If you've spent any time near America's strip malls, you've probably walked by the somewhat ostentatious, stadium-sized Cheesecake Factory. Its notoriously hefty menu with more than 250 food items and inexplicable mishmash of interior design styles has made the chain an ironic time capsule for nostalgic millennials. But lurking within is the "SkinnyLicious" offerings.
Launched in 2011, the Skinnylicious stand-alone menu consists of around 50 food options, ranging from appetizers and small plates to entree salads and main course meals. The chief executive and son of the founders, David Overton, claimed the goal there was to "deliver an exceptional dining experience to ..
. calorie-conscious guests, without compromising the delicious taste that people had come to expect." Now more than a decade old, the so-called skinny menu isn't aging so well.
Its officially described as a "collection of fresh and delicious menu options with lower calories and signature rich taste." Some of these menu items existed previously, like the chicken pot stickers, while others were new, such as the Mexican tortilla salad. But all dishes were now marketed as 590 calories or less, with even cocktails getting the skinny treatment at just 150 calories.
Even on menus, words matter Just the term "skinnylicious" is a loaded one. Though we still have far to go, society has come a long way with how we perceive good health and body types. Words like "good fat," "chubby," "waif-thin," or, yes, skinny are all te.