Razzoo’s Nutritional Saga Part Two
I have written yesterday about my great disappointment in Razzoo’s food choices and lack of nutritional information. I have also mentioned that I wrote them an e-mail letting them know about my great disappointment about their nutritional values or lack thereof. Actually their food seems to be loaded with nutrition it’s just not the right kind nor the right amount in my humble opinion. Well today I have received a response and it came from the president of the company no less. As I have promised them that I would post their answer being true to my word here is what he had to say:
Greg,
I appreciate your feedback but I’m going to respectfully take you to task on a few things and defend myself and Razzoo’s a bit. I noticed immediately that you said you “had doubts” and it seems in my humble opinion that you were in somewhat of a pre-determined mindset. You said that you were “stuck” in Razzoo’s being the dining destination. Wow, I’m already at a disadvantage.
We handle multiple requests for lighter options everyday even though we don’t list such options on the menu. Greg, our food is hearty, authentic and appropriately spiced. But, you stated that “you knew for sure there was no way you could eat anything healthy” at my establishment”. ? Really? I don’t read anywhere that you asked your server anything other than what kind of fish we served.
We work very hard to accommodate guests looking for healthier options. I would suggest a few items that are far from difficult and actually very easy for us to prepare. If our servers are asked for ideas of alternative cooking methods they are skilled at offering suggestions. About 10% of our food orders come in without any form of special instruction or request. At Razzoo’s “the answer is always yes, so what’s the question friend?”. It’s printed on the menu. I would propose:
Blackened Chicken? How about grilled chicken, lightly spiced, with white rice. A green dinner salad, no onions, no dressing or dressing on the side.
Blackened Fish? How about not blackened (It’s Tilapia by the way), lightly spiced or not spiced, grilled with white rice instead of dirty rice? Same dry salad as a substitute fro veggie.
We can boil or grill shrimp instead of frying. We have multiple salads on the menu that can be made as simply as a dieting guest prefers. The croutons can actually be left out. We have pastas that can be served with no sauce or sauce on the side. We have fresh green beans in house that we use for fried green bean appetizer. They can be easily sautéed and served as a side veggie with any item. We can do it. Do it everyday in every single restaurant.
As for nutritional information? I’ll never do it as to not mislead my guests. We are a fresh-prep concept. Subtle differences in ingredient amounts from dish to dish lead to substantial variances in fat and calorie content from one dish to another of the very same item. Those numbers can’t be reliable within an acceptable scientific range. There is enough scientific data on this available so as to not belabor that point.
I want you to enjoy your experience at Razzoo’s or at least have enough information to decide that it is not for you. I believe we can not only show you a great time but certainly provide you a meal that can meet your needs….if asked.
I’ll buy you and your family dinner to prove it. I hope you take me up on it. Let me know.
You can post this or forward as you wish. I realize that some are genuinely interested in productive, healthy discussion and debate and that some just want to pick a fight or argument or engage in “gotcha” contact with businesses. I’m ok with that. I am very serious about responsible restaurant and business management and am very proud of what we do.
I look forward to any further input you have and hope to see you in for dinner with us soon!
Respectfully,
Jeff Powell
President
Pretty solid argument with some fair points but I just wasn’t entirely convinced so I shot him another response.
Jeff,
First of all I would like to thank you for such a courteous and prompt response. It’s not often that you get a real response from a real person especially in such a short time.
As I have written in my earlier e-mail I was a frequent visitor of Razzoo’s before I have decided to shed some fat. I wouldn’t call myself a regular but we probably visited your restaurant half a dozen times a year. I was familiar with your menu and I was familiar with the options in food you had. I never bothered to look further than what was on the menu as I have always managed to find something different that I liked. We liked the tasty and zippy food just as much as everyone else who eats at Razzoo’s. When I wrote I “had doubts” it was an educated doubt based on prior experience. I knew your food and I knew it can’t be that good for you. I want you to know that it’s not only Razzoo’s where I have doubts. It’s practically every restaurant that I re-visit since the start of my transformation into more conscious eating. I always go in with concerns whether they offer anything that could be remotely close to healthy. I attribute the fact that I have found your food overly salty this time to my new eating habit that is significantly lower in sodium than before and my palate have re-adjusted to a much lower threshold level.
I have asked our server, Greg, several times in several ways if you provided nutritional information on any of your food items. It should have been a clear sign that I was looking for something on the healthy side. I agree, I did not ask for a special custom meal, it simply did not cross my mind. I will be sure to remember that in my future restaurant outings. I guess our server could have been a bit more pro-active about the situation but come to think of it the blame is probably just as much mine. I really wish you had been our server that night as the options you have offered in your response sure sound better than any of the alternatives that I could pick off the menu. It’s a real shame that I wasn’t offered any of these options by our server.
