posted 01/06/09 05:05 PM | updated 01/06/09 05:38 PM
Views: 1202 | Comments : 10 | Food & Drink

Calories on Menu Boards

By SeattleBrad
Recommend this (0 votes) ( report abuse ) ( add your comment )

Starting January 1, chain restaurants with more than 15 locations nationwide are required to post calories and nutrional info. I took photos of 8 of them on the hill, including Subway, Tully's, Peet's, Pagliacci Pizza, Starbuck's, Taco del Mar, Noah's Bagels, and Domino's.

The only one in non-compliance was Domino's pizza on Broadway. After waiting for 10 minutes for the clerk to get off the phone, he said he didn't know about the rule, and didn't even have nutritional pamphlets.

The friendly guys at Peet's Coffee said people were doing this: "I'll have a Caramel... wait, is that the calories?!?!?! Okay, make it non-fat, sugar-free, and hold the whip." At Pagliacci Pizza, a cheerful clerk said that half the people don't even want to look at the calories.

My Awards:

Most legible: Subway
Least legible: Taco del Mar (they put light blue numbers on a dark blue background)
Most friendly staff: Pagliacci Pizza and Peet's Coffee
Least friendly staff: Subway on Broadway (the photo was from the Pine location)
Highest calorie coffee: 720 Veinte Intense Dark Mocha from Tully's
Highest calorie food: 2170 Platter from Taco del Mar
BUSTED: Domino's Pizza (no calories posted)

I think it's now time to ask the small locally-owned restaurants to do the same. This is important info.

See the eight readable high-res photos in this Flickr set. Click on All Sizes to see the larger ones.

Tags: calories, menu, chain, restaurants, nutrition, nutritional, info, seattle + add tags
savecancel
Add Your Comment(10)
Add Your Comment
Name:
Email:
(will not be displayed)
Subject:
Comment:
or

CommentsRSS Feed
I think we should not ask small restaurants to do this.
Do you really need a number to know what is making you fat?
Comment by m
January 06, 2009
( 0 votes ) Recommend this
Pretty sure Domino's is calorie free
Interesting report, Brad. This doesn't have to be only about fat/skinny -- in these tough economic times, you might want to use the data to determine your best calorie/$.
Comment by jseattle
January 06, 2009
( 0 votes ) Recommend this
*****
*****
Comment by cheesecake
January 06, 2009
( 0 votes ) Recommend this
RE: *****
I was thinking the same thing. Now we know the calorie count for Noah's Original Bagel Dog, too.
Comment by linder seattle
January 06, 2009
( 0 votes ) Recommend this
2088 calories for Dominos Bacon Cheeseburger Feast medium pizza
But that's only if you eat the whole thing. Some things are going to be a surprise. An apple juice has more calories than a tall latte according to Starbucks. 190 vs. 150, in case you were dying to know. An americano only has 10 calories, but that's only if you can stand to drink it black. Yuck.
Comment by k
January 06, 2009
( 0 votes ) Recommend this
Toppings
One thing that I didn't anticipate is the trend toward customizing our food and drinks. The calories change depending on what variation you order, such as non-fat, refried beans, mayo, guacamole, sour cream, etc. Very difficult to summarize this complexity. Taco del Mar actually gave out a worksheet, so you can add up the calories. Start with your wrap, then add the fillings, then add the toppings, and do the addition.
Comment by SeattleBrad
January 07, 2009
( 0 votes ) Recommend this
Pretty cool!
I agree with cheesecake, another 5-star post. :-)
Comment by Uncle Vinny
January 07, 2009
( 0 votes ) Recommend this
RE: Pretty cool!
Thanks all for the unofficial stars. They motivate me to write more.
Comment by SeattleBrad
January 07, 2009
( 0 votes ) Recommend this
Why King County shouldn't be doing this
Interesting investigation you have going there.

To see why King County is wasting their time, check out today's blog at http://whatsinwhatyoueat.org/
Comment by Gil
January 07, 2009
( 0 votes ) Recommend this
RE: Why King County shouldn't be doing this
Thank you, thank you, thank you for posting this. People were a lot skinnier before calorie-counting became vogue. I wonder why... Calories aren't the whole story. Let's all return to real foods.
Comment by jinushaun
January 08, 2009
( 0 votes ) Recommend this
advertisement