The complete guide
How to compare restaurant menus, prices and nutrition facts
Well.now is a free guide to US restaurant menus. For each chain we list menu items with nutrition facts, show menu prices only when we can confirm them, and link every number back to the source it came from. We cover more than fast food: coffee shops, pizza chains, fast casual bowls and burritos, bakery cafes, breakfast diners and sit-down casual dining all sit in the same directory, so you can compare a drive-thru lunch with a family dinner using the same yardstick.
This guide explains how to get the most out of the site. It covers how to read a brand page, why prices change from one location to the next, what the numbers on a nutrition label actually mean, how to build a meal in the nutrition calculator, and how to use real diner reviews from the community. If you only have a minute, search for a chain in the directory, open its page and check the source line under the menu table.
What you can do on Well.now
The site is built around three jobs. First, look up a restaurant menu with nutrition facts and, where available, prices. Second, add items together in the nutrition calculator to see the total calories, protein, carbs, fat and sodium of a whole meal. Third, read and share real experiences in the community, including the price you actually paid, the city you ordered in and an honest rating.
- Brand pages: menu items, nutrition facts, verified prices, source and last-checked date
- Directory: search, cuisine filter, rating filter, price and calorie filters, sorting
- Nutrition calculator: build a meal from any chain and see totals and daily values
- Calorie budget planner: daily estimate and a per-meal split
- Community: reviews, prices paid and tips from real diners
Around those three jobs sit a few helpers. The brand directory lets you search and filter chains by cuisine, community rating, lowest calorie item and known prices. The calorie budget planner estimates how many calories you burn in a day and splits that number across meals, so you know how much room a restaurant order takes. The blog answers common menu questions in longer form.
How to read a brand page
Every brand page opens with the chain's category and its approximate number of US locations. Below that is the menu table. Each row shows one item with its calories, protein, carbohydrates, fat and sodium. The price column shows a dollar amount only when we found that price on an official source, and it shows Varies when we could not.
Under the table you will find the data notes. These name the nutrition source, such as the chain's official nutrition guide or nutrition page, the price source if there is one, and the date we last checked the numbers. Some older entries are marked as estimates because we have not yet been able to read complete facts from an official US source. Treat those as rough guides until they are verified.
Reading nutrition facts the right way
Calories tell you how much energy a food provides. Protein, carbohydrates and fat are the three macronutrients that make up those calories: protein and carbs carry about 4 calories per gram and fat carries about 9. Sodium is listed in milligrams, and the US Daily Value is 2,300 mg, which is a full day for most adults. A single restaurant entree can reach half of that on its own.
Serving size matters as much as the numbers. A pizza listing might be one slice, one eighth of a pizza or one fifth of a pizza depending on how the chain publishes it, and we keep the chain's own serving in the item name. Drinks depend on cup size and milk choice. Combo builds such as burrito bowls are the sum of each standard ingredient portion, so extra scoops or swaps will change the total.
Building a meal in the nutrition calculator
The nutrition calculator works like a shopping cart. Pick a restaurant, add the items you plan to order and adjust quantities. The totals update as you go, showing calories, protein, carbs, fat and sodium, plus each value as a percentage of a 2,000 calorie diet. When an item has a verified price, the calculator also shows the meal cost and value measures such as protein per dollar.
Use it before you order. Try swapping fries for a lighter side, a regular soda for water, or a fried sandwich for a grilled one, and watch how the totals move. Small changes often cut several hundred calories or more than a third of a day's sodium without changing the restaurant.
Ordering healthier at any restaurant
You do not need to give up eating out to eat well. Most chains offer at least one lean protein, a vegetable side or a smaller portion. Grilled chicken usually beats fried, plain sides beat loaded ones, and drinks are an easy place to save calories. Sauces and dressings can add a surprising amount of fat and sodium, so ask for them on the side.
- Pick grilled proteins and smaller sizes when they are offered
- Swap fries or chips for a lighter side when you can
- Choose water, unsweetened tea or black coffee
- Check sodium on entrees and soups, which often run high
- Share large plates and desserts
Real reviews from real diners
Ratings on Well.now come only from posts in our community. We do not copy star ratings from other sites or invent scores. When a chain has community posts, its average rating and number of reviews appear on its card; when it has none, we say so. For a wider view, each brand also links to its Google, Yelp and Trustpilot review pages.
Anyone can post without an account. A helpful post names the item, the price you paid, the city and the date, and describes what was good or bad. Those details help other diners and also help us spot when a chain's prices or menu have changed.
How we source and check data
Nutrition facts come from each chain's official US nutrition guide, nutrition page or nutrition calculator. Prices come from official online menus for a named store. Each brand page shows the source and the date we last checked it. If a source is older or incomplete, we say that in the data note rather than fill the gap with guesses. We are not affiliated with any of the brands we list.
Frequently asked questions
Is Well.now free to use?
Yes. Every brand page, the directory, the nutrition calculator, the calorie budget planner and the community are free and do not need an account.
Which countries do you cover?
Only the United States. Prices are in US dollars and nutrition facts come from US sources, which can differ from the same chain's menu in other countries.
Why does a price say Varies?
Most chains let each location set its own prices and do not publish a national price list. We only show a price when an official source confirms it for a specific store.
How accurate are the nutrition facts?
Verified items match the official source named on the brand page as of the last-checked date. Restaurants change recipes, so always check the chain directly if you have a medical or allergy concern.
Can I suggest a restaurant chain?
Yes. Email us with the chain name and a link to its official nutrition information, and we will add it when we can verify the data.
The takeaway
Use the directory to find a chain, read the source line on its brand page, build your order in the nutrition calculator and check the community for real prices. Every number on Well.now points back to where it came from, and when we cannot confirm something we say so.