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DEL.ICIO.USStarbucks, Taco Bell lighten up menus
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Now that 2008 is here, we’re supposed to stop snarfing chocolate-covered everything and start dieting. It’s the American way, or at least, the cycle that the food industry puts together every year: Seasonal goodies, limited-edition candy bars, baking mixes and frozen casseroles, then a flood of dieting products, books and light menus in restaurants. Oddly enough, a market research firm that studies American eating patterns say we’re actually more likely to diet in March than in January, as we near bathing suit season.
What’s in store this year? Starbucks is offering lighter lattes under the “Skinny” name (Caribou Coffee offers something similar, called Northern Lite Lattes). They’re made with sugar-free syrup, nonfat milk and foam rather than whipped cream. A Skinny Mocha Latte or Cafe Latte weighs in at 90 calories for a tall. (A tall regular Mocha Latte is 270 calories; it contains 2 percent milk, whipped cream and mocha syrup.)
Taco Bell, which is advertising its Cheesy Gordito Crunch heavily and has been promoting its Fourth Meal concept of another eating occasion between dinner and breakfast, is rolling out a marketing campaign for its Fresco-style items. No cheese or heavy sauces, just salsa and less than 9 grams of fat. If it sounds familiar, that’s because Taco Bell rolled the menu out in 2003, but to a lukewarm reception. This time around, look for nine items instead of 15, and ads in women’s magazines that compare the Fresco items to hamburgers. (If you’d like to see how they compare to Taco Bell’s other offerings, the chain’s web site offers nutritional information.)
I tried the skinless grilled chicken breast meal at the new El Pollo Loco in Roswell the other night, and thought the chicken a little dry; still, if you’re trying to cut calories, it comes with a light, spicy cilantro dressing and a side of cauliflower, carrots and broccoli, with only 270 calories, so it’ll do the trick. The chain is expanding rapidly in Atlanta. Nutritional information on its web site is more helpful than on most, because it puts everything in context, classifying them good, excellent, moderate, high, etc. The small bowl of chicken tortilla soup that both of my children ate, for example, was a good choice for calories, but high in sodium with 1,050 milligrams.
Are you thinking about dieting now? Do you find these types of lighter offerings helpful? If you’ve got a favorite light menu item from a quick-service or fast-food restaurant, share it with us.
Permalink | Comments (11) | Post your comment | Categories: Food
Comments
By John in Tampa, FLA
January 2, 2008 4:08 PM | Link to this
Instead of lightening up their menu perhaps Starbucks should try lightening up their prices.
By rod
January 2, 2008 4:27 PM | Link to this
Tell ya what John (in Tampa) - if you don’t like the prices, don’t go there! DUH!
By barney
January 2, 2008 4:27 PM | Link to this
Taco Bell is the best value going for “fast food”, two spicy chicken soft tacos and a spicy chicken burrito runs about $3.75 for the whole lot including tax, awsome! Viva Taco Bell, I love their food and prices, I should get paid for writing this.
By bags
January 2, 2008 4:35 PM | Link to this
I wouldn’t eat taco bell if it were the last food on earth. Meat that comes out of a tube from the squeeze of a caulk gun, and which barely passes the goverment definition of the term ‘meat’ should be banned.
By very interested
January 2, 2008 4:37 PM | Link to this
Just like Barney, I can eat lite at Taco Bell by ordering one chicken soft taco. It’s on the lighter side and for a small gal like me it’s enough and quite satisfying for my Mexi-craving.
I am very interested to hear about the lite Starbux items and will definitely consider them next time, altho I currently order lite with a tall capuccino with lowfat or soy milk and a packet of sugar-free sweetener. I’m always looking for lighter fare, altho any restaurant fare, fast food or slow food, is off the charts in sodium.
By Pundit
January 2, 2008 4:40 PM | Link to this
Better yet, John, if you figure you can do everything Starbucks can do, only cheaper, why not open up your own shop? Seems like it’d be a winner, right?
By Grand Poobah
January 2, 2008 6:02 PM | Link to this
The Grand Poobah decrees that Americans R 2 fat, and any cut in calories is a good thing. Skip a meal! Take a walk. Eat carrots. Drink water.
Grand Poobah dont like fat. Fat is disgusting and ruins bathing suits. What would the Sport Illustrated Swimsuit Edition look like if everyone was fat?
Think about it.
By Alexis
January 2, 2008 6:05 PM | Link to this
John In Tampa is a homosexual who thinks everything should lean towards his liberal views, including lowering the prices of everything to make it more affordable for the lower classes. Unfortunately for John what he doesn’t understand is that Starbucks is not the least bit expensive; it is in line with other coffee houses of the same ilk. Perhaps if he spent less time trying to push his warped, perverted homosexual agenda onto America and more time actually paying attention to simple economics he would realize that Starbucks, Carribou, Seattle’s Best, etc ad nauseum, are at the price point of the market.
By charles farley
January 2, 2008 8:44 PM | Link to this
Taco bell doesn’t use the condiment guns for meat. To measure meat they use a custom designed tool to pull a portion-controlled amount from a standard steam table pan (though they don’t use a steam table for heating). The caulking guns, a good analogy actually since they are of a similar dripless design, are for sour cream, cheese and salsa. Assembling Mexican-style food is really kind of pain in the arse for a fast food operation, but Taco Bell has done their homework and fashioned the entire food prep area so that it can even be run by 1 employee (if need be). They’re also not too bad nutritionally (but do read up, like any fast food they’re far from perfect). Also, I’m not gay, but I do think most of the bigger coffee chains charge too much for coffee. I mean, it’s coffee. But money often filters out riff-raff, so I’ll support their right to charge whatever they can get for the extract of roasted seeds. This IS America after all.
CF
Oh, and I used to work for Krystal too. I know it’s beef, but I couldn’t tell you what part of the beef! The Chili at Krystal for the longest time was vegetarian (they used cans of off the shelf Vege-Burger).
CF
By greg
January 3, 2008 8:25 AM | Link to this
CANT WE ALL JUST GET ALONG?
By JA
January 4, 2008 11:30 AM | Link to this
Alexis - For lack of a better word, you’re a MORON