Responsible Restaurant Menus

Last night I had a “boys night out” with my son and brother to watch my (pitiful) NY Giants lose to the Eagles (once again).  We went out to one of the Glory Day sports bars.  For those of you familiar with this restaurant franchise, the menu is very much “classic” for a sports bar:  Appetizers of nachos, loaded potato skins, crab dip, wings etc.  Main courses:  Burgers, cheese steak sandwiches and an assortment of other very high caloric dishes.  Fries of course are a staple accompaniment.  Desserts?  Yep, brownie sundaes, big hunks of chocolate cake etc.  So, not exactly a Serotonin-Plus Dietary Plan-friendly, menu, right?

On further inspection however, Glory Days shows quite a “responsible” menu in that every food and drink item (with the exception of alcohol) has the calorie count next to the selection.  As you are thinking about what to order, what smacks you right in the face is the amounts of calories you are about to consume.  Having the calories next to the items also provides an opportunity to make choices that are far less damaging to the dietary plan than others.  As an example, the fried buffalo chicken salad has over 1300 calories whereas the grilled chicken salad with almost all of the same ingredients with the exception of how the chicken is prepared, contains less than 500.  

Whether it be Glory Days or other restaurants, it is incredibly “responsible” on their part to post these calorie counts knowing full well that this may change the choices made by their customers.   Seeking out the restaurants that do display these numbers on the menu may make these eateries fairly decent choices despite the incredible number of derailing dishes offered up.  Having a steak with vegetables and a Caesar salad will be quite compatible with the SP Plan and choices such as this, salmon, meatloaf and other protein choices are available (in addition to the sandwiches, wings, nachos and beer pretzels).

Yes, going to these sorts of sports bars will be challenging in terms of saying “no” to the alcohol and usual array of derailing foods but the “responsibility” of navigating around these choices and choosing the healthier alternatives is on “us”.