Restaurant nutrition calculators

Choose a restaurant, then add items to your meal. Use the quantity controls to add more than one of an item or to remove it. You can switch restaurants and keep adding, so a meal can include items from more than one chain. Totals update instantly as you make changes.

• Pick a restaurant from the list
• Add the items you plan to order
• Adjust quantities and remove items as needed
• Read the totals and daily values

Calories measure the energy in food. A common general reference is 2,000 calories a day, though your own needs depend on age, size, sex and activity. Restaurant meals can range from a few hundred calories to well over 1,500, so totaling a whole order, including sides and drinks, gives a much clearer picture than looking at the main item alone.

Protein and carbohydrates provide about 4 calories per gram and fat about 9. Protein helps you feel full, so meals with more protein for their calories tend to be more satisfying. Carbohydrates come from bread, tortillas, rice, fries, sugary drinks and desserts. Fat comes from cheese, sauces, dressings, frying oil and fatty meats.

The US Daily Value for sodium is 2,300 mg. Restaurant food is often high in sodium, and a single sandwich, burrito or pasta dish can reach half a day's amount or more. Sauces, cured meats, cheese and soups add a lot. The calculator shows sodium as a percentage so you can spot high meals quickly.

Daily values are reference amounts used on US nutrition labels. The calculator compares your meal with a 2,000 calorie diet and standard reference amounts for each nutrient. These are general guides, not personal targets. To set a personal calorie target, use the calorie budget planner.

When an item has a verified price for a named store, the calculator adds it to the meal cost and shows value measures like calories per dollar and protein per dollar. Items without a verified price are left out of the cost rather than estimated. Your local price, taxes and fees may differ.

Small swaps make a big difference. Try them in the calculator and compare totals.

• Choose grilled chicken over fried
• Pick a smaller size or skip the side
• Swap a regular soda for water or unsweetened tea
• Ask for sauces and dressings on the side
• Add a lean protein item to raise protein without many extra calories

Imagine you are ordering breakfast at a coffee chain. Add a Grande latte and a breakfast sandwich. The calculator shows the total calories, the protein from both items and the sodium as a share of the 2,300 mg daily value. If you want more protein, try a different sandwich and compare. If you want fewer calories, swap the latte for a cold brew and watch the total drop.

To compare two options, build the first meal and note the totals, then change one item at a time. Changing one thing at a time shows exactly which swap makes the biggest difference. Often the drink or the side matters as much as the main item. Sodium can stay high even when calories drop, so check both before you decide.

For a higher protein meal, look for items with a high ratio of protein to calories, such as grilled chicken, and add them before sides. For a lower sodium meal, check the sodium percentage after each item and skip sauces or cured meats that push it up. For a lower calorie meal, start with the main item, then choose the side and drink that add the least. For value, use chains with verified prices and compare protein per dollar.

Every item in the calculator comes from a brand page, and every brand page names its official source and last-checked date. Some brands are labeled as estimates until we verify them.

Each restaurant on Well.now has its own calculator page, because menus are built differently. A burrito chain is easiest to calculate ingredient by ingredient, a coffee chain needs size, milk and syrup choices, and a burger chain mostly needs whole menu items plus sauces and sides. Giving every chain its own page lets the steps match the way people actually order there, instead of forcing every menu into one long list.

Every restaurant calculator follows the same four steps so you only have to learn the flow once. The goal step asks what you are aiming for and which meal you are planning. Maintaining weight, eating lighter, gaining and prioritizing protein each change the meal budget the tool compares your order with, and breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks each take a different share of the day.

Calories tell you how much energy the meal provides, and the budget bar shows whether that fits the share of your day you set in the goal step. Being a little over on one meal is normal; the useful question is whether the whole day still works.

Every calculator shows where its numbers come from and when they were last checked. Figures from a chain's official nutrition guide or product pages are shown as sourced. Figures from independent databases, custom portions such as light or extra, and add-ons not yet checked against an official guide are labeled Estimate so you always know which numbers are confirmed.

Most people get the most from the calculators by using them before they order rather than after.

• Compare a bowl and a burrito with the same fillings
• Check how much one sauce or dressing adds
• Plan a group order and divide shared sides
• Find the highest-protein option under a calorie limit
• Match a meal to the daily target from the calorie planner
• Save your usual order as a mental template for next time

Well.now covers US restaurants of many kinds, not only fast food. The calculators include burrito and bowl chains, sandwich shops, coffee and donut chains, pizza delivery, burger restaurants, frozen custard stands, bakery cafes, casual dining Italian restaurants and all-day breakfast diners. Each type has its own ordering pattern, which is why the build step changes from one restaurant to the next.