Menu-labeling laws continue to take root around the country, and many quick-serve restaurants are searching for ways to quickly and affordably comply with such legislation. However, they also want to make sure they share this required information in a way that is not overwhelming to their customers. To make this process as easy and painless as possible, several suppliers are offering up products to address operators’ needs and fit within their budgets.

One such example is digital menuboards, which allow users to post a wealth of information on one or more screens. Using a variety of screen sizes, IDS Menus will set up template screens for its clients, which are accessed through a Web browser. Clients can add or subtract menu items, list the caloric content, or display lunch specials as they choose. The information is automatically updated to the menuboards.

Bryan Lesseraux, vice president of marketing for IDS Menus, advises clients to carefully consider how much information is displayed. “You don’t want to put up so much text that people can’t read it,” he says. Instead, one option would be to use a slideshow presentation with menu items and prices on one screen and specific menu items and caloric content on another.

As with all cutting-edge technology, cost is a factor when upgrading to digital menuboards. While specific costs vary based on what each client wants, Lesseraux says the low end of the spectrum usually runs between $4,000 and $5,000. “It’s phenomenally cost-effective, but upfront costs are higher for digital than nondigital boards,” Lesseraux says.

Another option is installing electronic kiosks, such as Dallas-based TableTop Media’s tabletop kiosk. Restaurant owners and managers can use the wireless digital touch-screen to display caloric and nutritional information such as fat, sugar, sodium, protein, and carbohydrate content. They also can create specialized screens that put healthy choices out front. In addition, customers have the option of e-mailing this information to themselves or others.

Furthermore, companies with multiple locations can receive area-specific information to adhere to the law. “Regardless of what state you’re in, for your particular restaurants, you can get the individual information they need to comply,” says Shawn Gentry, CEO and president of TableTop Media.

For restaurants that don’t know the caloric content of their menu items, there are several tools to help determine this information without having to use outside laboratories for analysis, which can be quite costly and time-consuming. For instance, MenuCalc is an online tool that instantly calculates the nutritional content of recipes. Users can then pull the information and post it on their own Web sites, menus, and nutritional brochures.

“It’s real-time results and definitely has cost savings involved. You only need Internet access,” says Lucy Needham, CEO and founder of MenuCalc. “As soon as we find out where you’re from, we send you information on how to display your information to confirm with local, county, and state laws.”

The company, which employs a registered dietitian, works closely with the Food and Drug Administration to make sure all its information is accurate. “We update ingredients ourselves, and our clients can add their own ingredients,” Needham says. Currently, the database contains more than 20,000 ingredients, primarily compiled from USDA Nutrient Laboratory data.

Hong Vongmany, operations support manager for Asian Chao, Maki of Japan and Chao Cajun, which operates more than 75 locations nationwide, selected MenuCalc based on cost, service, quick-turnaround time, customer service, and the fact it backs up the information it provides. “MenuCalc guarantees the accuracy of their nutrition analysis,” she says. “This is extremely important. We cannot afford to make mistakes and have potentially misleading nutritional data out there for our customers.”

Many software providers also offer software programs that perform nutritional analyses. The Food Processor SQL features a database of more than 35,000 foods and recipes from a variety of sources. The information is updated as new information becomes available. Users also can add their own foods to the database and modify existing database foods.

Another example is The Nutrition Company’s FoodWorks. Specifically for Windows (95 through XP and Vista including NT and servers), FoodWorks maintains more than 30,000 food references, including USDA Standard Reference 20 and the Food and Nutrition Database for Dietary Studies, as well as 113 nutrients and food components. Like The Food Processor SQL, FoodWorks’ database also can be expanded by the user, plus users can import food and nutrient data from their own spreadsheets into the FoodWorks database.

In light of impending menu-labeling laws, many restaurants, including recently Yum! Brands, are not waiting for the laws to target them before getting on board with menu-labeling laws. Sarah Ivory, marketing director for The Pump Energy Food in New York, says her client already is conducting the necessary process to determine how many calories are in their dishes. Although the company has only five locations right now, the goal is to expand nationally, she says. “Eventually, once all the facts are in, they will need to add the information to their menus, Web site, and in-store menuboards,” Ivory says.

Once calorie content information begins to show up regularly, Ivory says she’s curious to see what effect it has on consumers. “I feel like people who are calorie-conscious to begin with won’t be too affected by the menu labels,” she says. “The effect may be more visible amongst people who are just beginning to deem calorie counting a reasonable way to monitor their food intake.”

With such focused attention on menu-labeling laws, expect to see more products and services such as these turn up in the industry to address this issue.