Applebee's, IHOP, Denny's Win Big at Xtreme Eating Awards 2011
By: Marissa Brassfield
Published: July 19, 2011

Applebee's, IHOP, Denny's and the Cheesecake Factory are among the eight "dishonorees" called out by the Center for Science in the Public Interest in its 2011 Xtreme Eating Awards. The awards are granted to high-calorie menu items like the PB&C Shake from Cold Stone Creamery, which has 2,010 calories and 68 grams of saturated fat. That's a day's worth of calories and 3.5 days' worth of saturated fat.
Applebee's Provolone-Stuffed Meatballs With Fettuccine also made the cut, containing 1,520 calories, 3,750 milligrams of sodium and 43 grams of saturated fat.
To be clear, CSPI isn't placing a bit of blame on chain restaurants. In the brief that accompanies the Xtreme Eating Awards press release, the CSPI writes, "No one's forcing us to order [the high-calorie items]. Look at it this way: Some diners may want to put on extra weight, boost their blood pressure, and bump up their LDL cholesterol. Restaurants are just there to help."