Frequently Asked Questions
Why was MenuStat created?
- MenuStat gathers nutrition information from the largest, national restaurant chains in one place. MenuStat is unique because it sources data from many restaurants, provides historical, date-stamped information, and puts it into a format that allows for easy comparison across restaurants, food categories, and over time.
Who should use this site?
- MenuStat can be used by different audiences: consumers can find nutrition information for individual menu items; journalists can explore nutrition trends; researchers can export data for their own analyses; and restaurants can see how their foods compare, nutrition-wise, to other restaurants.
How is MenuStat different from other websites?
- MenuStat aggregates data in a way that it is easy to sort and refine and can be exported for further analysis. It also retains information from previous years so users can track changes over time.
How was the information collected?
- Nutrition information is manually collected from restaurant websites in January of each year. Restaurants included in MenuStat are chains with the largest sales volume in the United States that provide nutrition information online. MenuStat currently includes nutrition data from 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015. You can see the list of restaurants on the Restaurant Data Availability chart.
I'm conducting research using MenuStat. Where can I find more information on data collection?
- Read the Methods page for more information on how data were collected and incorporated into the site. View the MenuStat Codebook for a description of the dataset and variables that can be exported.
Are chain restaurants required to post all nutrition information for menu items?
- All retail food establishments, including movie theaters, with 20 or more locations in the U.S. will be required to post calories on menus and menu boards by December 1, 2016. Covered food establishments are also required to provide the following nutrition information in written form: calories; calories from fat; total fat; saturated fat; trans fat; cholesterol; sodium; carbohydrates; fiber; sugar; and protein. They are not required to provide serving sizes in weight. These requirements were established in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 and the final ruling was announced by the United States Food and Drug Administration in November 2014.
Is the nutrition information national or regional?
- MenuStat captures national data. However, if regional nutrition information was posted on the restaurant’s website, it was captured and labeled in MenuStat.
Will more information be posted in the future?
- Yes, annual data collection is anticipated.