Xtreme Eating Awards lists least healthy chain food options

The Center for Science in the Public Interest has released its annual list of Xtreme Eating Awards, which commemorate for posterity the least healthy chain restaurant dishes available that year. The rankings, which may be of particular interest to students taking cooking school online, are predominantly based on how drastically a given dish can exceed the daily recommended values of fat, sodium, sugar and calories.

This year the top spot went to Red Robin, which offers a combo meal featuring a peppercorn monster burger, steak fries and a monster salted caramel milkshake. The combination plate measures atop the field of unhealthy treats, boasting roughly 3,540 calories, 69 grams of fat and 6,280 milligrams of sodium. Impressive, right?

While no single dish was able to top the offering from Red Robin, the popular chain The Cheesecake Factory made not one, not two, but three separate appearances on the list. The restaurant’s brulee french toast with optional bacon, farfalle with chicken and roasted garlic and Reese​’s peanut butter chocolate cake cheesecake came in second, fourth and ninth on the list, respectively.

In order to compile the list, researchers at the center look carefully at menus and nutritional information from over 200 of the leading chain restaurants in the United States. They also offer estimates of what level of physical activity would burn off each meal. For example, it would take 12 hours of walking to undo the aforementioned Red Robin plate.