Obesity in the Headlines

April 16, 2004 - Restaurant Business Magazine

EDITOR'S NOTE: Can you help?

Peter Romeo

APRIL 15, 2004 -- For the record: The restaurant industry had nothing to do with soaring gas prices, pre-war intelligence briefings, the Yankees' off-season trades, e-mails promising bigger incomes or body parts, Michael Jackson's sleepovers, or his sister Janet's flash dance. It's important to get that stated because the general population has a way of blaming the trade for outrages falling several time zones beyond its control. That'll also free the business to focus on the things for which it does shoulder some responsibility, like the obesity situation.

Yes, you read that right. And, no, I've not been brainwashed by the Center for Science in the Public Interest. This space has often been used to affirm the industry's contention that it didn't make America fat. Our disdain for that misguided blame hasn't waned a speck. We still believe the consumer bears full responsibility for his or her food choices, as well as what the other members of the family are ordering and consuming.

But the last time we checked, the industry was prospering because it's so interwoven into our society. Restaurants are America's kitchens and living rooms. And the more we learn about the size, scope, and duration of the overweight epidemic, the harder it is to deny that this is a societal problem involving every element. In one year, according to the government, 400,000 Americans will die from overeating, or more than were killed during all of World War II. Whatever the military conflict, the industry hasn't held back from doing its part. And this is definitely life during wartime.

Of course, that means the solution has to be a broad-based one, not a knee-jerk fix that forces restaurateurs to act like surrogate parents, teachers, or personal handlers. Indeed, they can't be yanked from their role as business people. That requires them to please customers, not the legions of one-dimensional thinkers who believe the force-feeding of choices will resolve the problem like some magical pill.

So what should restaurateurs be doing? For one thing, yelping for the fundamental changes that'll have far more of an effect than putting lettuce wraps on the menu. As a lobbying force, they should collectively push for sweeping changes in the way eating and exercise patterns are programmed into young people. As key members of the community, they have to scream that message to local school boards, parent groups, and town planners. We attend a lot of meetings where policymakers air their view of the problem to restaurateurs. Once they underscored the need for a societal overhaul by citing the calorie counts of oversized french-fry orders. Now they note how kids in some areas of Atlanta can't walk to school because they'd have to cross a freeway, or that obesity levels can vary from neighborhood to neighborhood because of differences in the crime rates. Youngsters can't go outside to play because they'd be in danger.

Others cite the staggering statistic that children spend five hours a day in front of a TV or computer screen. A cry for the promotion of calorie-burning activities should be on the lips of every restaurateur. The collective yelp should have politicos and school administrators working up a sweat to get more Americans to do the same.

But we also feel it's time for operators to reassess their part in affecting calorie intake. Yes, you can't push what customers balk at ordering. But we can't help but wonder if there's room to deliver health and appeal-or, better yet, make the fitness benefit part of the appeal. Many of you are already doing it. We hope more will revamp their favorites to deliver all of the good without most of the bad, so the selling points are doubled.

We know some of you vehemently disagree with that view. Indeed, a few have criticized us for even mentioning groups like the CSPI. Ignoring the critics, however extreme, isn't going to make them go away, just as the obesity problem won't fade into fad. It's going to be the backbeat to your business for years to come. And if you're not going to be part of the solution, then we're all going to have an even bigger problem.