Denny's Sued Over Salt
Categories: Diet & Weight Loss
![]() |
| Photo: L. Marie, Flickr |
Consumer watchdog group, The Center for Science in the Public Interest, has sicked its successful litigation team on salty Denny's, recently filing a lawsuit on behalf of longtime Denny's patron Nick DeBenedetto, a 48-year-old New Jersey resident on high blood pressure meds and a reduced-salt diet. DeBenedetto says if he'd known some of his favorites, such as The Super Turkey Bird sandwich, contained significantly more than 1,500 mg of sodium, he'd never have ordered them. And that's before the side of fries.
The American Heart Association works hard to remind the public that high dietary sodium levels can aggravate or even lead to high blood pressure, which means a greater likelihood of developing heart disease or stroke. Then think about how often busy Americans head to restaurants each month.
Turns out CSPI previously negotiated privately with Denny's, asking for broad sodium reduction and menu disclosures. After the chat ended earlier this year, Denny's made small sodium reductions in a few items such as cheese sauce, kids' meals (good!) and shrimp skewers. But it wasn't enough for CSPI, and it's not enough for the health of Americans, either. Restaurant-ridiculous amounts of sodium, fat and processed carbs need to go, besides the fact patrons should be able to open a menu and conveniently glance at a complete nutritional profile of every item. If it's even available, coming clean via website disclosure misses the nutritional mark.
Recent Posts
- Heidi Klum Hits The Runway After Baby (11/20/2009)
- Thanksgiving Dinner Satisfaction And Perfect Portion Control: Time to Celebrate (11/20/2009)
- Cheesy Workout Video Round-up (11/20/2009)
- Kim Kardashian's Sexy Salad Commercial (11/20/2009)
- Simple Thanksgiving Swaps (11/20/2009)

























Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
f1l2ss 7-27-2009 @ 1:02PM
So your looking for some free money,
Why don't you cook for yourself , you need to stop eating at restaurants most are unhealthy anyway, get a clue..
Reply
suki 7-28-2009 @ 9:18AM
it really comes down to good ole common sense!! just look a the description of the food.that alone should give a person with ANY common sense a hint a s to what they can/can't eat. take some responsibility and quit blaming everyone but yourself
Jeff Broman 7-27-2009 @ 1:23PM
So the food nazis & self-appointed societal babysitters are at it again.
Did this genius with the high blood pressure even think that maybe he had a responsibility to research the types of foods he eats?
I just pulled up all the Denny's menu nutrition information in less than 5 minutes on the net, & all the sodium content is clearly & accurately disclosed.
Why is it in America these days everything is always somebody elses fault & somebody else must be held accountable?
C'mon people, start accepting responsibility for yourselves again & stop with these ridiculous lawsuits & the nanny-state mindset. If you want to put the screws to Denny's for unhealthy meals, DON"T EAT THERE! How hard can that possibly be?
Reply
Jeanne Newton 7-28-2009 @ 9:17AM
I agree people need to be responsible for themselves. He is a greedy idiot. It would have been so easy to find out the information about the food. Why should the rest of us be denied something because he is stupid. I wish I could be the judge, it would throw out the suit and charge him for wasting everyone's time.
Laura 7-28-2009 @ 10:32AM
So true what you have said. I dont eat out that much, maybe once a month. I prefer my own food to the resturants. Everyone is suing any more. Maybe all the resturants will close and they will have to eat at home LoL
sportsfans900 7-28-2009 @ 11:23AM
You said it. When did it stop being our responsibility to check out the foods we eat. This is just another get rich quick lawsuit so that the fat bastard can continue to sit on his _____ and not have to work. We have lawsuits for this, somebody getting burnt from their hot coffee and many other ridiculous ones out there. Come on people wake up!! It is time to start taking responsibility for your own actions and to stop looking for people to blame for your stupidity.
Phil 7-28-2009 @ 12:09PM
I want to sue my auto maker because they did not warn me that the exhaust fumes from the car parked in the garage would kill me if I closed the garage door while it was running.
Oh, wait. I'm already dead. But SOMEBODY should sue.
Wait...maybe that is considered common knowledge, and therefore common sense if you drive a car these days.
And perhaps salt intake levels are common sense and therefore your responsibility, too?
kadi 7-28-2009 @ 3:43PM
AMEN! And to think, this type of lawsuit snowballed after the idiot spilled hot coffee (I thought coffee was supposed to be hot! Silly me) in her lap and the more idiotic jury awarded millions in damages.
EvilOne 7-28-2009 @ 2:12PM
I couldn't agree more!!
Radha 7-27-2009 @ 2:27PM
I agree that lawsuits like this are carried out by greedy people just looking for any reason to get free money. However, there is something good that could come out of the attention that his lawsuit brings.
Yes, it only takes 5 minutes to look online for the nutritional info, but what if you're on the highway and you don't have a fancy smart phone with internet, and the only open restaurant is a Denny's? How can you decide which meal will be the healthiest? You might think that a turkey sandwich is a healthy choice, but apparently it's not.
