Folks like me love to bash Outback. With appetizers like Bloomin' Onions with 1,565 calories and 5,510mg of sodium and Aussie Cheese Fries with 2,136 calories and 2,344mg of sodium (and great, I-bet-you-a-million-bucks-they're-not-included-on-the-menu "serves 6" guidance on their online nutritional calculator) they're an easy target.
Well I can't bash them on this one - they plan to roll out entrees with less than 500 calories a piece.
I predict the sub-500 calorie entree is a trend that we'll see sweep the fast-casual restaurants and I believe that the new menu labeling law will fuel it.
Like it or not Americans are about to get schooled in calories and whether they're watching their weight or not, as the numbers slowly start to sink into their subconsciousness', as they gain reference points, diners are going to start using calories to help make decisions and unless there are lower calorie options available, some restaurants are going to lose business.
Never thought I'd say this but kudos to Outback Steakhouse!
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It's going to be hard to make cheap, mass produced ingredients taste good with less fat -- I guess they are going to have a very high sodium content.
ReplyDeleteI've actually never eaten at an Outback restaurant before -- so maybe that's unfair.
I ate at a restaurant in Tampa Florida called Seasons 56. All menu items were less than 479 calories and all desserts were less than 300 calories. The food was fabulous, with many choices. It took us two days to get reservations - it was always busy. You would never guess this was a "low calorie" restaurant. Busy was booming, the food was great and the calorie count was fantastic. Maybe things can change
ReplyDeleteI thought it was common knowledge that appetizers at Outback are meant to be shared among a group of people. I've never known anyone who tried to eat one alone. Even split among 4-6 people that can be a lot of calories if you get an entree too, but can't we ever indulge once in awhile?
ReplyDeleteAnonymous, the issue is that someone who likes that sort of food does not eat it "once in a while."
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