Best and Worst Choices at 5 Restaurant Chains

Posted Wed, May 09, 2007, 5:42 am PDT

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"Casual dining" chains -- from Chili's to The Cheesecake Factory -- are finally getting on the anti-supersize-me bus. Smart, since nearly half of today's customers say they want to eat more healthfully, according to a recent TGI Friday's survey. While a few chains -- notably Applebee's and Ruby Tuesday -- have offered saner options for several years, the growth in good-for-you choices is great for weight-watching happy-hour goers, family vacationers, and weary parents looking for a kid-friendly night out of the kitchen. That said, we're still talking menu extremes. Here are some of the best and worst bets.

APPLEBEE'S
Best This early adaptor has a steadily expanding list of Weight Watchers-approved items, which are going strong after three years on the menu. Among the newest items:

Steak and Portobellos -- 330 calories, 10 grams fat
Italian Chicken and Portobello Sandwich -- 360 calories, 6 grams fat
Chocolate Raspberry Layer Cake -- 230 calories, 3 grams fat

Worst There's a reason the menu only lists fat and calories for its WW items. You don't want to know the sat-fat content of, say, the Grilled Cheese BLT, a double-decker that includes jack, Cheddar, and Swiss cheeses, bacon and mayo.

THE CHEESECAKE FACTORY
Best We can't tell you that this popular deli-and-dessert place has managed to create a delicious 50-calorie cheesecake -- or even that it provides much nutrition info -- but it has added a group of new "Weight Management" salads like the three below. All are slimmed down with low-cal dressings and smaller amounts of cheese, nuts, and avocado, so they come in at around 590 calories each.

Asian Chicken Salad
California Salad
Seafood Salad

Worst The name says it all: Outrageous Chocolate Cake, at 1,380 calories a slice.

CHILI'S
Best This is the only brave chain to show sodium counts online; unfortunately, the numbers would turn a cardiologist clammy. Even the otherwise healthy "Guiltless Grill" suggestions below contain staggering amounts of salt: 2,720 mg for the chicken meal and 1,080 mg for the fish dish. But the calories are nicely under control.

Guiltless Chicken Sandwich with steamed veggies and black beans -- 490 calories, 8 grams fat
Guiltless Salmon with similar sides -- 480 calories, 14 grams fat

Worst At 2,710 calories and an artery-clogging 203 grams of fat, Chili's Awesome Blossom deep-fried onion is a fright.

RED LOBSTER
Best Flip the menu to the "Lighthouse Selections" and you'll discover a whole page of appealing choices, including:

A great happy-hour find: a glass of white wine and the Garlic Grilled Jumbo Shrimp -- 300 calories
Fresh Fish dinners: half portions of grilled or broiled tilapia, salmon, or rainbow trout with seasonal vegetables or a garden salad -- 400 calories, tops

Worst It's hard to make seafood totally bad for you but some of the battered-and-fried fish entrees on the regular menu top 2,000 calories.

RUBY TUESDAY
Best Kudos to Ruby T for this bit of forward-thinking: The restaurant has cooked in trans-fat-free oils since 2003. And there are now several menu options that won't leave you buried in dieter's remorse -- though note that these calorie counts don't include sides or dipping sauces. Still, they'll get you off to a nifty start.

Skinny Chicken Salad -- 380 calories
White Bean Chicken Chili -- 218 calories
Smart Eating Creole Catch -- 312 calories

Worst You could blow an entire day's calories on the Colossal Burger, which weighs in at 1,943 calories and a shocking 141 grams of

TGI Friday's
Best Even though the company doesn't give exact nutrition facts, a handful of dishes are flagged Low Fat/Low Carb, which means about 10 grams of fat or no more than 17 carbs, and 500 calories a dish.

Dragonfire Chicken
Shrimp Key West
Asian-glazed Chicken on Field Greens

Worst Don't even think about old TGIF standards like Stuffed Potato Skins -- or insane new ones like Fried Mac and Cheese(!). Both scream heart-attack city.

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250 Comments

1. Posted by Kit on Wed, May 09, 2007, 7:28 am PDT

How about outback? Do the choices change with each restaurant? The applebee in my city may be a little bit different than your area?
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2. Posted by J-Dog on Sat, May 12, 2007, 1:40 pm PDT

What about the Green Mill?
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3. Posted by P M on Sat, May 12, 2007, 1:56 pm PDT

Great information here. Good article. I wish we could get the sodium content as well--something I need to watch! For example, the white bean chicken chili at Ruby Tuesday's looks like a good choice. But I bet it is loaded with sodium. :(
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4. Posted by Ms. Valerie on Sat, May 12, 2007, 8:24 pm PDT

How about the Olive Garden? I wouldn't think they'd be all bad.
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5. Posted by luv2shop81393 on Sun, May 13, 2007, 7:33 am PDT

OMG thats a lot of calories!!!!!!!!!
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6. Posted by lucy.ibarra10 on Sun, May 13, 2007, 7:50 am PDT

Would like to see more restaurants... This is the way to go.
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7. Posted by lucy.ibarra10 on Sun, May 13, 2007, 7:51 am PDT