Both the general public and the restaurants need to be held accountable. Americans need to be more informed about their nutritional needs. Since many people cannot afford to go to doctors, or do not have access to a proper education, it would be nice of the restaurants to help educate them. Is it really too much to ask for more disclosure about the nutritional value of their meals?
Restaurants shouldn't sued over this type of thing, but they need to realize that increasingly more Americans are demanding nutritional info listed directly in the menu.
Reply
u262f 7-28-2009 @ 1:42AM
"what if you're on the highway and you don't have a fancy smart phone with internet, and the only open restaurant is a Denny's?"
u262f 7-28-2009 @ 1:44AM
Oops, it cut off my comment. I would keep driving because I keep enough (unsalted) nuts, dried fruit (no sulfur, no added sugar), and bottled water in the car to last until I get home or a better option (like a grocery store) opens. Nuts, dried fruit, and bottled water last a very long time, so it would take drastic negligence to have to end up at Denny's.
joe murphy 7-28-2009 @ 6:07AM
duh....a turkey sandwich might be healthy...but a superbird is a turkey, bacon,cheese, and tomato sandwich on grilled sourdough...TRY USING A LITTLE COMMON SENSE...do you really need to look up the nutritional content to know a sandwich with bacon and cheese might be a bit high on sodium?
Sally 7-28-2009 @ 10:18AM
Dude, how about a salad? The lack of responsibility in taking care of yourself these days is outrageous! I know when I get past my ideal weight, it isn't the restaurant's fault, the grocery store's fault or my family's fault. Its mine. I am the one that decided to have that extra serving or the desert with my meal. Its also my responsibility to educate myself on what I should put into my body. We aren't children anymore. No one is responsible for teaching us right and wrong now but ourselves. If you don't know what is best for you, there is the internet, books, doctors, etc.
r3b3lgrl14 7-28-2009 @ 11:38AM
I just wonder how humans survived before we had nutritional values and were told by the government basically what is good for us to eat and what is bad. Dear God, I'm baffled at how humanity survived thousands and thousands of years before humans invented these values and standards.
Phil 7-28-2009 @ 12:13PM
I have a friend who is allergic to fish or any of its by-products.
He just asks at EVERY restaurant he visits, whether or not there are fish products used in preparing the dishes.
He doesn't sue because they don't post that there are fish products or by-products used in preparation of their foods. Common sense.
Joseph Daniel 7-28-2009 @ 7:57AM
Again, no one want to be responsible for their own actions. No one put a gun to their head to eat something that anyone with an ounce of brains would know contains high sodium. It's a shame that we allow lawyers and judges (lower than the lowest forms of life) to prosecute and to proceed with such frivilous lawsuits. As human beings, we need to stop putting the blame on someone or something else and say "oops, I made a mistake." Those who proceed to sue, are nothing more than the greedy animals that have helped make this country so financially corrupt, to say the least.
Reply
ChuckM 7-28-2009 @ 9:31AM
Denny's certainly doesn't want to be held accountable for their own actions of knowingly and intentionally serving potentially dangerous food with sky high sodium levels.
When an organization or person does something that hurts someone else "oops, I made a mistake" isn't good enough. Nick DeBenedetto didn't make a mistake. He went to a restaurant believing that they would serve him reasonably safe meals, not meals with sodium levels twice the daily amount recommended by the USDA. It's not his responsibility to research the chemical components of the food that's offered to the American public by Denny's. It's Denny's responsibility to properly label their menu to provide information about potentially dangerous foods. If Denny's simply put the sodium levels on the menu then they would have acted responsibly and wouldn't be facing litigation. I'm sure Denny's puts out "wet floor" signs when they wash the floors in public areas of the restaurant. That's because it's foreseeable that someone might slip and fall just as it's foreseeable that sky high sodium levels in food could cause health problems.
Someone commented that he was able to find Denny's nutritional values in 5 minutes on the internet. Well good for him. He apparently wants everyone held to the standards of his own personal research abilities and never stopped to think that there are millions of Americans who do not have and do not use computers or the internet. Some people simply aren't educated enough to do any research on any topic. These people might know enough to follow the doctor's low sodium intake recommendation and never touch a salt shaker in a retaurant, relying on the retaurant to put reasonable amounts of sodium in their food or at least warn them about it.
The American legal system of resolving disputes involves a plaintiff who feels someone caused him harm and a defendant who may or may not have caused that harm. An independent jury of 6 or 12 American citizens hear both sides and make their decision. How is that a bad system? Ask any insurance claims adjuster when was the last time he gave away a boatload of the insurance company's money on a bogus, frvilous claim? It just doesn't happen.
marie 7-28-2009 @ 7:56AM
Why shouldnt be able to eat out dont cook with salt
Reply
Carrie 7-28-2009 @ 1:34PM
eat out all you want...but if you dont want a lot of salt avoid fats food restaurants...most steak houses, chinese food, thai food, deli foods, cured meat, etc...
Dont sue a restaurant just because your a fat tub of lard and have to have the grandslam for breakfast everyday