Nutritional information for made to order food can certainly be misleading. Even on prepackaged food studies have found that the actual caloric value can be off by as much as 18%. I am not denying this fact. But I am also positive that if the menu showed that the Tricky Fish with dirty rice and crawfish etouffee contains 1,800 calories and 5000 mg of sodium we can agree that it doesn’t really matter whether that 1,800 becomes 1,700 or 1,900 depending on how big of a dollop of butter was used when the fish got blackened. I will most certainly not order it.
As I have reached this point into my e-mail writing another response hit my inbox from Jeff:
Greg,
I’ve read your review after responding to you. I respect your opinion but find it inaccurate, pre-determined and without any fair objectivity. Most disturbing I find your comments about the patrons on-site judgmental and disturbing. Your efforts to improve your health are admirable. Congratulations. I question whether that gives you an appropriate platform to make such judgments or at least inferences about those around you based on their appearance.
Best of luck to you.
Jeff
So I had to respond to his last e-mail as well and I have added the following passage as closure:
I just received your second e-mail as I was writing this response. I might be sitting on a high horse now that I have gotten a handle on my own eating and health. I might be more judgmental of other people around me now that I’m no longer obese. But after eating part of my unhealthy meal I could not help but wonder as to “who eats at Razzoo’s?”. And there was not one person in sight that I would have called healthy looking. It might have been a coincidence but it is a fact. I also just became a US Citizen (hence the celebratory trip to Razzoo’s) and I truly value the rights and liberties the constitution gives me, especially about free speech. I will post your response on my blog tonight, I’m a big fan of “let the other side be heard too” mentality. I think by posting your response I will have provided an appropriate and objective position.
On a side note, I’d like to mention that my blog ranks 16th for “Razzoo’s Nutrition” on Google search as of this morning, a mere 10 hours after my blog entry has been posted.
Again, thank you for your time and response, I appreciate it.
Regards,
Greg
I think at this point we’ll just have to agree to disagree. His statement about the fact that only 10% of orders come in without special request makes me wonder though. Does he consider holding the mayo on a burger a special request? Or does it mean that 90% of the customers are unhappy with the menu choices by default and they have to make changes to it just to make it palatable. I’m pretty sure if Hell’s Kitchen with chef Gordon Ramsey would have a 90% special request rate he’d tell every one of his customers to “piss off!”. If I were a restaurateur I’d probably wonder why 9 out of 10 of my customers want to change the food items and alter my food. But then again, I’m not one.
I also find it perplexing that he mentions that they do special healthier portions for customers on a daily basis all day every day at all his restaurants. Wouldn’t that be a clear sign that there is a demand for it and maybe it’s time to stick it on the menu? I mean I’m not a businessman or anything but this kind of stuff seems to be Economics 101. But as long as people vote with their wallet and mouth and Razzoo’s is doing well who am I to stop them? I’m just saying if you made the commitment for a healthier lifestyle and eating habits you might want to pass on Razzoo’s unless you are comfortable with asking for special requests of grilled chicken with steamed rice.
Update 4/23/2011:
This blog entry is still one of the hottest and most often visited one of my blog. I keep getting replies which give me advice about weight loss, how to eat healthy and how I should probably not eat at Razzoo’s. So I decided to post a bit of a status update for those who fail to check out the rest of my blog.
1) This blog post was written over 14 months ago. Since then I’ve lost another 33 lbs (I’m 160 lbs as of this writing), ran 6 marathons, 4 of them with Boston Qualifying Time, including the Boston Marathon this month and I’m quite comfortable with my current physique, fitness and body. Sure, I’d like to lose another 5lbs or so to finally see my abs for the first time ever and I’m chipping away at it but I could afford to eat at Razzo’s any time now if I chose to. I really don’t need any more advice on how to eat and what to eat, I’m probably as fit and healthy as anyone could get or wish for.
2) I’ve been true to my word and neither I nor my family have eaten at Razzoo’s ever since this incident. I have no intentions of eating there ever again, certainly not until they start providing nutritional information.
3) My blog posts are actually still no. 1 and no. 2 for “Razzoo’s Nutrition” not 16th. I just checked.
4) My blog posts is and was not meant to skew stats. It was posted to point out how ignorant Razzoo’s is when it comes to healthier eating but apparently it’s no more ignorant than their customer base so it is a match made in heaven and Razzoo’s is making money by catering to their target market so it’s really no skin off my teeth.
