A bunch of idiots are suing Applebee's, International. Not over something important, like fair wages or unsafe labor conditions or anything like that. Nope, they're suing because their Weight Watchers menu items have slight variances in the nutritional information. WTF? Who the hell cares!

The information came from one of those local "investigative reports" sort of things in Detroit, where they took various menu items and tested them. The full chart is here, and I'm sure Chili's and Macaroni Grill are going to get sued soon too. I'm sure Applebee's was just the first in line because they have a special "Weight Watchers" menu, so it's an easy target. Here's how it breaks down:
So basically, people are suing over a maximum of 89 extra calories, or maybe over the 12.6 extra grams of fat. I can't believe that a) people are that psychotic about calorie intake b) lawyers get paid for this crap c) public court time and money are going to be wasted on this shit.

I avoid saying where I work because I don't want to lose the option to bitch about it without fear of being dooced. :) But I will say that I used to work at the Applebee's in my old hometown. So I know these menu items. If I were to hazard a guess here, I'd say that the portion of cajun lime tilapia they tested accidentally received a regular portion of almond rice pilaf (buttery goodness!) instead of the WW rice. Maybe the cook who made the chicken and portobello sandwich accidentally toasted the bun with butter. Maybe the person who got the steak and portobello thing pissed off their server, and they put buttery broccoli on the plate instead of the bland WW broccoli. Etc.

What it boils down to is this: when you put your food preparation in the hands of someone else, you can't be 100% absolutely positive what's in it. If you can't deal with that, stay home. If you're so fucking freaked out about calorie content that you're going to sue over 89 calories, go home and weigh and measure your little ingredients in your own kitchen.