Objective To evaluate a restaurant-based nutrition program by measuring customer satisfaction with lower-fat menu items and assessing patrons’ reactions to the program.

Design and setting Questionnaires to assess satisfaction with menu items were administered to patrons in eight of the nine restaurants that volunteered to participate in the nutrition program. One patron from each participating restaurant was randomly selected for a semistructured interview about nutrition programming in restaurants.

Subjects Persons dining in eight participating restaurants over a 1-week period (n=686).

Statistical analyses performed Independent samples t tests were used to compare respondents’ satisfaction with lower-fat and regular menu items. Two-way analysis of variance tests were completed using overall satisfaction as the dependent variable and menu-item classification (ie, lower fat or regular) and one of eight other menu item and respondent characteristics as independent variables. Qualitative methods were used to analyze interview transcripts.

Results Of 1,127 menu items rated for satisfaction, 205 were lower fat, 878 were regular, and 44 were of unknown classification. Customers were significantly more satisfied with lower-fat than with regular menu items (P<.001). Overall satisfaction did not vary by any of the other independent variables. Interview results indicate the importance of restaurant dining as an indulgent experience.

Conclusions High satisfaction with lower-fat menu items suggests that customers will support restaurants providing such choices. Dietitians can use these findings to encourage restaurateurs to include lower-fat choices on their menus, and to assure clients that their expectations of being indulged are not incompatible with these choices.