What’s New with Wu

Okay so maybe this is a petty vendetta.  But today I had the unfortunate experience of eating at Applebee’s.  Reading the menu I began to feel ill.  I notice that dislike Applebee’s, TGIF & similar restaurants  and I am trying to figure out the reasons why.

This post , “why does everyone hate Applebee’s” gets at some of it:

TGIFridays. Houlihan’s. Bennigan’s. Chili’s. Applebee’s. Aren’t they all pretty much the same place? Sure they are. They’re all corporate chain restaurants that desperately want you to believe that they’re just an old-fashioned neighborhood bar & grill. If somebody blindfolded you and took you into one of them and then took the blindfold off and told you to tell them where you are, you’d probably be hard pressed to answer right away. They all have the same random knick-knacks pasted to the wall, they’re all staffed by the same sullen college kids who won’t be there when you go back in six months and they all serve the same $7.50 bacon cheeseburgers and the same chicken tenders with the same honey mustard dressing.

So I can’t say I’m thrilled about those aspects of Applebee’s.  But I think looking at their nutritional information (gleaned from 3d party sources) had an effect too. Here are the riblets that I gave some thought to ordering

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1 meal

Amount Per Serving

Calories 2027

Calories from Fat 1170

Total Fat 130.0g

200%
Saturated Fat 42.0g

210%
Cholesterol 390mg

130%
Sodium 2228mg

93%
Total Carbohydrates 106.0g

35%
Dietary Fiber 10.0g

40%
Protein 103.0g

There is a lawsuit against Applebee’s for misrepresenting the nutritional info on their “healthy” menu.

In April an independent laboratory tested the fat and calorie count
in various Weight Watchers menus at Applebee’s across the U.S.,
according to the complaint, and found that many dishes contain up to
three times the amount of fat and more calories than advertised.

“All of these companies appear to be taking advantage of customers who
pay attention to nutritional information when they eat at
restaurants,” said August Matteis, a Gilbert Randolph attorney for
Valiente.

The lawsuit alleges claims under Kansas consumer protection law and
the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. It
seeks classwide damages and injunctive relief.

http://www.bizjournals.com/losangeles/stories/2008/09/15/daily3.html

Left to Right: Barack Obama “Get Out the Vote,” precinct workers Michael Harrison, St. Petersburg, and Tim Wu, New York City, order free “Chick-fil-A,” sandwiches at the Chick-fil-A Restaurant at 4241 4th Street North, St. Petersburg, on election day. The restaurant chain was offering a free “Chick-fil-A,” sandwich to each customer that voted. “It’s been a great promotion for the restaurant,” said owner David Neely. “We’ve been swamped since this morning,” he said. “Everyone has been joining in, in the great feeling of the election.” The promotion continues until 9pm Tuesday night when the business closes, said Neely. [Scott Keeler, Times]