Have you ever thought to yourself while you were eating at a restaurant, “Oh I can burn this off, or I just won’t have dessert for a week”? Well on November 7, 2009, a health reform bill was passed saying that chain restaurants must post calorie counts on their menus because the obesity rate in the United States is growing. However, research shows that this idea may not work. There have been three studies on the calorie posting in New York City, which took effect last year, but researchers at New York University and Yale said that the postings failed to impact obesity rates.

Customers of chain food restaurants in New York City were asked if they noticed that the calorie information was there. Only 56% of patrons said they noticed it, but only 15% of the customers said they noticed this information used it to watch their weight.

This calorie information is very helpful for customers who are health conscious and I wouldn’t understand why anybody would oppose to this idea. Sure, some people don’t need to use it, but the people who want to lose weight think it is very helpful.

Shora Silber works in New York City and goes out to eat at restaurants all the time. She said that she notices this information most of the time. She said “It’s not bad for knowing how many calories you are taking in while you eat. I’m not on a diet, but it’s just interesting to know how much you take in.”

According to the “New York Times”, most customers that ate at McDonald’s don’t really care about the calorie posting. They think that since they are already over weight, they can’t change it. For example, Tameika Coates, 28, who works in the gift shop at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, ordered a Big Mac, 540 calories; with large fries, 500 calories; and a large Sprite, 310 calories. “I don’t really care too much,” Ms. Coates said. “I know I shouldn’t, ’cause I’m too big already,” she added with a laugh. Also, customers are looking for the cheapest meal that they can find. Fast food restaurants have value meals that are affordable to most people. William Mitchell, from Rosedale, Queens, who was in Harlem for a job interview, ordered two cheeseburgers, about 600 calories total, for $2.00. When asked if he had checked the calories, he said: “It’s just cheap, so I buy it. I’m looking for the cheapest meal I can.”