5) Razzoo’s website, while revamped from the last time I checked, still does not provide any kind of nutritional information or nutrition guide. Until they change that my blog will beat their website in search rankings any day of the week.
A rather interesting saga. Great to receive a reasonable response in the first email. I’m not too sure about the second one.
AndrewENZ´s last blog ..A great Saturday
Yeah, that is how I felt about the responses too. But it’s OK, I have spread the news to all I could.
Well, I’m “stuck” with Razzoo’s today also, and your blog came up. Thanks to your initial email and his initial response, I now know I can ask for grilled chicken with steamed rice (even though I would prefer brown)
Wow, I’d much rather dine elsewhere.
Yeah, my thoughts exactly. If I want grilled chicken with steamed (brown) rice I’ll just stay home and make it myself.
I think you have the right idea. This is AMERICA and people are in control of their own lives. If you dont like the menu, dont eat there…but, certainly others have a right to eat as they wish…and Razoos has been around awhile, so I am assuming many wish to eat there.
Thank you for posting your experience. I have visited the NC Razzoo’s location a few times and was surprised at response you received. I have sent my own comment requesting that they provide nutritional information. Until then I will vote with my wallet and only patron chain restaurants that disclose their information unless I get stuck with it when dining with others.
You were the first link today when I searched for “Razzoo’s Nutrition”. I received a response today from Jeff which can be read below. I had commented on reading his response to you posted on this blog, that I hoped they would volunteerily provide information and mentioned the legislative move toward menu labeling.
“Bradley,
Thanks for the suggestion. Our concept intentions, practices and offerings are not accurately reflected in the blog you mention. We will continue to offer our menu items in an innovative and responsible fashion. We will continue to offer the safest items such as the trans fat free cooking oil we have used in advance of our competition for years, MSG free seasonings, reduced sodium spices and recipes and the freshest, most high-quality ingredients available. This has been and will continue to be our approach. Our success to this point is a function of this high-quality approach. Our willingness to accommodate any guest request is valued by our guests and we will continue to do that. We don’t charge extra for special requests or substitutions and our guests understand and value that.
We operate our 13 restaurants in a professional and responsible fashion and will gladly work with any regulatory activity or mandate as we always have. We certainly do not work in any way counter to regulatory bodies. When there is a scientifically reliable method for measuring and communicating dietary information we will consider it and implement the best procedures available. You may or may not appreciate the misleading and damaging scenario an “estimated or ballpark” representation can cause. You cannot offer information to consumers that is not reliable within a very high percentage as this puts our guests and company at great risk. We will not offer inaccurate dietary information simply for marketing purposes. It is misleading and wrong. There is a way to dine responsibly and in a healthy fashion at Razzoo’s and this will continue to be the case.
Hopefully we can entertain you at some point at Razzoo’s Cajun Cafe!
Very respectfully,
Jeff Powell
President”
Brad,
Thanks for the update! It seems like their position has not changed and probably will not change unless someone forces them to. I just simply won’t visit them again, that is all I can do and will do.
As for his statement “When there is a scientifically reliable method for measuring and communicating dietary information we will consider it and implement the best procedures available.” I am pretty darn certain there is such method already in place as I know lots of places that already do it. Whether Razzoo’s chose to do it is a different story.
Today your blog is #1 on the Yahoo search results for the “Razzoo’s nutrition” search. The Razzoo’s website, as you noted, offers no nutritional information, but I am glad to have read your exchange with the company president. I will be armed with good information when I head there for dinner tonight. It isn’t the place I would have chosen, but now I know I can eat least get a piece of grilled fish instead of deep-fried blech loaded with fat, carbohydrates and sodium.
Thanks for putting up a blog such as this one. I went to Razzoo’s last Friday and had their Spicy Shrimp Pasta. I’ve been trying to find nutritional information on what I ate, and the closest thing I found was your blog. I’m a little bit disappointed that Razzoo’s feels that they can satisfy the healthy crowd just by providing healthy options. Unfortunately that doesn’t satisfy my need to understand the nutritional values (or lack thereof) of the said products that I have consumed.
In business, one cannot make a sound judgement without knowing all of the details going into his/her decision. The same can be said about our health. Fortunately as consumers, we definitely have a choice, as many other restaurants have provided their nutritional facts.
Wow, it’s a Cajun Restaurant. Cajun food isn’t known to be particularly healthy. You don’t write to a fried chicken restaurant and let them know that their food is fried and you think it shouldn’t be. You just don’t go and opt for a grilled chicken restaurant. You’re pretty much just an a$$.
