‘This is a way for them to make money‘: Customer shares how restaurants are tricking you by giving you free chips, bread when you first sit down
There’s something so primal and satisfying about sharing a warm loaf of bread or basket of chips fresh from the fryer before a good meal.
But have you ever stopped to wonder why restaurants hand out free food? They literally have to sell you food to make a profit, so it does seem rather counterintuitive that they give some of their wares away for free.
There’s a reason behind that piping hot loaf Outback hustles to the table. And it isn’t the goodness of the corporation’s heart.
According to one creator, the reason is simple: blood glucose. Well, that and money.
How do restaurants turn blood glucose into profits?
In a post with 677,000 views as of this writing, TikToker Sherri Kramer (@sherrikramer4) breaks down how restaurants convert free carbs into dollars.
Kramer says the real reason they give bread or chips away is “not because they want you to fill up on the free stuff. And it’s not because they’re generous.”
“This is actually a way for them to make money.”
Carbohydrates like bread and chips cause the body’s blood glucose to spike, Kramer explains.
While it might seem like higher blood glucose would mean your body has the fuel it needs and should be less hungry, the opposite is true.
Kramer, whose bio references insulin resistance issues, correctly points out that this actually makes you hungrier.
“The higher your blood glucose rises, the louder those cravings and hunger pangs might become,” the American Diabetes Association reports.
Restaurants are well aware of this, Kramer says.
“So while it might feel like they’re being generous, they are actually winning,” she concludes.
Kramer didn’t immediately respond to a TikTok comment. Her account does not accept direct messages from people she doesn’t follow.
Is it really just a trick to make you spend more?
Although it is true that bread or chips swiftly elevate your blood glucose levels, and thus can make you hungrier, it is possible to curb your hunger with carbs.
Most of the top comments on Kramer’s post are from the “bread/chips fill me up” crowd.
“I get full off the rolls,” one said.
“Not true. I take my food home. I paid once, eat twice,” wrote another. Many echoed similar sentiments about taking their order home because they filled up on the free stuff. A few said that they don’t even order food.
Multiple commenters tipped a hat to a certain roadhouse (no, not that one).
“Texas Roadhouse owns me,” one fan quipped.
Another said that the popular chain is losing money because they fill up on that “yummy bread.” Texas Roadhouse is known for the rolls it serves with honey-cinnamon butter.
@sherrikramer4 ♬ original sound – sherrikramer4
A few offered alternative theories about why restaurants hand out bread or chips, such as boosting alcohol sales or keeping people from becoming hangry.
No matter the reason, the people agree: Keep the free bread and chips coming.
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