Methods

Data Source

MenuStat contains nutrition data collected from the largest restaurant chains in the country, identified by U.S. sales (Nation’s Restaurant News). In 2012, nutrition data were collected from the Top 100 chain restaurants with publicly available nutrition data (66 restaurants). Beginning in 2013, data collection was expanded to the Top 200 list; 136 restaurants in 2013, 145 restaurants in 2014 and 152 restaurants in 2015. If a restaurant does not appear on the current year’s Top 200 list, but it appeared on previous year’s lists, that restaurant is still included in the database. Restaurants from these lists that do not appear in MenuStat did not have publicly available nutrition information. View the Restaurant Data Availability chart for a side-by-side comparison of available restaurant data by year.

When restaurant websites provided nutrition information in multiple formats, item-level nutrition information (e.g. nutrition for each item presented on its own page or pop-up) was used as a primary source. Downloadable nutrition menus were used as a secondary source.

Data Collection

MenuStat currently includes data from 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015. In January of each year, the following data are collected (where available) and added to MenuStat: menu item name; serving size; servings per item; calories; total fat; saturated fat; trans fat; cholesterol; sodium; potassium; carbohydrates; fiber; sugar; and protein. Other descriptive features, such as whether an item appears on a kids menu, is meant to be shared, or is a limited-time offer or region-specific, are also collected. Data will be collected annually.

Data Details

Items with identical names and products descriptions that appear on menus across years are ‘matched’ by a unique Menu Item ID that can be viewed when data is exported. Menu Item Features (e.g. on the breakfast menu, Kids item) are coded based on the restaurant’s description in each year therefore coding may change between years. Each menu item in MenuStat is coded into a mutually exclusive food or beverage category. When a restaurant listed nutrition for components of a dish (e.g. sauce), those components are included in the “Toppings & Ingredients” category. Items are coded so that similar foods are in the same category; they are not coded based on where they appear on the menu. For example, all nachos are in the “Appetizers & Sides” category even if they appear on the entrée section of a menu. Nutrition information is entered as it appears on restaurant websites. For a limited number of items, serving size is converted for ease of comparison; these cases are marked by an asterisk.

It is common for restaurants to report nutrition separately for items that are consumed together. For example, the nutrition for mozzarella sticks may be listed separately from marinara sauce, but the restaurant indicates these items accompany each other. Similarly, the restaurant may indicate that a sandwich comes with a choice of side and beverage. In MenuStat, main items can be viewed with their accompaniments by clicking “Add Accompaniments” on the results page when one year of data is selected. When data is exported, these customizable builds are identified with a Customizable Build ID, which are unique to each year of data.

The MenuStat results page lists the mean and range for each nutrient in the Summary Data section. Statistics for individual years are based on items with nutrition data. When there is more than one year of data in the results, the mean is calculated by averaging the mean from each year; ranges are the highest and lowest values from all menu items in all years. The Summary Data accounts for main items only and does not include the added accompaniments. Nutrient values are sometimes presented as a range (e.g. 5-12g fat) or with a symbol (e.g. <1g fiber). These items are counted in the “Total number of menu items” listed in the Summary Data section of the results page, but are not counted in calculations of nutrient averages.

Currently, not all restaurants post full nutrition information on their websites; some may report only calories while another may report every nutrient. Therefore, the number of menu items that inform the average and range of each nutrient may vary for any given search (this sample size appears in parentheses after the average and range in the Summary Data). Items clearly described by restaurants as shareable or as combo meals are excluded to avoid distorting the means and ranges listed. These items can be added back into the results table by selecting “Add combo meals & menu items meant for sharing” under the Menu Item Features filter on the left side of the results page.

In November 2014, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration announced final regulations on federal menu labeling for chain restaurants and similar retail food establishments with 20 or more outlets. By December 1, 2016, all covered food establishments will be required to post calories on menus and menu boards, and 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 size in weight and there isn’t a standard serving size for particular types of food. For example, nutrition data can be reported for 1 chicken wing at one restaurant and for a 40-piece chicken wing meal at another.

The same data collection and data entry protocol was used in all years, with one exception: beginning in 2013, all variations of beverages (e.g. flavor, milk type, sweetener, etc.) were entered.

Data Completeness

There are 150,000+ individual menu items in MenuStat and many appear on restaurant menus in all years. Approximately 90% of the menu items have calories listed in MenuStat, but the amount of available nutrition data varies. Menu items without nutrition data are collected to help provide a complete picture of a restaurant’s menu and to allow for trends in available data to be tracked over time. For a description of the dataset and variables that can be exported, please refer to the MenuStat Codebook.

Accuracy

Nutrition values were entered based on how they were presented on restaurant websites. According to a recent study by Consumer Reports, top restaurant chains generally report nutrition data accurately on their websites. MenuStat may not reflect current restaurant website information as data collection occurs annually.

Symbols used in Results

A key is provided at the bottom of the results table to define symbols used:

Missing nutrition information is denoted by a dash (e.g. “-“)
Converted serving sizes appear with an asterisk (e.g. 30g*)
Menu items that were listed one year but do not appear another year are marked by three asterisks (e.g. “***”)

Data Limitations

Information presented in MenuStat reflects the completeness and accuracy of data as presented on individual restaurant websites.