I wonder how you landed on my blog? Was it by any chance searching for “Razzo’s Nutrition” ? If it is indeed the case, as it is with most of the people who end up here, why would you search for Razzoo’s nutrition information? Is it because you love fatty Cajun food and you don’t care about calories? Or is it because you’re health conscious and you’re looking for a healthier alternative at a restaurant with good zippy food?
Actually it seems like you were searching for “when will crawfish be at razzoo’s”. LOL! I guess you must be their target market taking offense at calling their food what it is: a greasy nightmare. Let me tell you, you are in the minority amongst my visitors but it’s interesting that queries like yours also end up here.
I for one won’t go there for another meal ever again unless they pay me a hefty sum and all my posting was meant to do is save health conscious people from their first trip and lobby Razzoo’s to finally provide nutritional information. If I accomplish either of those this post was worth it.
I agree!! Would you ask Babe’s Chicken House why they don’t serve grilled chicken? There is NOT one healthy item on their menu and it is not all LARGE people that eat there!!!! Just because you are thinking healthy, doesn’t mean everyone else has to be!! You might need to get off of your high horse~~~ And Razzoo’s has awesome Cajun food and salads too!!!
Betty,
If you know Razzoo’s has no healthy items, a salad with popcorn shrimp on top smothered with salad dressing is not a healthy item, and you appear to not care about healthy eating why on Earth would you Google “calories at razzoo”? Because that is how you ended up here. You can put up a charade but we all know you care about calories and nutritional information at Razzoo’s just as much as I do otherwise you wouldn’t be here.
I live near the Razzoo’s you visited, and I landed on this blog because I plan to eat there tonight and wanted an idea of the caloric damage I would be doing. See? I know the food there is bad, and as a treat I’m going to eat there. I still want to know the nutritional information, even though I know it’s going to be bad. That’s where your blog goes south. I think it’s very important to insist restaurants post nutritional info, but to go so far as to feel entitled to a healthy dish at a cajun restaurant……that’s arrogant. If grilled chicken and rice isn’t good enough for you, then do as you suggested and stay home and eat dinner.
Sarah,
Demanding healthy food from a restaurant would most certainly be arrogant of me. And this is generally the type of thing I seldom advocate as the sense of entitlement in our country is certainly rampant as it is, the last thing we need is more of it. The only time I have used the word “demand” in my post was in the simple economic “supply and demand” sense not in the “I’m entitled to it and I demand it” sense. I think you have misunderstood me. I went to Razzoo’s with hopes of finding anything healthy on their menu and I walked away with disappointment. I’m voting with my wallet, telling everyone else about my opinion of the place by posting it here and that is pretty much all I can and will do.
Interestingly, I dined at Razoo’s for lunch today and found them, as always, to be very accommodating to special requests / substitutions. I had a chopped salad with dressing on the side at a reasonable price. Food was freshly prepared and service was excellent. I too will vote with my dollar and I’ll vote yes!
Greg,
I’ll preface by saying I found you by searching for “Razzoos Nutrition Information” because I AM slowly losing weight (11 lbs in 8 weeks so far). I eat at Razzoo’s in Las Colinas/Irving once a week, even during the 8 weeks of weight loss. I appreciated both your letter and Jeff’s response, but it is a bit over the top to claim that the only people that eat their are fat and not health conscious. Besides, Texas is one of the fattest states in America, so go to almost any restaraunt and you’re going to find more obese than not…
I KNOW that when I go to Razzoo’s i’m going to have the most unhealthy meal of my week, and admittedly it is part of the reason why i’m not losing faster. So while I’m not offended by your statements, I do find them a bit over the top.
I’m glad I found your blog. I’ll continue to visit to see what kind of help and tips you can offer to those of us who are going through our own journey right now.
Greg,
Maybe you should stay at home and eat your own meals. This way you will know what is going into your food since you are now on a health kick.
Wow, I rank on the first page for Razzoo’s Menu as well. Who would have thought! I’m certain the Razzoo’s people didn’t think so! I eat plenty of my own meals but I do go out and eat at restaurants that offer nutritional information and healthy meals. Unfortunately Razzo’s offers neither so I haven’t been back since…
Would it’ve really made a difference if they had posted their nutritional info online? You openly admit that you didn’t look before you went. So you had no idea what they offer when you chose to eat there. That is a risk you take when you go out to eat somewhere. And while I think nutritional info should always be available, to insist that a restaurant provide you with a healthy option is ARROGANT. It’s also arrogant to assume that just because someone chooses to eat at Razzoo’s must mean they don’t care about their health or what they eat.
