SmartPulse — our weekly reader poll in SmartBrief on Restaurants — tracks feedback from restaurant owners and managers about current trends and issues.
Last week’s poll question: How are you preparing for the upcoming menu-labeling rules?
- Our chefs are reworking dishes and menu items — 8.22%
- My restaurant already displays nutritional information — 19.18%
- We’ll cross that bridge when we get there — 72.6%
An overwhelming number of Restaurant SmartBrief readers say they have not yet begun to prepare for the upcoming menu-labeling rules. As every U.S. restaurant owner undoubtedly knows, last March President Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which requires chain restaurants with 20 or more locations nationally to disclose calorie information on menu boards, as well as provide other nutritional information. The Food and Drug Administration is accepting public comments on how to implement the law, and must announce proposed recommendations by March 23, 2011. We’ve rounded up some resources and insights on menu-labeling that give you something to peruse while you wait:
- Q-and-A — Stevi B’s President Matthew V. Loney discusses how the law will affect family-oriented restaurant concepts with Pizza Marketplace.
- Monkeydish talks to some small chains, including Capriotti’s Sandwich Shops and Golden Chick, about their reactions to the legislation.
- Last year, The New York Times reported on research about how New York City’s menu-labeling rules have affected different demographics’ food choices.
- The National Restaurant Association offers a Q-and-A, overview and more on menu-labeling.
How do you think your restaurant will be affected by the upcoming regulations?
alxpin via iStock