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Are the calories printed on restaurant menus accurate?
They are estimates too — often off by 20% or more in either direction. Use them as guides and correct in the diary.
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Restaurant calorie numbers are estimates, not measurements: portions vary from kitchen to kitchen, oil and butter go in by hand, and the same dish can differ between two evenings. In practice printed menu values are often off by 20% or more in either direction.
That does not make the numbers useless — as guides they are far better than guessing. But they are not a receipt: if your week is built on exact printed values, the error compounds. Restaurant portions also run 1.5–2 times a home portion, with bread, drinks and sauces on top.
The practical version: use the menu number as a starting point, log the meal with a photo estimate, and err upward rather than down. An imperfect entry that exists beats a missing one — the habit decides the week, not the exact number.
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General information, not medical advice. Figures are mainstream reference values; individual needs vary.
