WPpg1: Hold the Health, Serve That Burger: Low-Fat Means Lean Sales

[DeepModem Mom]

Hold the Health, Serve That Burger
Restaurant Chains Find Low-Fat Means Lean Sales
By Margaret Webb Pressler
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, August 18, 2005; Page A01


The national restaurant chain Ruby Tuesday added a low-fat Blueberry D'Lite yogurt parfait to its menu more than a year ago to capitalize on the apparent growing appetite among consumers for healthful fare. The parfait joined more than 40 better-for-you offerings, along with listings of calorie and fat contents for everything on the menu. French fry portions were trimmed. Heavy advertising touted the chain's Smart Eating program.

But diners didn't bite. So Ruby Tuesday has eliminated the Blueberry D'Lite, along with several other healthful dishes ditched after a lengthy period of slumping sales at the chain. Calorie and fat information was dropped except on the healthful items that survived and were moved to the back of the menu.

Now the chain is aggressively promoting its biggest burgers, and in the last three months, burger sales are up 3 to 4 percent. It has also restored its larger portions of french fries and pasta.

Like many restaurant chains in the past two years, Ruby Tuesday has discovered that while customers say they want more nutritious choices, they rarely order them. As a result, fast food and casual dining chains -- which together account for three out of four U.S. restaurant visits -- are slowly going back to what they do best: indulging Americans' taste for high-calorie, high-fat fare....

***

Chains are not axing the healthful offerings altogether, because they serve a small niche market. But most companies are scaling back their promotion of good-for-you products, moving them to less prominent menu locations and, in some cases, cutting back on the number of more healthful choices....


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/17/AR2005081702063.html

[bleedingheart]

1. You can eat a whole lot healthier and save money by eating at home

[NYCGirl]

2. If you eat in restaurants, only eat half. Restaurant portions

(except in most high-end restaurants) are twice as big as regular portions.

[KittyWampus]

3. apparently Ruby Tues. WANTED To LowFat to fail. I cook delicious

meals that get raves.

if I can do it, so could the big corporations...if they really WANTED to.

I can't believe they didn't have consumer feedback BEFORE putting that stuff on the menu.

They probably had counterproductive ADVERTISING campaigns for the lowfat stuff too.

[SpeedwayDemocrat]

4. Why count just fat and calories?

The 18 million diabetics in this country have to count CARBS, so showing me the fat and calories are good - but they're missing the bigger picture...