Wednesday, March 24, 2010 at 8:28PM"The Day the Dollar Menu Died" or "Obama, get out of my Wallet!"
Did the New Healthcare Legislation Just End My Value Menu Visits?
I'm going to miss it. The Value Menu, Dollar Menu, call it what you will but I will miss it. Now that Save & Closehealthcare reform legislation has passed, I suspect my occasional guilty indulgence at my favorite fast food haunts will now cost me more.
With the passing of Obamacare comes a requirement affecting some 200,000 chain restaurants nationally who will have to include calorie counts on menus, menu boards and even drive-thru's. The new law, which applies to any restaurant with 20 or more locations, directs the Food and Drug Administration to create a new national standard for menu labeling, superseding a growing number of state and city laws. The cost to the restaurant industry to implement this has to be passed on to the consumer.
Now I'm all for easy access to information, particularly when it comes to my health. But, honestly, I don't darken the doorstep of a QSR restaurant with the intent of eating healthy. Do you? Really? I go to satisfy a craving for something tasty and high in calories. (I'm betting Obama does too). Something that, if eaten in excess, would make me thankful for the soon-to-be-required healthcare offered to me by my employer to avoid a $2000 per employee fine. You see, this is another provision that will impact the foodservice industry, thus making my beloved Dollar Menu a thing of the past. I'll miss you, McChicken for a buck!
Read more restaurant trends posts here.
Reader Comments (6)
You are too cool! I just love this post! Made me laugh.
PT
Perhaps having been through some of the earliest pangs of menu labeling in NYC, my take on this is somewhat different.
It's my belief that innovative brands will, in an effort to "appear" to be better stewards of their customers' health, not only label their products in compliance with the new regulations, but that the menus themselves (including value menus) will evolve.
The provision from the bill (shown below) that applies to LTO and "non menu" offerings will allow more creative operators significant leeway.
"(vii) NONAPPLICABILITY TO CERTAIN FOOD.—
“(I) IN GENERAL.—Subclauses (i) through (vi) do not apply to—
“(aa) items that are not listed on a menu or menu board (such as condiments and other items placed on the table or counter for general use);
“(bb) daily specials, temporary menu items appearing on the menu for less than 60 days per calendar year, or custom orders; or
“(cc) such other food that is part of a customary market test appearing on the menu for less than 90 days, under terms and conditions established by the Secretary."
I believe the net result will be a greater than ever focus on LTOs. Along with this refocus on the LTO, I foresee core menu offerings reformulated to ensure lowest possible calorie numbers. Some changes will be to the core products themselves, such as a change in, say, bun formulation, to get to a lower calorie count. Other changes will be to portion and ingredient sizes. Finally, I think we'll see a number of products lose ingredients that have traditionally been a part of their default builds. Anyone for a hamburger that comes without ketchup or mayonnaise? We might well see in dine in establishments the return of "Burger Bars", where your sandwich arrives dry and without condiments (and with a low calorie count), with you adding the calorie laden condiments after the fact.
As will all changes, this rule will result in winners and losers.
Penelopi, Richard,
Appreciate your reading the post and your comments!
HeadHunterBrian
More regulation, more, more more.
I'm past being tired of it, I'm doing something about it.
I have come up with a not-so-new concept that seems to be holding some water.
Of course it's well known that more; regulation, laws, intervention, 2-party system, interference will only serve one purpose; the division of power away from us, business owners and citizens.
Since this concept came to mind I've been a sort of evangelist talking about why we need to put our political, religious, class distinctions, race and any other divisive beliefs aside for a while.
The sooner we embrace our similarities, in business, race, religion, creed, any social similarities, the sooner we'll begin to regain our power.
Try it for a while and see if I'm wrong, and by all means, let me know if this fails to help improve any situation.
In other words;
As soon as we draw that imaginary line and cross it, we lose, "they" win.
So reach out, introduce yourself and get with the new power program; stand together to regain your place.
Good luck in all this. You might try the facebook refrence Liberty Bell System where more and more people are banding together.
Nice little story line by the way. And if it matters, I do like your idea about the Dollar menu.
According to commonplace thinking, many of us will be affected by more regulation like this.
Have a swell day.
Russ S
russ.hhs on Skype
Brian - WADR, keep your politics to yourself - if I want conservative dog-whistle material, I'll tune in Fox News
I have no problem with the majority of your post, but your "Obama - keep your hands out of my wallet" comment reveals your internal political views, which most don't really care to hear
Independent, the "with all due respect" you mention might appear more genuine were you to not post anonymously. If I understand the request you make in your comment, you would have me keep my thoughts on topics I wish to write about on my own blog while I live in the United States of America to myself? I think not! Rather, I welcome your comments (rationally expressed) on this platform.
Read the post again. It is a tongue-in-cheek view of how I believe the legislation may affect my "cheap menu" indulgences, not a commentary on the politics of the program. The legislation will cost, and one of the things that may become a thing of the past is the Dollar Menu as we know it.
If you came to this site by way of a LinkedIn Group posting, you will notice I am purposely not participating in those political discussions and debates because that's not what my post was about.
Independent, I think it's your internal political views that are showing! (and that's OK, this is a Democratic Republic!) I hope the weather in Maryville, TN brings them in for lunch at your Ruby Tuesday today! Make it a great one!