It's OK to request healthy substitutions at restaurants

by Fitz K. (Subscribe to Fitz K.'s posts)
Apr 5th 2007 10:24AM

Categories: Healthy Habits, Healthy Places, Womens Health, Healthy Recipes, Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Nutrition & Supplements, Men's Health

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I just left a restaurant called Cheddars while traveling through . Of course with a name like Cheddars, I didn't expect it to be a fitness trainer's wonderland, but normally I can find something healthful/low fat on any menu and enjoy a meal I don't feel bad about.

What inspired me to blog was my waitress, Sharon's, resistance to simple substitution requests. Believe me, I do my best not to torture my server, but I don't mind asking a few minor modifications here and there. Today I ordered a grilled chicken salad minus the pecans on top. The salad comes with a croissant (which in itself is loaded with butter and fat), covered with honey butter. Regardless of the fact that I don't enjoy the taste of croissants, they're equivalent to eating a pastry. That was not something I wanted to do with my healthy salad.

So, I ask Sharon if I could have just a plain piece of toast or a bun instead. "Absolutely not", she tells me. "Really" I say. "We can't make that kind of substitution" was her reply. OK then. No croissant for me. Really irritated by this small but lazy response, I run in to the manager on my way to the restroom and politely ask if it is true about this no substituting plain toast for a croissant policy.

"Of course not!" she exclaims. "Where are you sitting? I'll have some sent over with your salad right away!" How easy was that? Why in the world was this waitress so defiant with my request for a healthier choice? Hmmm. I suppose I'll never know.

What I do know though, is that my health is worth the extra effort. If I go to a restaurant and pay for a nice meal out, it is OK for me to make reasonable requests to maintain my level of fitness. My friends who manage or own restaurants have always told me that they are happy to make a minor personalization to a customer's meal to keep them satisfied and coming back. Especially ones that cost them nothing extra.

If you're like me and you truly care about your health and fitness levels, speak up! Ask for your food to be cooked without butter or oil. Ask for dry bread. Ask for sugar-free syrup with your pancakes. It's OK! In fact, it's quite responsible of you. And if certain restaurants are not willing to help you out, find one that will.

I'd love to hear in the comment section about your good and bad experiences eating out.

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Comments (5)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Alex 4-05-2007 @ 1:43PM

I've waited tables for five years, I also maintain a healthy diet and run 4 miles a day, so I can easily relate to both sides of the story. I don't eat where I work because of how unhealthy everything is--and neither should you if you want to stay fit.
Though I wasn't in the situation described above, I'm willing to guess Sharon's resistance likely came from how the idea of subsititution was brought up. As the old addage goes, it's not WHAT you say, it's HOW you say it. I am the first person to, for example, want my side of broccoli steamed, not cooked in butter; but nothing can be more irritating than a picky customer who goes about their request in a rude or condescending manner (remember, servers don't write the menu, and I might be just as incredulous as you about the 2200 calories in your pasta dish). Servers will be much more accommodating if they know the request is part of maintaining a reasonably healthy meal plan, rather than simply your (much more commonplace) personal dislike for the taste of one element of the dish. Never be afraid to ask for what you want--you ARE paying for that very service--but do be cognizant of reason while asking, taking into account that special requests are often a great inconvenience to the rhythm of work in a busy restaurant just trying to get the food out the door.

bfos7215 4-05-2007 @ 1:44PM

Re: 1

It shouldn't matter what the reason for the substitution. Even if it's a taste preference, you're still my server. It's your job. If you don't want to do your job, cool, just don't expect a tip.

I'm sure that manager didn't accept any excuse from that server.

homerj312 4-05-2007 @ 1:58PM

No, it isn't. It's a bad idea for a bunch of different reasons.

First they have a menu and prepare stuff a certain way, go somewhere else if you don't like it.

Second it's one thing to ask for broccoli instead of fries but there's no way to piss a chef off more than by telling them how to cook something, so you're getting substitutions at your own risk.

It's not a pleasant thing to think about but I'm paranoid about people doing stuff to my food if I'm being a prick about how something is prepared.

coyurtney 4-05-2007 @ 5:53PM

homerj312, I agree that saying "Ask for your food to be cooked without butter or oil" maybe much and you should maybe find somehwere else, but little things, like hold the cheese or butter shouldn't be too bad.

What I'd like to see is more healthly places where you'd have to say "cook that in lard and not the other way around.

Anita 4-07-2007 @ 11:59AM

Some restaurant staff will be rude and some chefs would not like to be told how and with what to cook. It is our health that is at stake and it is our duty to find alternatives.http://www.healthinfoforyou.com/blog/