How to track calories when eating out
Short answer
At chain restaurants, use the posted calories: U.S. chains with 20 or more locations must list them on menus and menu boards. Elsewhere, log the closest match you can find, then add drinks, sides, sauces and dressings separately. Expect large portions. In a study of non-chain restaurants in three U.S. cities, the average meal held about 1,205 calories.
On this page
Where can you find calorie information?
On the menu, at most chains. Since May 7, 2018, FDA rules have required restaurants and similar food businesses that are part of a chain with 20 or more locations to list calories for standard menu items on menus and menu boards, including drive-thru boards.
A few details make those numbers easier to use:
- Two choices are shown with a slash, such as 250/350 calories.
- Three or more choices are shown as a range, such as 150 to 300 calories.
- More nutrition information, including saturated fat, sodium and fiber, must be available in writing if you ask.
The rules don't cover restaurants with fewer than 20 locations, food trucks, or bulk bread from a grocery bakery, so many meals out still come without numbers.
How accurate are menu calories?
Accurate on average, but individual dishes vary. A 2011 study measured 269 foods from 42 restaurants in a lab and found the stated calories were right overall. Still, 19 percent of the foods held at least 100 calories more than stated, and foods with lower stated calories tended to hold more than listed.
What if the restaurant doesn't list calories?
Log the closest match you can find and assume it runs high. In a 2013 study of independent and small-chain restaurants around Boston, meals averaged 1,327 calories, about two-thirds of a typical day's needs. They also held 19 percent more calories than national food database entries for the same dishes.
A larger 2016 study of non-chain restaurants in San Francisco, Boston and Little Rock found meals averaged 1,205 calories, and 92 percent held more than a typical person needs at one meal. American, Italian and Chinese meals averaged the most, about 1,495 calories.
What adds calories you might miss?
Drinks, sides, dressings and the fat used in cooking. The American Heart Association notes that restaurants add extras like bread, chips and appetizers, and the FDA points out that dishes described as creamy, fried, breaded, battered or buttered are usually higher in calories than baked, roasted, steamed, grilled or broiled ones.
| Extra | Calories |
|---|---|
| Café mocha, 12 fl oz | 290 |
| Regular soda, 12 fl oz | 156 |
| Regular beer, 12 fl oz | about 150 |
| Wine, 5 fl oz | about 120 |
| Medium fast-food fries | about 365 |
| Ranch dressing, 2 tablespoons | about 130 |
| Butter, 1 pat | about 36 |
How do you make it easier?
- Look at the menu before you go, and decide while you're not hungry.
- Log before you eat, while the whole plate is in front of you, or take a photo to log later.
- Ask for sauces and dressings on the side, as the FDA suggests, so you choose how much to use.
- Split a large main or save half for later, as the American Heart Association and the FDA suggest when portions are big.
- Round up, not down. People underestimate restaurant meals. A 2013 study of fast-food diners found adults guessed 175 calories low on average, and the bigger the meal, the bigger the miss.
Common questions
Should I add extra calories to restaurant meals?
For restaurants without posted calories, a margin is reasonable. The 2013 Boston study found their meals held 19 percent more calories than food database entries for the same dishes.
How do I log shared dishes?
Estimate your share of each dish, not the whole platter. If four people split two appetizers, log about half of one, and add anything that came with your own plate.
Is it better to skip logging when eating out?
No. The FDA says Americans get about a third of their calories from food prepared away from home, and that one meal out a week works out to roughly 2 extra pounds a year for the average adult.
Sources
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Calories on the Menu: Information for Consumers. Content current as of February 25, 2022. fda.gov
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Menu Labeling Requirements. Content current as of December 13, 2023. fda.gov
- Urban LE, McCrory MA, Dallal GE, et al. Accuracy of stated energy contents of restaurant foods. JAMA. 2011;306(3):287–293. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Urban LE, Lichtenstein AH, Gary CE, et al. The energy content of restaurant foods without stated calorie information. JAMA Internal Medicine. 2013;173(14):1292–1299. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Urban LE, Weber JL, Heyman MB, et al. Energy contents of frequently ordered restaurant meals and comparison with human energy requirements and U.S. Department of Agriculture database information: a multisite randomized study. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. 2016;116(4):590–598. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- American Heart Association. Portion Size Versus Serving Size. Last reviewed December 18, 2023. heart.org
- U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020–2025. web.archive.org
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, FoodData Central. Fast foods, potato, french fried in vegetable oil (FDC ID 170698). fdc.nal.usda.gov
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, FoodData Central. Salad dressing, ranch dressing, regular (FDC ID 173592). fdc.nal.usda.gov
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, FoodData Central. Butter, salted (FDC ID 173410). fdc.nal.usda.gov
- Block JP, Condon SK, Kleinman K, et al. Consumers' estimation of calorie content at fast food restaurants: cross sectional observational study. BMJ. 2013;346:f2907. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Estimates, not medical advice. If you're pregnant, have a medical condition or have a history of disordered eating, talk to a clinician before changing how you eat.
Written by the SeeMeEat editorial team under a pen name.