When one of America’s most recognizable and popular fast-food restaurants swaps french fries for fruit, can sweeping reform be far behind?
Well, yes. Despite obesity-epidemic-driven pressure from Michelle Obama and health-advocacy groups, chain-restaurant menu overhauls are far from mainstream. In fact, while Mickey D’s was rolling out a kids' meal with 20 percent fewer calories this summer, Sonic introduced a 1,520-calorie, double-patty Blazin’ BBQ Hamburger. Applebee’s, a restaurant that offers a menu section devoted to Weight Watchers–endorsed entrees, launched a new menu item—Provolone Stuffed Meatballs—that is stuffed with more than a day’s worth of saturated fat and sodium. And California Pizza Kitchen supplanted its pizza and pasta offerings to include a Mac 'n' Cheese choice with as many carbs as two bagels.
To rank the most fattening of the new crop of fast-food and chain restaurants, we considered new or limited-time entrees that are currently being promoted. Breakfast entrees were considered if they are available all day. They were ranked based on calories, saturated fat, sodium, and carbohydrates, then ranks were totaled to determine the final ranking. Ties were broken by calorie content.
Applebee’s
Calories: 1,520
Saturated fat (g): 43
Sodium (mg): 3,700
Carbohydrates: 116
T.G.I. Friday’s
Calories: 1,690
Saturated fat (g): 40
Sodium (mg): 2,360
Carbohydrates: 123
Perkins
Calories: 1,140
Saturated fat (g): 32
Sodium (mg): 5,530
Carbohydrates: 167
T.G.I. Friday’s
Calories: 1,500
Saturated fat (g): 37
Sodium (mg): 2,690
Carbohydrates: 120
Perkins
Calories: 1,410
Saturated fat (g): 25
Sodium (mg): 2,860
Carbohydrates: 167
Sonic
Calories: 1,520
Saturated fat (g): 36
Sodium (mg): 2,760
Carbohydrates: 96
T.G.I. Friday’s
Calories: 1,380
Saturated fat (g): 25
Sodium (mg): 4,090
Carbohydrates: 103
California Pizza Kitchen
Calories: 1,439
Saturated fat (g): 54
Sodium (mg): 1,674
Carbohydrates: 105
Olive Garden
Calories: 1,390
Saturated fat (g): 41
Sodium (mg): 2,280
Carbohydrates: 83
California Pizza Kitchen
Calories: 1,174
Saturated fat (g): 21
Sodium (mg): 2,693
Carbohydrates: 128
Sonic
Calories: 1,660
Saturated fat (g): 44
Sodium (mg): 1,450
Carbohydrates: 66
iHOP
Calories: 1,070
Saturated fat (g): 33
Sodium (mg): 2,400
Carbohydrates: 70
iHOP
Calories: 890
Saturated fat (g): 10
Sodium (mg): 2,260
Carbohydrates: 138
Denny’s
Calories: 1,025
Saturated fat (g): 18
Sodium (mg): 2,050
Carbohydrates: 118
Denny’s
Calories: 1,010
Saturated fat (g): 24
Sodium (mg): 1,900
Carbohydrates: 106
Applebee’s
Calories: 1,110
Saturated fat (g): 18
Sodium (mg): 3,100
Carbohydrates: 67
Ruby Tuesday
Calories: 839
Saturated fat (g): n/a
Sodium (mg): 3,211
Carbohydrates: 86
Ruby Tuesday
Calories: 823
Saturated fat (g): n/a
Sodium (mg): 2,862
Carbohydrates: 82
iHOP
Calories: 1,270
Saturated fat (g): 42
Sodium (mg): 1,450
Carbohydrates: 49
California Pizza Kitchen
Calories: 1,187
Saturated fat (g): 19
Sodium (mg): 1,573
Carbohydrates: 79
