9 Chain Restaurant Dinners With Alarming Nutrition Numbers

Just as it's possible to find low-calorie dinners at restaurant chains, it's also very likely to find menu items with soaring calorie and carbohydrate counts. Unhealthy restaurant chains are not establishments folks would want to frequent if focusing on a well-balanced diet. That said, with some planning and preparation, it's possible to enjoy a guilt-free restaurant dining experience. If you've ever wondered what the most unhealthy orders are at your favorite restaurant chains or if you're trying to avoid dinners with higher amounts of sodium or calories, this roundup is for you.

The entries in this roundup are not strictly based on one metric, like which item simply has the highest calories. Nutrition is multi-faceted, so there are numerous factors to consider when reading the nutrition information on a given dish. Depending on your unique dietary needs, you may need to weigh calories, sodium, saturated fat, or sugars differently than the next person. That said, the entries in this roundup have higher figures in at least a couple of categories and, as a result, are flagged for not being the healthiest of choices when ordering.

Applebee's: Bourbon Street Shrimp & Sausage Penne

Applebee's Bourbon Street Shrimp & Sausage Penne doesn't take the top prize for most calories, though this Cajun-inspired dish comes close at 1,290 per dish. However, it surpasses all competition for the highest amount of sodium at 3,880 mg, well above the daily recommended amount of 2,300 mg per the American Heart Association. This dish gets the benefit of extra protein from the one-two punch of shrimp and sausage included. However, both of those proteins are known for being higher in sodium, which only adds to an already salty dish.

Buffalo Wild Wings: Ultimate Nachos

Buffalo Wild Wings is best known for its traditional and boneless wings tossed in one of nearly two dozen sauces or dry rubs. Your go-to wing order is a far better option nutrition-wise than something on the appetizer menu: the Ultimate Nachos. Buffalo Wild Wing's take on the classic dish comes with house-made tortilla chips, hatch queso, cheddar-jack cheese, house-made pico de gallo, pickled hot peppers, crema, cilantro, and salsa.6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e

It's worth mentioning that this dish is meant to be shared, but it still ranks high as one of the unhealthiest items you can order off the menu at Buffalo Wild Wings. With enough toppings, however, nachos often qualify as an entree of choice for diners.

The Cheesecake Factory: Spicy Rigatoni Vodka

There are technically other pasta dishes that are more unhealthy than the Spicy Rigatoni Vodka at The Cheesecake Factory, a dish that comes with rigatoni pasta, Italian cherry tomatoes, parmesan, fresh basil, and pancetta tossed with a spicy vodka sauce. Still, there's more to measuring an unhealthy dish than one simple metric like calories. While other options might have a higher calorie count or more sodium, they usually come with chicken, adding a lean protein to your meal.

If you're going to order a pasta dish at The Cheesecake Factory, at least go for one that comes with chicken. Without it, a pasta dish like the Spicy Rigatoni Vodka, while tasty, lacks that boost of nutritional value, and you're left with primarily empty carbs.

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Chili's: Nashville Hot Crispy Crispers, 6 count

The takeaway from Chili's Nashville Hot Crispy Crispers is to be weary of dips and sauces. The restaurant chain's popular Crispy Crispers, their take on chicken tenders, is available sans sauce or with various added flavors. By themselves, a 6-count of Crispers comes in at 1,190 calories and 3,980 mg of sodium. Not spectacular numbers, but once you add the Nashville sauce, those numbers inflate by 48% and 63%, respectively, to 1,170 calories and an eye-popping 6,520 mg of sodium. That's almost three times the daily recommended amount of sodium.

Cracker Barrel: Southern Fried Chicken

Cracker Barrel's menu is filled with comfort food favorites, from their iconic Chicken n' Dumplins to a savory Pot Roast. If you want to avoid the unhealthiest menu items at Cracker Barrel, steer clear of the fried food. Specifically, Cracker Barrel's Southern Fried Chicken, which comes with four pieces of fried chicken pieces, clocks in at almost 5,000 mg of sodium and 1,640 calories.

IHOP: New York Cheesecake Pancakes (Stack of Four)

The International House of Pancakes, better known as IHOP, serves much more than pancakes. However, when in Rome, one orders a stack of pancakes. Technically, IHOP's New York Cheesecake Pancakes – buttermilk pancakes topped with cheesecake mousse and glazed strawberries – are not the most unhealthy dish you can order when looking at calories and sodium, though it does have one of the highest counts. What sets the New York Cheesecake Pancakes apart as the most unhealthy dish you can order is that they lack nutritional value that would offset those high calorie, sodium, and carbohydrate figures.

Olive Garden: Tour of Italy

One of Olive Garden's most recognizable dishes is also its most unhealthy. The Tour of Italy got its notoriety by offering customers a sampling of three popular dishes: Chicken Parmigiana, Lasagna Classico, and Fettuccine Alfredo – because why decide when you can have all three? That triple whammy of pasta dishes contributes to its higher calories, saturated fat, sodium, and carbohydrates. And that's not even including the endless breadsticks served beforehand.

Outback Steakhouse: Steak & Mate Combo 11 oz Sirloin & 1/2 Rack Ribs

While Outback Steakhouse's Aussie Cheese Fries comes in at a staggering 7,490 mg of sodium, that will more than likely be split among a group of diners. When it's time to order dinner, you may wind up with too much of a good thing with the Steak & Mate Combo with an 11-ounce cut of Sirloin and a half Rack of Ribs. While loaded with protein, it's also loaded with every other nutritional component, including 3,240 mg of sodium. Those figures do not even include the two side dishes you can add to your meal. The Sirloin and Ribs combo comes in a variety of size options, so if you want to cut back on calories or sodium, opt for a smaller cut of sirloin or a ⅓ rack of ribs.

Red Robin: Whiskey River BBQ Ribs

The good news is that none of Red Robin's popular hamburgers took home the crown for the unhealthiest dish. The unfortunate news is that the title still has to go somewhere, and it ultimately goes to the Whiskey River BBQ Ribs. This half rack of St. Louis-style pork ribs is smothered and glazed with Whiskey River BBQ Sauce, the biggest culprit for its high calorie and sodium count. That sauce is also filled with hidden sugars, bringing the sugar figure to a similar level in many desserts.

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Texas Roadhouse: Country Fried Sirloin

Steak is the star at Texas Roadhouse, where you can have it cut and served exactly to your liking. From sirloin to filets, Texas Roadhouse is essentially a meat lover's paradise. That aforementioned sirloin can also come fried in the form of Texas Roadhouse's Country Fried Sirloin. Keep in mind that its higher calorie, sodium, and carbohydrate figures do not include the two side dishes that come included with your fried sirloin. If you want a leaner meal, opt for a sirloin that hasn't been deep-fried.