Would like to see more restaurants... This is the way to go.
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8. Posted by Jenny on Sun, May 13, 2007, 7:53 am PDT

helpful info.....what about El Zol Azteca....(in olney)..? or IHOP....or panda express?
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9. Posted by Arwen Windwalker on Sun, May 13, 2007, 7:58 am PDT

some of these places do offer healthy choice menus,the question is,will people order them? I don't know why,but,to me people blaming the restaurants for their health issues is just right out dumb,no one puts a gun to their heads to eat all that stuff,it is a choice we ourselves make,they just make it available for us to choose to eat it or not.
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10. Posted by starspangled@sbcglobal.net on Sun, May 13, 2007, 8:01 am PDT

why is mcdonalds not up here?
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11. Posted by Sara C on Sun, May 13, 2007, 8:14 am PDT

I think after the movie "SuperSize Me" came out that a lot of people got the point about fast food...it's really an eye opener if you haven't! I think what amazed me the most about a lot of Salads on certain chain-restaurant menus, is that the fat and calories content were that of a burger and fries! Be careful what you order these days! It's not up to the server to watch what you eat...it's up to you!
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12. Posted by Shirley B on Sun, May 13, 2007, 8:14 am PDT

Thank you, this was helpful.
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13. Posted by Emily H on Sun, May 13, 2007, 8:57 am PDT

It's great to have an idea of what you can choose for those of us watching our weight and caloric intake. Maybe you could also suggest ways to improve other options such as subbing a side salad with light or fat-free dressing for the fries and letting us know how many calories we save on this.
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14. Posted by Christina on Sun, May 13, 2007, 9:03 am PDT

This was helpful.I'll eat at home for now on.
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15. Posted by metallicafan316 on Sun, May 13, 2007, 9:04 am PDT

yeah well how about I eat whatever I want and not worry about how bad it is for me. and as far as I'm concerned about the movie super size me who the hell eats fast food three times a day every day? on top of that he only gained about 30 pounds. big deal.
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16. Posted by Jill on Sun, May 13, 2007, 9:36 am PDT

Go to www.dietfacts.com and you can search for fresh foods, or search by restaurant. It's really surprising how horrible eating out is for you!
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17. Posted by Brenda on Sun, May 13, 2007, 9:40 am PDT

I would also like to see more best and worst for other resturants, but other than that i think this article was very informative.
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18. Posted by rangray1 on Sun, May 13, 2007, 9:58 am PDT

The worst to eat at is Frisch's cold food and the restaurant's are always dirty.
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19. Posted by romancexxmy2 on Sun, May 13, 2007, 10:12 am PDT

What about fast food? What about other places? I like the Melting Pot, East Side Marios, and etc.
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20. Posted by theatreis4life on Sun, May 13, 2007, 10:54 am PDT

203 grams of fat!!!! Oh my gosh, I will NEVER eat that...
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21. Posted by dscendingangel04 on Sun, May 13, 2007, 10:56 am PDT

ahhh people...this is an article about wide-spread chain restaurants. i have not even heard of alot of the places you're listing. this is not a regional list...it's is a nationwide list. also, for all you people requesting information about fast food restaurants, check out their websites. it's all on here. the point of THIS article is to show you chain family dining restaurants, those of which do not publish their nutrition facts.
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22. Posted by ndallasd on Sun, May 13, 2007, 12:03 pm PDT

I'm surprised the TGI Friday's info didn't include mention of the smaller-sized portions they recently introduced, such as a salad with salmon, or grilled shrimp with veggies. I would assume those are good choices - would have been nice to see the data.
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23. Posted by Kyle M on Sun, May 13, 2007, 12:12 pm PDT

This entire thing is a bit stupid imo. When you go out to eat, your going out to indulge yourself in food, that you wouldnt normally have. Enjoy it, dont nitpick over every menu. If you want to eat healthy stay in home and cook for yourself.
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24. Posted by myun96 on Sun, May 13, 2007, 1:53 pm PDT

Whoa.....I didn't think there would be such unhealthy choices in restaurants....
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25. Posted by KatieBird on Sun, May 13, 2007, 2:22 pm PDT

Most Applebee's are actually sat-fat FREE. This is only known to the company employees but within the next few months there should be an official advertisement.
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26. Posted by HappyKappy on Sun, May 13, 2007, 2:33 pm PDT

If you'd like to know the calorie counts for items at other chain restaurants, I recommend going to their individual web sites. I've had good luck when I've done it.
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27. Posted by blondebutsmarte796 on Sun, May 13, 2007, 2:49 pm PDT

what about all of the pizza chain food ,and all of the fast food? if you were going to write this artical you should make it more broad.
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28. Posted by Klowey on Sun, May 13, 2007, 3:12 pm PDT

dude that's nasty! all those calories, and the fat! GRODY!!! i will think about what i get next time i go out to eat! for sure!
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29. Posted by Klowey on Sun, May 13, 2007, 3:12 pm PDT

dude that's nasty! all those calories, and the fat! GRODY!!! i will think about what i get next time i go out to eat! for sure!
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30. Posted by liketospike on Sun, May 13, 2007, 3:42 pm PDT

im so ganna think about what i eat
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