This is what I wrote:
I knew that their general menu wasn’t all that healthy but I had hopes to find something a bit more on the low cal side.
Which means I knew very well what they offered, which is unhealthy greasy, salty Cajun food. But as I wrote “I had hopes” to find something healthy.
Which means I knew very well what they offered, which is unhealthy greasy, salty Cajun food. But as I wrote “I had hopes” to find something healthy.
So Razzoo’s not only let me down by not providing nutritional information but they also failed to offer anything that is remotely healthy and low calorie on their regular menu and their staff is clearly untrained to make suggestions for health conscious patrons such as myself. Had they had healthy choices on their menu, this entire blog entry would not have been written. Had they taken my comment in stride instead of coping out as to why they don’t provide nutritional information, this blog entry probably would not have been written. Had our waiter offered healthier alternatives this blog entry would have taken a different tone. But this sounds like three strikes to me and enough to blog about and never to return.
Since you seem to start every response to a comment with what the person entered into the search engine to find your blog, yes, I found your blog by googling “Razzoo’s Nutrition” because I ate there for lunch and was curious if their website listed information for how I order my food.
Also, I congratulate you on your weight loss and wish you continued success.
And now, I’d like to let you know what’s really bothering me about your responses to people. You are complaining that the waiter did not suggest any healthier options that can be modified from the existing menu or created from items they have in the kitchen. You say over and over again that the waiter did not offer up such information. You also state in your e-mails to the President of Razzoo’s that you did not ask.
As someone who works in the service industry, I want to let you know that it’s a very fine line we have to walk with customers. There is a limit that customers will tolerate when servers/smoothie makers/baristas/etc offer suggestions, alterations to existing menu items, etc.
Your waiter might have been yelled at one too many times for offering “off the menu” suggestions. You might have been a perfectly nice customer wanting someone to suggest things to you without prompting. Most customers aren’t. I promise. I work them every day. If your waiter asked your dining party a couple questions regarding ordering, suggesting bar drinks, etc and wasn’t getting positive responses, he stopped asking further questions or volunteering information to avoid getting yelled at.
Now, obviously I was not in your dining party, nor do I know your waiter. He could’ve just been a less than stellar waiter. But speaking as someone who gets yelled at or looked down upon for suggesting substitutions/alternatives/special items, give the guy a break. Also, not all of the suggestions I offer are better or worse for the customer than the standard menu offerings- it’s just a different take on it. Usually with the same caloric values. I’m not suggesting that anyone needs to look for a lighter option which could cause people to be less than happy with my suggestions due to an implied tone.
As someone who is an incredibly picky eater, I often have to modify menu items extensively or ask for items that aren’t really ‘listed’ on the menu, even though all of their ingredients are in other dishes. Places are always happy to oblige and I tip accordingly for their willingness to deal with my insanity.
I strongly encourage you to ask specific questions of your server or restaurant manager throughout your weight loss journey. It will make you happier, your food will be more to your liking and nutritional requirements, and servers will know what you want of them and their restaurant.
Love your blog. Just went to Razzoo’s at lunch, today, and hated the choices. Came back to my desk to find their nutritional values online and NOTHING! Found your blog. I won’t be eating there again. I thought the gov’t requires restaurants to post these??
Well you were NUMBER 1 on google search today! I find it a tad bit annoying when I can’t find nutrition facts for a restaurant online (I try to plan ahead..especially if I know where I’m going later on. I also don’t expect the nutrition facts to be on their menus in the restaurant) BUT I do understand that they don’t always measure out what they cook with so it won’t always be the same. I also expect to not find nutritional information with most places I eat at…that’s why I try to decide what looks healthier and go from there. In my opinion anyone knows that you can make special request at a restaurant…it isn’t a fast food restaurant so they can take an extra minute to do something for you. I will be eating at Razzoo’s tonight and I’m looking for something healthy to eat..I think I’m going to go with grilled shrimp and white rice (what Jeff suggested..was going to go with the salad)…the fiance is paying so him paying and my not cooking it at home doesn’t bother me! I’ve been once before and stuck with a salad because their menu didn’t seem to offer much variety (to me anyway) and it was okay, that I can remember. I never wanted to go back because I’m not a cajun fan but you can’t always work around the health nut, I’m easy to work with and know how to find other choices. But I’m thinking I want something different so the shrimp and rice is the way to go today!
BTW, enjoyed the blog!
