Coming to a Restaurant Near You: Calorie Sticker Shock

A major change in the chain restaurant industry is underway. As early as 2011, chain restaurants will have to start posting calorie information on their menus and signs. The federal legislation, part of the recently-passed healthcare bill, will affect more than 200,000 restaurant locations, and will have an impact on menu ingredients and portion sizes.

The calorie counts on popular menu items may send some consumers into sticker shock. Although they might expect the calorie counts from true fast-food chains, they may not be expecting that their healthy-sounding sandwich is 800 calories (vs. about 500 in a fast-food hamburger). Ideally, companies will lighten up items before these regulations go into effect to avoid losing market share. Consumer insights point to two main strategies:

1) Natural Substitution. Most of the hidden calories in casual dining and fast food restaurant dishes are in the sauces and dressings. Yet, today’s consumers don’t want to substitute “fake” ingredients to lower calories. They still want taste, but not if it means eating artificial or highly processed additives. To avoid calorie sticker shock while still giving consumers delicious and natural options, marketers should make real food choices that lighten heavier sauces and dressings. Hyde Park Group recently developed a line of sandwiches using a wide variety of vinegars, mustards, citrus, and spice blends to keep the offerings delicious and natural while reducing calories.

2) Portion control. There are thousands of innovative ways to reduce portion size without alienating customers. Will the item work with slightly less bread, sauce, or cheese? Making a 20 percent reduction in the item’s overall size or in the quantity of higher-calorie ingredients makes a big dent in the calorie count. Smaller plates and interesting presentation reduce calories while encouraging customers to try more than one menu item. Adding natural spices and herbs help increase satiation. And, many food trends also indicate that U.S. consumers are more comfortable with smaller portion sizes, as long as the offerings taste wonderful (note the resurgence of butter à la Julie & Julia.

Recent food news shows that popular dine-in restaurant chains are already reducing portion sizes. With the posting of calorie information on menus and signs, consumers are likely to make different choices to avoid calorie overload. Is your company ready for the change?