Brett Carlsen for The New York Times
Pita Pit offers healthy choices for sandwiches.
Driven by pressures like consumer demand and looming federal regulations that will require them to post calorie counts on menus, restaurant chains around the country are adding more nutritious choices and shrinking portion sizes.
The smaller portions, which are not necessarily cheaper, are the first step toward reversing the practice of piling more food on a plate than anyone needs in a single meal, a trend that began nearly three decades ago. Besides making a contribution to customers' health, restaurant owners are finding that the move is paying off financially.
Sbarro for example, is offering a "skinny slice," with a different mix of cheese and more vegetables at 270 calories. Longhorn Steakhouse has smaller portions of beef that qualify for its lower calorie Flavorful Under 500 menu.
"Menu labeling is part of it, but there's also been a lot of finger-pointing at the industry by the media and others, including customers, that is spurring the movement," said Anita Jones-Mueller, a registered dietitian who is president and founder of Healthy Dining Finder, a Web site that helps users find restaurants with healthy options using ZIP codes.
One gauge — the number of restaurants with vetted healthy options listed on the site — has increased more than 2,000 percent, and many have been added just in the last couple of years, Ms. Jones-Mueller said. "Customers really want these items, so restaurants are working to make them more appealing," she said.
Hank Cardello, director of the obesity solutions initiative at the Hudson Institute, a public policy research organization, has been studying the impact that lower-calorie menu options have on restaurants' business. "Lower-calorie menu items were driving restaurant growth over the last several years, no doubt about it," Mr. Cardello said.
The results of his research will be published Thursday in a report financed in part by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
The Obama administration's health care act, which was passed in 2010, included a provision requiring restaurants and food establishments with 20 or more locations to post the calorie counts of standard items on their menus. The final regulations are expected soon, with compliance likely to be required by 2014.
Some restaurant chains have already begun posting calorie counts.
After perusing Longhorn Steakhouse's lower-calorie menu, Denise Garbinski, a registered dietitian in San Francisco, said the portion sizes were bigger than the four ounces she typically recommended, but that it was "a step in the right direction."
"What they're trying to do here is cut back on portion size, which is brilliant," Ms. Garbinski said. "I always tell people to ask for a to-go container when they first order and then put half of the meal in it before they eat, but this takes that step out of the process."
While the move by restaurants to more nutritional menu offerings is driven by external factors, many operators are finding that cutting calories, sodium, sugar and fat pays off.
"It's doing great," Brian Bailey, co-founder and chief executive of the Ichor Restaurant Group, said of the company's new restaurant concept, Baja Pizzafish. "To serve fish tacos in Ohio is testament not only that the food tastes good, but that people really want it."
The chain, which opened in July, offers the option of brown rice in its rice bowls, and three ounces of grilled salmon, steak or shrimp can be added. Mr. Bailey describes the dishes as, "smaller amounts of protein and more fresh vegetables." Other menu items include thin-crust pizzas with potatoes and other lean toppings, salads and tortilla wraps.
The company also operates the Old Carolina Barbecue Company, a chain of six restaurants. It has added a new menu for its catering operation, the Lighter Side of Old Carolina, that features grilled chicken wraps, carved turkey sandwiches and chicken salad made with light mayonnaise.
"I don't want to describe this as the anti-barbecue," he said. "It's more like I'm hedging my bets on comfort food."
Matt Friedman, founder and chief executive of Wing Zone, said the company's decision to add Skinny Dippers, fried chicken breast nuggets with no breading, to its menu in January was as much about business as about offering customers a healthier choice.
Anda sedang membaca artikel tentang
Lighter Menus Appeal to Diners and Owners
Dengan url
http://healtybodyguard.blogspot.com/2013/02/lighter-menus-appeal-to-diners-and.html
Anda boleh menyebar luaskannya atau mengcopy paste-nya
Lighter Menus Appeal to Diners and Owners
namun jangan lupa untuk meletakkan link
Lighter Menus Appeal to Diners and Owners
sebagai sumbernya
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar