Atkins Research for Class!

[ehlmannk]

I have never posted on this site before but if anyone is willing to help me with a little reserach I would really appreciate it. I am a public relations graduate student at Boston University and I am writing a feature story on the Atkins menu at TGI Fridays. I am trying to get a few questions answer by those who use the Atkins diet and would really appreciate input. I can be email at ehlmannk@bu.edu. Below are the questions, but if you want to email me I will send you the questions in the body of an email which will make it easier for you to reply. This shouldn't take anymore than 5 minutes of your time. And you can fill it out with your opinion even if you don't eat at TGI Fridays. Thanks in advance for any help - here are the questions:

1.Do you ever eat at TGI Fridays?
2.How do you feel that it compares to other restaurants in its same demographic (i.e. Friendly’s, Red Lobster, Applebees, Ruby Tuesday, etc.)?
3.If you were going out for dinner, would you choose to eat at a TGI Fridays solely because of the Atkins menu?
4.Do you feel that their Atkins® menu has made your dining experience more enjoyable?
5.Do you find it easier to “stick” to your diet when restaurants are accommodating in their food choices?
6.Would you like to see other restaurants pick up the trend and produce low-carb menu options of their own?
7.Do you know of any other restaurants that are already offering low-carb menu options?

[america57]

This makes me nervous. It sounds like you are a marketer working for TGI Fridays to me! But then, I'm the suspicious type. What does everyone else think????? I would not send you my e-mail address.

[fiddlejen]

The so-called low-carb menus usually aren't.

(Look at the post re Applebee's on this board - you can find it if you use the search feature, I don't think the title said Applebee's.)

Sure if a place has truly Atkin's safe food I'll go there.

But most places will tell you their steak has no sweeteners when in reality it came pre-marinated and they don't even know. Anyone can call low-carb anything. Oh, this isn't our REGULAR salad dressing it's Low-Carb. Instead of 10 grams of carb it only has 8! Or, they figure up net carbs and ignore the fact that their product contains sucrose or maltitol which makes it worthless.
And the waitress says "oh no there are no artificial sweeteners," since their box says No Sugar No Splenda (but instead it's full of Maltitol or Aspartame), or it says Aspartame-Free, but it's full of Splenda.

And these are in foods that don't NEED sweeteners anyway, except that the food companies all put them in so they can make people eat more.

A real - that is, non-chain - restaurant is much more likely to be able to tell you what's actually in their food, because usually the chef put it in there himself. And if you're nice & polite you might be able to convince them to leave it out.

And I'll take the local pizzeria over TGIFriday's any day! I can only eat certain things there, but at least I get to know what's really in them!!!

[ehlmannk]

Fiddlejen, Thanks for your input. I want to include both sides of the story in my article. In regard to the other reply, you don't have to send me your email, you could post your thoughts on the board. And rest assured I am a student. Full time at Boston University studying for my Masters Degree. This is only for an assignment that I choose to research because I have been on the Atkins diet for quite some time now and I have an interest in it. Don't be nervous and don't email if you don't want to.

Thanks.

[erinonatkins]

i'm iffy about the low carb menus, too. it's sort of like atkins bars - except at least with the bars you get the full nutritional breakdown and can see what's really in them. anywhere that's trying to sell me on something that's X "net carbs" is not going to get my money. i'd much rather have a chicken ceasar (no croutons) and know pretty much what i ate than some gimmicky menu marketed directly to low carbers.

[Brook]

1.Do you ever eat at TGI Fridays?
frequently
2.How do you feel that it compares to other restaurants in its same demographic (i.e. Friendly’s, Red Lobster, Applebees, Ruby Tuesday, etc.)?
I like it better than most, with the exception of Ruby Tuesdays- which ROCKS.
3.If you were going out for dinner, would you choose to eat at a TGI Fridays solely because of the Atkins menu?
Solely? Well this is tricky. When doing low-carb get-togethers, we have chosen TGI Fridays solely because of it's Atkins offerings. When just going out to eat with the family, the answer is no. It plays a factor, but it's not the sole reason we go.
4.Do you feel that their Atkins® menu has made your dining experience more enjoyable?
Absolutely. It's always nice to not have to stress about what to eat or wonder if something is acceptable.
5.Do you find it easier to “stick” to your diet when restaurants are accommodating in their food choices?
Who wouldn't?! Yes.
6.Would you like to see other restaurants pick up the trend and produce low-carb menu options of their own?
All restaurants have low-carb options, they just don't list them in the menu that way. It would be nice to see them list low-carb foods in a section or simply mark them with some sort of symbol like many do with low-fat items. So, yes.
7.Do you know of any other restaurants that are already offering low-carb menu options?
Several here locally.

[Binsk]

I can say that Boston Pizza has a low carb menu, and their spinach salad is very good, and my husband and I like the salt and pepper rib starter.

[dev]

Originally Posted by ehlmannk

I have never posted on this site before but if anyone is willing to help me with a little reserach I would really appreciate it. I am a public relations graduate student at Boston University and I am writing a feature story on the Atkins menu at TGI Fridays. I am trying to get a few questions answer by those who use the Atkins diet and would really appreciate input. I can be email at ehlmannk@bu.edu. Below are the questions, but if you want to email me I will send you the questions in the body of an email which will make it easier for you to reply. This shouldn't take anymore than 5 minutes of your time. And you can fill it out with your opinion even if you don't eat at TGI Fridays. Thanks in advance for any help - here are the questions:

1.Do you ever eat at TGI Fridays?
2.How do you feel that it compares to other restaurants in its same demographic (i.e. Friendly’s, Red Lobster, Applebees, Ruby Tuesday, etc.)?
3.If you were going out for dinner, would you choose to eat at a TGI Fridays solely because of the Atkins menu?
4.Do you feel that their Atkins® menu has made your dining experience more enjoyable?
5.Do you find it easier to “stick” to your diet when restaurants are accommodating in their food choices?
6.Would you like to see other restaurants pick up the trend and produce low-carb menu options of their own?
7.Do you know of any other restaurants that are already offering low-carb menu options?

Like it has been said, restaurants dont offer atkins safe food choices. They do offer choices for the uneducated casual low-carb dieter. However, people on this board know better. They may have lower carbohydrate options, but by no means are they low. Once TGI Fridays starts serving plain grilled chicken with a side of broccoli, then we can talk about low carb. I'm glad to see that TGI won't be left in the dust as they jump on the bandwagon with the rest of the food marketers to snatch up the low-carb market.

[LC_Dave]

Bare in Mind I live in Melbourne Australia, so I am talking about the Aussie ones.

1.Do you ever eat at TGI Fridays?
Yes, I try to go there every 2nd month I would say.
2.How do you feel that it compares to other restaurants in its same demographic (i.e. Friendly’s, Red Lobster, Applebees, Ruby Tuesday, etc.)?
I don't know those other store, but I have experienced poor service and expensive menus.
3.If you were going out for dinner, would you choose to eat at a TGI Fridays solely because of the Atkins menu?
Yes, this has been a factor sometimes.
4.Do you feel that their Atkins® menu has made your dining experience more enjoyable?
Definately, it's the only reason we go back, because the service is mediocre.
5.Do you find it easier to “stick” to your diet when restaurants are accommodating in their food choices?
Yes, 100%
6.Would you like to see other restaurants pick up the trend and produce low-carb menu options of their own?
Yes
7.Do you know of any other restaurants that are already offering low-carb menu options?
No

[yemenitegreen]

1.Do you ever eat at TGI Fridays?

No, we don't have that over here (Germany). And I don't go to restaurants which come in chains

2.How do you feel that it compares to other restaurants in its same demographic (i.e. Friendly’s, Red Lobster, Applebees, Ruby Tuesday, etc.)?

I don't have any of these, and if I had the option, I wouldn't eat there.

3.If you were going out for dinner, would you choose to eat at a TGI Fridays solely because of the Atkins menu?

No, I would choose a restaurant with high quality food and a good pro chef who will serve individual, astonishingly good meals you will only find there and which I couldn't make better at home.

4.Do you feel that their Atkins® menu has made your dining experience more enjoyable?

No. A good restaurant can cater to special needs of its clients by itself without offering a "lowcarb" or Atkins menu.

5.Do you find it easier to “stick” to your diet when restaurants are accommodating in their food choices?

I find it easier to stick to my diet when I take the decisions about what's on my plate and when I can specifically ask the waiter / cook to adapt my menu of choice to my needs and likes. It is called customer service.
.
6.Would you like to see other restaurants pick up the trend and produce low-carb menu options of their own?

No.

7.Do you know of any other restaurants that are already offering low-carb menu options?

Sure, lots. But I guess you are not talking about a little Italian place just around the corner, offering terrific bistecca alla griglia or seafood, or the sashimi options in my favorite Japanese restaurant?

yemenitegreen