I am also working on loosing weight and eating healthier. I plan my meals, and my eating out most carefully. We went to Razzoo’s today in Los Colinas in Irving, TX where I was able to have a very tasty meal. Was it low fat/low carb? Not even. Did I blow my entire diet? Not a chance. I split my meal with a friend, and made choices that were appropriate to the restaurant and my diet. I enjoyed my meal, and I was in control. I don’t think I can ask more of Razzoo’s or any other restaurant than to prepare my food the way I ask. What I eat, is up to me. I congratulate you on your weight loss, but frankly your tactics to “out” Razzoo’s just don’t really sit well. I saw nothing wrong with the answers you received from the restaurant, and while you weren’t abusive, your replies, and subsequent glee at ranking #1 on the Razzoo nutrition blog, dimish your personal achievements. Which is a shame.
Its CAJUN FOOD!!! I am very particular about my calorie intake and have no problem anywhere I go getting a healthy choice from any restaurant I dine in, including Razzoo’s. I have been on a clean diet for some time now and many of my friends are not but I still socialize with them and eat where they eat. Its not hard and you really do sound pretty stuck up about this… Its not their fault you don’t know how to order healthy foods. I count my calories daily so I like to know what I eat when I go out but it’s not always available. Cross your fingers, eat a good meal, and do some extra HIT Monday morning. If you order correctly you can guesstimate your caloric intake with a small margin of error by asking your server to ask the cook a few questions. If its THAT important to you, you should have no problem doing so instead of bashing a respectful business. If thats too much to ask, STAY HOME and stop WHINING!!!
I really wish I would have found and read this article sooner! I have just recently started making some changes to my diet and trying to eat healthier and lose weight. I have a very busy schedule between working full time and going to school full time, but my son and I decided to go to dinner after work before I had to go to class. A couple of weeks ago some friends went to Razzoos to celebrate another friends birthday. I wasn’t able to attend, but after viewing the pictures I decided that I really wanted to try the place out. So my son and I decided today was the day. Like you, I was rather skeptical. I think that comes naturally when you are trying to make healthier food choices and you hear on the news how much calories are in restaurant foods. However, there are a lot of restaurants offering healthy choices. So that’s the thought I had when I went into the restaurant. I was sadly mistaken and realized that very quickly upon viewing the menu. I didn’t have much time as I had to go to class and knew if I didn’t eat then it was going to be very late before I could eat. So trying to select the “healthiest” of choices, I chose the blackened tilapia. Rice is usually my downfall. I could eat rice, just about any kind of rice, 3 times a day, 7 days a week. Luckily, I didn’t care for the dirty rice and only ate a small portion. So I was thinking I was doing pretty good eating the fish and I really liked the blackeyed beans. As you mentioned, when you google the nutritional information for Razzoos, it is non-existant. I honestly thought that it had become a law that restaurants had to provide their nutritional values of their foods. I found out a little too late that that is obviously not true. Anyway, I appreciate your information. I do hope that more restaurants, including Razzoos, will offer more REALLY HEALTHY choices to their menus. Otherwise, my experience with Razzoos was a first and only.
Razzoo’s rocks!!! Rat toes and good ole mudbugs! Cold ass beer!! If you can’t handle the heat stayout so there is more room for us zzoo lovers. Nutrition blah blah you only live once so live happy! If you getoff your lazy ass and workout everyday you don’t have too worry about your weight.
I went here for the first time tonight and when we asked our waiter if they had nutritional info he told us to check the website. I know its a splurge to eat cajun food, but I’d still like to know what my caloric intake was. I most likely won’t go here again.
My husband was craving crawfish and i treated him to Razzoos last night. i never expected healthy when visiting Razzoos because i absolutely LOVE their japaleno catfish. My husband has recently lost 38 lbs and me 7, i have about 20 to go max and he has another 30. we were the skinniest people in site. in fact, i have never seen so many big women with so little clothes. enough to make you lose your appetite. regardless, gotta love their food and splurge once in a while.
I went to Razzoo’s tonight for dinner, and when I came home, I searched for their nutritional information so I could find out just how badly I blew my diet. I was disappointed that they don’t offer any. You would think in a time when more and more people are becoming health conscious, Razzoo’s would jump in line with everyone else. Very disappointing to say the least – makes me think twice about dining there again.
