Salad or Entrée: The Comparison That Reverses
On most menus, ordering a salad instead of an entrée reduces what you eat. On this one it usually increases it, and often dramatically.
The numbers are stark enough to be worth stating plainly.
The direct comparisons
Chicken Caesar Salad 1,100 calories against Herb Crusted Chicken 260. The salad is more than four times the entrée.
Grilled Chicken Salad 810 against Grilled BBQ Chicken 300. Nearly three times, for essentially the same quantity of chicken.
Steakhouse Filet Salad 1,340 against a 6oz Dallas Filet 270. Five times, and the salad costs $16.99 against the filet's $21.99 — so it is cheaper and vastly heavier.
Steakhouse Filet Salad at 1,340 is also heavier than a 12oz Prime Rib at 950 and heavier than every burger except the Smokehouse.
Why it reverses
The entrées are grilled muscle meat with a dry rub and nothing else on the plate. That is close to the least calorie-dense food a restaurant serves.
The salads are greens plus jack cheese, hard-boiled egg, bacon, croutons and a creamy dressing. Every one of those is calorie-dense, and the leaves offset none of it.
The protein is the same in both cases. It is everything around it that differs.
- Chicken Caesar 1,100 vs Herb Crusted Chicken 260
- Grilled Chicken Salad 810 vs Grilled BBQ Chicken 300
- Steakhouse Filet Salad 1,340 vs 6oz Filet 270
- Side House Salad 230 — the one genuinely light option
- Entrée figures exclude sides; salad figures include dressing
The one fair caveat
Entrée calorie figures exclude the two included sides, while entrée salad figures include their dressing. So the comparison is not perfectly like for like.
But even adjusting for it, the conclusion holds comfortably. Herb Crusted Chicken at 260 with green beans at 100 and applesauce at 110 is 470 calories all in — still less than half the Chicken Caesar.
If you want vegetables with a light meal, the answer is a $4.99 House Salad at 230 calories alongside a grilled entrée, not an entrée salad instead of one.
Frequently asked
Are any of the salads light?
The side House Salad at 230 calories before dressing. None of the entrée salads are.
Why is the Caesar so heavy?
The dressing is the dish rather than a garnish. A side Caesar at 440 is nearly double a side House Salad at 230, for the same $4.99.
What should I order for a light meal?
Herb Crusted Chicken or a 6oz sirloin with two vegetable sides — around 460 to 470 calories complete.
Keep reading
Why the Salads Are the Heaviest Light Option
Ordering a salad to eat lightly here is one of the most reliable ways to eat more than you intended.
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The Lowest-Calorie Meals on the Menu
A complete steakhouse dinner around 450 calories is genuinely available. It just is not where most people look for it.
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The Healthiest Things You Can Order
Calories are one measure. Protein density, portion control and what you drink matter too — and they point somewhere slightly different.
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