Being aware of calories in foods today has become second nature to many of your customers.
Depending on their diet and eating lifestyle, health-conscious customers will often look to modify their dishes in order to maintain a balanced-calorie diet. These are the people that will more often than not, pay attention to the calorie counts on your menu and pick a meal option which they can modify by choosing their sides.
You might be interested in knowing about: Are restaurants required to provide nutritional information?
In order to appeal to this market, you may choose to break down your dishes into their components. You can easily do this by listing the calories for the main item in your dish, (for example an 8 oz. steak or a grilled fish fillet) and an option for sides that your customers can choose in order to keep their calorie count below 500 or 600 calories- which is hard to do when dining out but can be easily achieved by calculating the calories for the main items in your menu.
Most people who prefer cooking at home will avoid eating out at restaurants. Learn how to appeal to this demographic!
Substitutions that are a MUST – even for fast food restaurants. Listing the calories for these substitution items is an easy way to position you among larger Restaurant Chains who already offer their customers delicious health-conscious choices.
FRIED FOODS: Offer a grilled option
SALADS: Include a vinaigrette option for your dressing options.
SIDES: Make sure to offer a veggie option as substitutes.
Required or not, what are the benefits of adding caloric information to your menu and food items?
The FDA's labeling requirements apply to restaurants and similar retail food establishments that are part of a chain with 20 or more locations.
This Final Rule was published December 1, 2014 and applies to restaurants and similar retail food establishments if they are part of a chain of 20 or more locations, doing business under the same name, offering for sale substantially the same menu items and offering for sale restaurant-type foods.
However, even if you are not required by the government to list the calories of your dishes, doing so will position you at a higher quality dining experience. Customers are used to being able to make informed decisions about what they eat not only when they are purchasing ingredients to cook at home but also when they are dining out! No matter what you offer in your menu, you can ́t afford to NOT offer health-conscious eating choices in order to appeal to this market.
Here in Roybal Food Consulting we specialize in creating menu caloric value for restaurants, cafeterias, bakeries and food trucks. We offer custom made packages that cover all menu items, sides, and ingredient substitutions.
Give us a call or schedule a free consultation to learn more about the process. We’ll be happy to help!
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