I think it wrong of you to pick on Razzoo this way!! Their food is awesome. Congratulations on trying to eat right. I’m trying to eat right myself. My suggestion is instead of downing “ANY” restaurants is NOT to eat out!! If you are trying to loose weight it’s always best to make the food yourself that way YOU know what’s in it. I think your comment is wrong in everyway!! You can’t expect for ANY restaurant to be your backbone for you loosing weight!! You make that decision on your own. Like I said I’m trying to loose weight myself and I only eat at restaurants to treat myself every now and then. And you don’t need a nutritional information to know the healther items versus the one’s you know right off that filled with calories. Plan your meal before you go out to eat at a restaurant. And on another note, if you just became a US citizen and you are judging the people around you in a restaurant by saying that none of them looked healthy, go back where you came from if you have to be so judgmental!! We don’t want you here anyway if you have to be like that!!
Wow. Just wow. What an ugly attitude – no wonder American’s are hated around the world. And it’s also no wonder that 2/3 of American’s are overweight.
Obviously the best way to control your diet is to eat at home. But you can’t always do that and you shouldn’t have to. Yes, one has to make choices when eating out but it would be nice to have healthy options when you do choose to go out – no matter where you go, whether it’s a Cajun place or a salad place.
I have not eaten at Razzoo’s in years..4 actually. Four years ago I decided to change my lifestyle and eat better and lose the baby weight.
My husband has been craving spicy stuff so I thought I would see what “healthy” options they now offered (as many restaurants now do this). I was bummed to find that they do not have an official nutritional chart but I am glad to have come across your blog.
I can’t in good conscience eat there knowing that I will most likely blow my day’s calories on one meal.
Oh well.
Disappointing. On the one hand, if a healthy meal is what is desired, Razzoo’s shouldn’t be the destination. While he pointed out the flexibility of the menu, I would be uncomfortable customizing a meal to death like that. I would feel like high maintenance and embarrassed in front of my boyfriend or whoever I went with. Bad attitude on their part.
I haven’t bothered to read all the comments on here so i don’t know if anyone has made my point.. regardless.. if you are “health concious” about what you’re eating.. then you would probably want to check out a places menu and/or nutritional information BEFORE going there to eat.. *shrug* thats what i personally do. You don’t go and order pasta and/or fried stuff made with tons of butter/cream or what have you.. and then think to yourself.. “hey.. that might not have been the best choice.. i wonder what the damage was”.. thats not how one loses weight and if thats what anyone is doing then best of luck to them in THAT weight loss adventure.. I went today at lunch with my dad and knew way before hand it would be over my calorie/fat/everything intake than ive had for an entire DAY in one meal.. choice i made.. double work out tomorrow. oh and by the way, atleast have the people i saw there were NOT over weight.. (Las Colinas)
Anyhow..any restaurant that makes ‘southern’ or ‘comfort’ food will never fit in any persons diet to say the least.. if you have to make a special request to remove all of the good stuff.. then dont even go.. then its not really even cajun. just make that in your own kitchen. I wouldnt want to spend the extra $$ on something that basic anyway..
As far as the emails..i personally think there was nothing wrong in his responses.. you can tell he was offended and aggitated in the second email.. i would have been too if someone was knocking my business like that.. especially after the time and effort he put into the first email, that wasnt just something he typed up in 5 minutes and hit send.. It’s his restaurant.. let him do his thing the way he wants… its obviously working. if people don’t like it, dont go, that way you dont have to b****. and like i said before.. check the nutr. info BEFORE you go somewhere, not after (for the people trying to lose weight).. because you have no one to blame but YOURSELF on that one.. thats not his fault. he didnt make you go.
I found this page to be much more interesting than finding any actual nutritional information.. thanks for the break from work.
Cajun food by default has NOTHING healthy. hello!
that’s like saying you want a pizza from pizza hut but you want it to be healthy. you’re still running around 200 calories, if not more, per slice!
also, the reason your blog is probably 16th in google searches for razzoo’s nutritional information is b/c they don’t supply it themselves. i googled it, too, and people click on this link because it comes up because it seems like nutritional values will be listed. instead, you’re just complaining about nutritional values NOT being listed and how unhealthy razzoo’s food is! so…you may be ranked pretty high, but it’s not b/c ppl care or want to read your blog complaining out obviously less-than-healthy food; instead, you are ranked as such because people CLICK on the link and that gives you the numbers.
RULE 1 OF STATS: ALL STATS ARE/CAN BE SKEWED/MANIPULATED.
yes, you are 16th, but…how did you get that way? come on, now. for someone with such initiative to lose weight, youd think that thought might have crossed your mind.
and lastly, your wife suggested razzoo’s when you BOTH knew there weren’t particularly healthy options AND you are on a mission to lose weight/be healthier. [congrats on both, as well as citizenship!] so 1. why did your wife suggest it?; 2. you could have EASILY said ‘no’ and suggested another restaurant. there are no shortages on applebees in this country [or state - i live in tx, also and there's an applebees every 10 miles, ESPECIALLY ON 1-35!]. applebees has delicious meals for under 500 calories, AND when you sub potatoes to lower the carbs for vegetables, you win even more.
good luck!
