Benson Does Not Make it Easy to Count Calories

By Jonthan Tomczak

Say what you will about the food at Outback Steakhouse, but at least you know what you're getting when you order.

Like other restaurant chains in California that have more than twenty outlets, Outback has been required to put the caloric content of each of its dishes on their menus for a little more than a year.

The law was signed by then-Governor Schwarzenegger and probably made people realize, for the first time, that the Bloomin' Onions were meant for more than one person.

My question is this: could Benson learn from their example?

In a way, they do; the dining services website has a list that approximates the number of calories in any given cup of rice, pasta, etc. However, there are several problems with this approach. For one, this list is almost impossible to find if you don't know where to look; it takes quite a few clicks to get from the Santa Clara homepage to the dining services site, and even then the list is not prominently displayed.

Then there's the fact that the list is individualized. When was the last time you measured out how much of each individual food item was in the daily specials? Plus I often don't know what I feel like eating until I get to Benson. Am I supposed to stop, go back, add up all the calories, and see if it's to my liking?

What I'd like to see Benson do is put calorie counts on their individually packaged items. It wouldn't be hard to do that on their packaged salads, and since the items they serve are pretty consistent, from the burgers at Tailgaters to the bagels at Mission Bakery, a list posted at the location would do wonders to help people who want to count calories. The California law was based on people wanting more information about their food, and Santa Clara students deserve the same courtesy.

I'm not advocating that the student body boycott Benson if Bon Appétit refuses to make calorie information more transparent and accessible. However, I think putting the caloric content of their delicacies on display would not only be an easily implemented good gesture on Benson's part, but it would set an excellent example for other universities to follow. And maybe, just maybe, it would help reduce the Freshman 15 to a measly Freshman 13.5.

Jonthan Tomczak is a sophomore double major in history and political science.