a buttery sauce. Now, I COULD have requested it be corrected, another serving leaving off the sauce, but I had plenty of calorie room today and wasn't that worried about it. But if I truly wanted the butter off, I could have had it done. I can tell by the taste if there's something added or if they're plain cooked veggies.

Exactly. I used to go to a small place in Charleston called "Mose's Strand". They had specials every day, some items were a once in a while deal or a special occasion that they didn't have again, or at least not for a long time. And they didn't always use a recipe. The place was run by elderly women on social security...Mose would only hire those on SS to work as his cooks and waitresses. One was 92...Mrs. Smith...or Smitty as she was known. They cooked from scratch, the way grandma would do. They didn't measure. So coming up with the nutrition of "a pinch" or "a dash" would be near impossible and tax those poor lady's brains something awful. So yes, if it were required, I betcha Mose would've closed his doors before going to all that trouble. He was well past retirement anyway, he'd have sold off or something. But we'd have effectively put him out of business.

Never heard of the place, but was curious to see if I could find any of that info online somewhere. You're right, not only do they not provide it, but seems they avoid it. If you haven't seen this recent conversation, you'll probably enjoy the read: http://consumerist.com/consumer/comp...nfo-229376.php

WOW! I didn't know that. So now I'm wondering. WHY does the country that DOES list that info have the highest rate of obesity? There's something to ponder.

LOL And then there's my brother, who went to Ruths Criss (sp?) and thought OH NO when he saw a menu with no prices, patrons in black ties and no kids. And here he was out for dinner with his wife and their new baby, in blue jeans.