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| Denny's Breakfast. Photo: jumanggy/flickr |
Nick DeBenedetto, of Tinton Falls, N.J., a 48-year-old on medication for high-blood pressure, filed the suit Thursday in the New Jersey Superior Court in Middlesex County.
"Denny's menu deceptively presents various items as single meals to be consumed by one individual without disclosing that they contain substantially more sodium (in some cases two or three times more) than the maximum recommended amount for all meals consumed by an individual during a given day," his complaint states.
Denny's Corporation, based out of Spartanburg, S.C., told the Los Angeles Times the suit is "frivolous and without merit."
One of the high-salt items listed in the suit is the "Meat Lover's Scramble" -- two eggs scrambled with bacon, diced ham, crumbled sausage and topped with Cheddar cheese, served alongside two bacon strips, two sausage links, hash browns and two buttermilk pancakes.
Doctors recommend against eating more than 2,300 milligrams of sodium a day. The Meat Lover's Scramble has 5,690 milligrams of sodium -- nearly three times the amount of salt advised in one day, the complaint states.
Sodium is associated with high blood pressure, and with high blood pressure comes the risk of heart disease and stroke.
"It is unconscionable that a single meal would have 2,000 milligrams or more of sodium," Dr. David Katz, a preventive medicine specialist at Yale University Medical School told the paper.
Denny's has approximately 1,500 restaurants worldwide.
Although high salt consumption is a problem, health experts are urging that sodium is just one risk factor and the high number of calories and fat people consume daily should not be disregarded. Tell Slashfood what you think: Is sodium content something that should be regulated?
[Via Los Angeles Times]
7-24-2009 @2:19PM ginalin said... What idiot lets Dennys dictate their nutritional needs anyway?
That's like letting Hannibal Lector make the menu for your party.
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7-24-2009 @2:10PM Mark said... I'm sorry- I never knew that Denny's was a health food restaurant! I'm shocked- shocked I tell you that there is sodium in cheese, bacon and sausage! I suppose this was the first time he ate there in his 48 years so he was unaware of the menu and its sodium trapfalls. There are so few resources out there to warn us folks, too. His Physician should be raked over the coals for not singling out Denny's as a place to avoid! I myself blame others for all my problems as well so I know how this innocent fat bastard must feel.
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7-24-2009 @2:25PM Don said... If you don't like it --- don't buy it. If you have been forced to consume one of those breakfasts, then you have a case. Otherwise----SHUT UP!!!
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7-24-2009 @9:09PM hookmrl said... duh fast food you clowns ,it is junk food garbage food same thing as mcdonalds trash food
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7-24-2009 @2:29PM Don said... What Nazi forced him to eat at Dennys and order those items? Just someone else trying to make an easy buck.
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7-24-2009 @2:15PM Kate said... If you want to control the nutritional level of the food you consume, stay home and cook it yourself! It's ridiculous to sue a restaurant for this. It's like the idiot that sued McDs because they got fat from eating McDs every day. Duh!!
Why do stupid people find lawyers willing to support their stupidity?
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7-24-2009 @2:17PM earth mama said... Exactly why I don't eat at Denny's or diner type restaurants... or most any restaurants. Real unadulterated food tastes great all on it's own. When food is too salty, I tend to believe the chef is trying to hide the fact that the food is really too old or is of foul quality... Salt is a preservative anyway.
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7-24-2009 @2:17PM mnricha said... Who in their right mind would even order such a meatladen, cardiac arrest breakfast anyway? We aren't Vikings anymore, people. We don't slave the day away expending 10,000 plus calories anymore. Remember? We sit at desks and in front PC screens. Gross.
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7-24-2009 @2:18PM Mark said... You don't have to buy high-salt-content foods...HOWEVER, when the restaurant does not indicate the exceptionally high salt content [when EVERYONE knows how dangerous that is & we wonder why we have the poorest health for a modern "rich" country!!], THEY, the restaurants are guilty and negligent and don't give a damn who they hurt....they are not only greedy, but immoral and anti-American, caring nothing at all for our society.
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7-24-2009 @2:19PM Kellye said... This lawsuit is the definition of frivolous. Hey pal, if you have been diagnosed with high blood pressure, don't order something so OBVIOUSLY high in sodium!! It's not a mystery that bacon, ham, and sausage are high in sodium! Don't blame Denny's because YOU don't have the good sense to make better health choices!! And hey--if it's portion control you have trouble with, DON'T EAT ALL OF THE FOOD. It's time people started taking responsibility of their health problems rather than blaming others!!
Oh, and just for the record, *I* have medication-controlled hypertension, too, and I DON'T eat at Denny's because I know that it is not a smart choice based on MY health condition, a health condition that is NOT Denny's fault!!
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7-24-2009 @2:20PM ThisIsNuts! said... Mark, I LOVED your comments. And you are 100% spot-on.
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7-24-2009 @2:27PM Elstano said... Eating a regular diet of a lot of Denny's(or any comparable restaurant)items of course is going to be over the top for anyone. However, isn't it just like anything else, moderation is the key....a one-time intake of a high sodium meal isn't going to put anyone into cardiac arrest, unless they're already in danger....again....everything in moderation.
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7-24-2009 @2:21PM brittany said... I think this is absolutely ridiculous. I am a manager at a Denny's in NY and we do have pamphlets that tell you how much sodium and calories are in our meals, if you choose not to read them then it is your fault.
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7-24-2009 @2:54PM Ash 2 said... It's like the idiot who sued McDonalds over coffee that was HOT. Um, duh, it's coffee. And duh, it's essentially fast food. Of course it's high in sodium. If your blood pressure is that out of control, what the hell are you doing eating at a place like that anyway? You should spend your money in the grocery store instead and be preparing your own meals at home according to your dietary needs. Get a grip, people!
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7-24-2009 @2:24PM NATS said... Next time you go to the food store look at the frozen Hungry Man diners.
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7-24-2009 @2:28PM elstano said... Excellent Brittany....the info is almost always available (I think probably required).
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7-24-2009 @2:29PM Preston said... I go to those restaurants to SPLURGE! I don't think about calories when I go to these places. Though I understand what I'm going to eat. I come with an empty stomach if I each any of those entrees or platters. Face it, a lot places have food that's high in calories. It's not like what you eat at home. So this guy's lawsuit seems a little ridiculous.
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7-24-2009 @2:24PM ThisIsNuts! said... Kate, you answered your own question. Lawyers have leached this country into the worst cases of 'sue happy' people we have ever had. It's so sad that the lawyers have moved into the circle of dishonorable professions. Greed. Pure and simple, from all parties.
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7-24-2009 @2:30PM Dana said... I think that it is time that we stop blaming everyone else for our problems. In this day and age we all know that anytime we eat out we are getting too much fat, sugar, and sodium. If
Mr.DeBenedetto and to eat less sodium and lower his blood pressure then he should eat at home using fresh produce and not processed food. Denny's doesnt claim to serve health foods. So, Mr DeBenedetto, stop blaming Denny's and start looking in your own kitchen.
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7-24-2009 @2:28PM ThisIsNuts! said... Well, gee Sara. Thanks for the advertisement. How wonderful to be able to fast-forward through YOUR commercial ! Go rent an ad in the paper, and stop using the blogs for advertising.
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