Tom,
I haven’t been replying much to the comments lately because the comments are generally redundant and I already wrote what I had to say about them. But I’m replying to yours because there are a couple of things that I wanted to clarify.
1) This blog post was written over 14 months ago. Since then I’ve lost another 33 lbs, ran 6 marathons, 4 of them with Boston Qualifying Time, including the Boston Marathon this month and I’m quite comfortable with my current physique, fitness and body. Sure, I’d like to lose another 5lbs or so to finally see my abs for the first time ever and I’m chipping away at it but I could afford to eat at Razzo’s any time now if I chose to. I really don’t need any more advice on how to eat and what to eat, I’m probably as fit and healthy as anyone could get or wish for.
2) I’ve been true to my word and neither I nor my family have eaten at Razzoo’s ever since this incident. I have no intentions of eating there ever again, certainly not until they start providing nutritional information.
3) My blog posts are actually still no. 1 and no. 2 for “Razzoo’s Nutrition” not 16th. I just checked.
4) My blog posts is and was not meant to skew stats. It was posted to point out how ignorant Razzoo’s is when it comes to healthier eating but apparently it’s no more ignorant than their customer base so it is a match made in heaven and Razzoo’s is making money by catering to their target market so it’s really no skin off my teeth.
5) Razzoo’s website, while revamped from the last time I checked, still does not provide any kind of nutritional information or nutrition guide. Until they change that my blog will beat their website in search rankings any day of the week.
Yeah, Applebee’s. Even their “under 550″ is far from healthy – it might be low in calories but it is loaded with sodium – the lowest sodium item still has 1500 mg of it when the recommended maximum for an entire day is 2400 – and often even as much as 21 grams of fat. Oh and it still tastes horrible.
Thanks for this. I Googled Razzoo’s Nutrition as I’m stuck going there this week for a co-worker’s birthday lunch. I cringed in disgust when I heard where we were going knowing there were no healthy options on the menu but like you, I hoped for something moderately healthy since I will be forced to eat there, strongly against my will. I find it ridiculous that I will be forced to spend $10-15 for grilled, plain (or lightly seasoned) fish, white rice and a salad/veggies but that will be what I choose (and suffer mocking from my unhealthy, overweight co-workers) as I choose to live a healthy lifestyle and don’t want to stuff my body with grease and sodium. Of course I love an occasional indulgence, but I like to make it MY choice.
Big congrats on your continued weight loss and marathons! I’m a runner too (although only one marathon and no BQ under my belt!) and can appreciate your desire to make your life better not only through eating healthy but running and living a healthy lifestyle!
I visit Razzoos in Lewisville, TX quite often myself. I stick to the oysters!
I workout 6 days a week and I’m in great shape and so is my husband and we eat at Razoo’s atleast once a month. I’m very offended that you would say most people in razoo’s are “unhealthy looking” What is that? SMH. You are a man who got healthy and now is trying to put down others who aren’t doing what YOU are doing. Loser.
Good grief get over yourself. It’s not like he called YOU fat. Next time you go on your monthly visit to Razzoo’s look around at the people there and see the percentage of them that look overweight and unhealthy. I bet it will be “most”. He’s not putting anyone specifically down, he’s observing the state of Americans which it is a well known fact are mostly overweight and unhealthy – and it’s because they eat too much junk and exercise too little. I commend you for your choice to work out and be in shape and if you choose to go to Razzoo’s – fine. That’s your choice. It’s also anyone else’s choice to NOT to and they shouldn’t be put down because of it.
This whole thing is ridiculous. Your site is only ranked highly because people are looking for nutritional value. While I applaud the fact that you are on a more healthy lifestyle, you need to come to terms that going out to eat ANYWHERE is going to be more unhealthy than eating at home. I am a nutritionist, and I know that when I go out to eat and indulge, then that is what I am doing…..indulging. I work out everyday, eat healthy and enjoy it. It is a rare occasion that I splurge. I wish the nutritional value was posted to gain insight on better options, regardless of whether that dish can change. But, the fact remains that any idiot can order a salad without the cheese and croutons and request a vinagrette dressing on the side and up the nutritional value a lot. You don’t have to be a nutritionist to know that options are available to you. My suggestion to you is that if you don’t want the extra calories. just don’t go out to eat.