When you're not in the mood to cook, nothing sounds better than going to out eat at your favorite restaurant. And if you're choosing a chain restaurant for dinner, you know that the food will be delicious and served within a reasonable time frame. While chain restaurants are home to a tasty selection of food, it should be noted that not everything on the menu is a good choice, especially when it comes to their salad menu.
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Unlike other restaurants, chain restaurants are notorious for their large portions and frozen inventory. That's why chefs steer clear of the salads and vegetables, especially when they're dining at large chain restaurants. "I typically stay away from large chains because everything is usually brought in frozen once or twice a week," Cordon Bleu-trained chef Mark Nichols tells Reader's Digest. "I also always look at the size of the menu. If it's more than two pages long, they have to keep a large inventory of food. More than likely, you're not getting a fresh meal."
Not only is the produce probably frozen, but it could also be very, very dirty. Another food expert revealed that places like chain restaurants and diners are often guilty of serving iceberg lettuce that hasn't been cleaned properly. Gross!
“You think lemons in water are dirty? The salads are filthy,” Howard Cannon, CEO of Restaurant Expert Witness and author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Starting A Restaurant said of chain restaurant and diner salads. He notes that their lettuce is often served soggy, which is another big red flag, and that there's usually germs hiding in the corners of the lettuce!
Yikes! How disgusting, right? You can bet that we'll definitely be skipping the salad menu the next time we go to a chain restaurant -- and we hope you do, too!
