I’ve known for some time that Burgerville was implementing a program to print nutritional information receipts, but given the program was only being tested in a select few franchises, I hadn’t seen it in action. That was until the week before last when a gnawing hunger brought on by too much whiskey steered me into the Burgerville Drive-Thru on NE MLK (my sober wife was driving).
I didn’t pay much attention to the receipt until I fished it out of my pocket a few days later. At first I chuckled at the earnestness of the so-called Nutricate system—a not-so-clever portmanteau of education and nutrition. Then, I saw the totals.
My heart, suddenly aware of the fat it was pumping through my system, physically slowed. Holy shit. I’d eaten a burger and fries (no drink) and in the ten minutes it took to get from Burgerville to my home, I’d consumed over half of my recommended daily allowance of calories, and 95% of my suggested fat intake. Wow.
A little box below the nutritional information suggested next time I ask for my burger sans mayo in order to save 100 calories and 11 grams of fat. Which is like someone suggesting you duck after they’ve already hit you in the face with a 2×4.
In the end, I guess the receipt shook the wrong-headed idea I’d developed that a bacon cheddar cheeseburger was somehow better for you if it came from Burgerville. (DUH! I know…) But I’m not sure if it will change my ordering habits, aside from going there way less often than I currently do. Which is, not very often. It’s also interesting to be reminded of just how cheap those calories are. Half your daily intake for $6.98. Not bad.
Soooo, Blogtownies? Do you think this kind of receipt-based nutritional guide will change your habits? How does it make you feel? Don’t hold back.
NYC made all restaurants post calorie counts on their menu boards a while back. I remember there was a flurry of articles this fall when the results came in – showing that people actually ordered MORE, and increased their intake of fatty foods. Social scientists were baffled!
The latest headlines, just last week, are saying that even though adults increased their consumption after the calories were posted, they ordered fewer calories for their children.
On the bright side, you got 6 grams of fiber, which will firm up that loaf you pinched about 10 minutes after consuming your meal.
Why didn’t you get a milkshake? For shame!
This is the problem with the “Local Organic” movement. I could sell you a fire hydrant full of locally made organic squeeze cheeze, that doesn’t make it good for you. Organic hot dogs = Organic lips and assholes.
I think it’s awesome that Burgerville is doing this. It seems like they’ve gone out of their way to make it clear how much fat you’re eating by not just listing the grams, but the percent of your daily total.
I don’t think Burgerville ever claimed their cheeseburgers are more healthy than other cheeseburgers. The point of the “local organic” movement is to buy food that comes from local, more sustainable sources, instead of a feedlot in Kansas.
I’m with Sarah, I love that Burgerville being more than upfront. I’d love to be nutricated on how bad those milkshakes are for me, though. Maybe then I’ll develop the self-control necessary to not drink one every week.
A bacon cheddar cheeseburger IS better for you if it comes from Burgerville. The beef comes from happy cows that eat mostly grass. The other ingredients come from sustainable producers. You’re eating actual food instead of chemicals.
All this means is that you’re now eating as “healthy” as the junk food of the 1950s. It’s still junk food. And that burger is THE worst offender, no item on the menu has more fat. You could order a double beef cheeseburger and it would still be half the fat of a pepper bacon burger.
Tips:
1. Skip the fries. They’re 40% of the total calories, 63% of the carbs, and 30% of the fat. Too many bad carbs.
2. Do as they advise and ditch the mayo. There’s still plenty of mouth-watery goodness in there.
3. Slice the burger in half. Put half in the fridge for dinner later or lunch tomorrow.
Half of a big burger like that is enough to satisfy your tummy and get more than a few bites of flavor, and it’s way way easier to eat the other half later than it is to eat it all at once while skipping dinner entirely.
Augment it with a small serving of 100% fruit juice (no added sugars or HFC). If you’re in the restaurant, mix it up with some carbonated water from the drink fountain and you’ll have a good tasting fizzy drink with less than half the calories of an equivalently-sized flavored soda.
Doing these things may be a bit of a hassle, but in my humble opinion it’s far easier to manage that kind of diet than it is to give up entire classes of favorite foods entirely.
I get the smoothie instead of a milkshake. The child size one or whatever. #tightpants
The double beef cheeseburger (with Tillamook cheese) is my favorite B’ville burger. With fries and a Coke. At least I’ll die full. LOL