Has the Restaurant Industry Gone Too Far?

By , SparkPeople Blogger
This past Wednesday In-N-Out Burgers, a California based fast food chain, expanded its operation in the Dallas/Fort Worth market, one already saturated with restaurants galore.

When In-N-Out Burgers opened their doors in Allen and Frisco last week, it was reported that the line to get into the restaurants wrapped around the buildings and onto the adjacent roads leaving patrons to wait as long as three hours to get a burger. I understand that this more of an isolated situation, but three hours in line for a burger? Where do you draw the line?

And if you were looking for a burger with a little more substance, just head on down to the West End in Dallas where you can imbibe in a burger that boasts a whooping 8,000 calories, equivalent to four days worth of calories for me and that is if I expend 3000 calories that week via exercise. However, I will add that the burger is served by a waitress donned in white nurse's uniform, complete with cap. The name of the restaurant--The Heart Attack Grill. And if the size of the burger doesn't entice you to walk through the doors, as a bonus those patrons who weigh over 350 pounds get to eat for free.

I am all for the free enterprise system, after all these restaurants employee thousands of people that both work inside and outside the stores. I also believe that we do have a choice as to whether we visit these establishments or not. But I just wonder why anyone would spend the better part of his or her day waiting in line for a burger and fries, especially with such names as the Double Bypass Burger and Flatliner Fries.

One of the most common complaints I hear from people when it comes to exercise is the lack of time in their schedule. However, I do wonder how these people had the time to sit in a line for the length of time that it would take for me to run a half-marathon, eat a little something, shower and then take on my day. Could it be we can find or make time for those things we deem important?

This scenario led to a discussion in my kettlebells class as to how modern day conveniences have actually taken away the ability to burn those few extra calories doing just ordinary activities. Everything from remote controls, to garage door openers, to drive-thru banks, pharmacies and dry cleaners, we really don't have to do too much walking to enjoy life. While I understand not everyone has time to devote one to two hours a day for formal exercise, unfortunately the modern conveniences have made getting in just small doses of active daily living a tad more challenging.

Just by burning an extra 50 calories a day by integrating more activity into your life in just 70 short days you could lose 1 pound. This far outweighs spending three hours waiting for a burger and fries that will be consumed in less than 30 minutes and could easily push me over the top.

How long would you be willing to wait in line for food? What do you think about naming a restaurant The Heart Attack Grill especially when heart disease ranks as the number cause of death? What about serving those who weigh over 350 pounds a free meal?