I read the Washington Post article about the disconnect between what people say they want to eat versus what they actually eat.
Restaurants find healthy foods flop
Chains discover such fare isn't really what diners want
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...
Notice the big headline.
I immediately became worried about the low carb Ruby Tuesday fare and went and checked their menu. Under Ruby Tuesday Smart Eating there was still item after item of good low carb fare:
Calories / Fat gm / Net Carb gm / Fiber gm
Steaks, Seafood & Chicken
Entrées served with choice of two sides. Nutrition information does not include side items.
- Smart EatingSM Petite Sirloin*
- A smaller version of our irresistible top sirloin. 222/8/1/0
- Smart EatingSM Top Sirloin*
- A seasoned sirloin steak. 285/11/1/0
- Smart EatingSM Ribeye*
- Our juicy ribeye cooked just the way you like it. 635/44/4/0
- Smart EatingSM Grilled Chicken
- Peppercorn-seasoned and grilled. 209/5/0/0
- Smart EatingSM Creole Catch
- Broiled seasoned tilapia. 312/16/0/0
- Smart EatingSM Peppercorn Salmon
- A peppercorn-seasoned fillet. 287/15/0/0
- Smart EatingSM New Orleans Seafood™
- Broiled seasoned tilapia and shrimp topped with creamy Alfredo sauce. 507/31/4/0
- Smart EatingSM Church Street Chicken™
- Grilled chicken with sautéed mushrooms, crisp bacon and melted Swiss cheese. 523/32/0/2
Side Items & Sauces
- Plain Baked Potato 296/2/49/11
- Add Ruby's salsa or light ranch dressing.
- Salsa 10/0/3/0
- Light Ranch Dressing 55/5/1/0
- Thai Peanut Sauce 66/3/8/0
- Bleu Cheese Dressing 177/19/1/0
- Fresh Steamed Broccoli 129/8/5/3
- Sugar Snap Peas 82/0/10/4
- Sautéed Mushrooms 276/27/0/4
- Creamy Mashed Cauliflower 166/11/9/6
- Side Caesar Salad 120/10/4/1
- Brown Rice Pilaf
- Topped with cheese and tomatoes. 223/7/34/2
Dessert
- Low-Carb Cheesecake
- Our creamy cheesecake with a crunchy nut crust is carb-friendly and delicious. 400/32/1/5
Just ditch the baked potato and the rice pilaf and you can have a field day! And I didn't even excerpt the whole menu!
I would love to try the New Orleans Seafood! (And I'm surprised that the author of the article didn't dispute their "Smart Eating" designation with low carb items on the menu... but that is another article.) And on low carb, you can certainly eat the big burgers they are advertising -- just without the bun.
I have an email into their Marketing dept. to try and find out what items were actually discontinued. I'll let you know what they tell me.