The Benefits Of Ordering Without The Bun

You’re ready to sit down to a satisfying burger at your favorite restaurant when you pull off the top of the bun and see that all of the cheese is stuck to the bread! You’re trying to be health-conscious and forgo the carbs, and this is the reward you get?

It’s a tragic moment in the life of a faithful Keto’er. It’s also just one of the many reasons why you should start ordering your burger without the bun in the first place.

We understand your reluctance to be that “high-maintenance” dinner companion asking for special requests, and we get the strong urge you have to avoid looking like one of those crazy dieters to the restaurant staff.

You’re definitely not the only one who has gotten a funny look from a server or two, or experienced a total lack of comprehension of what you’re actually asking for when you make these special orders.

Honestly, we don’t blame you for trying to skip the questions and the puzzled expressions, but there are many benefits to ordering a bunless burger or sandwich that you should keep in mind.

The Bunless Future

Restaurants are aiming to meet the needs of their customers. Owners do constant surveys and customer analysis so they can stay ahead of food trends and figure out which items diners want to see on the menu. If restaurant owners see a dramatic uptick in the number of people ordering burgers and sandwiches sans bun, they will take notice. But ordering a burger and removing the bun yourself doesn’t send that same signal to management, and that’s doing our Keto community a disservice.

The increasing prevalence of low-carb eating and the Keto diet means that people are becoming more familiar with the bunless option, which will eventually lead to fewer confused looks from the waitstaff. Just be polite with your request (and tip accordingly) and everyone gets what they want!

We live in a supply and demand society. If enough Keto customers send a message, eventually the restaurant owners will answer the call. We’re already seeing a wave of restaurants offering Keto options, such as Five Guys’ burger in a bowl and the lettuce-wrapped unwich from Jimmy John’s.

These menu items make it easy for us to order our meal without the addition of awkward customizations, resulting in an effortless ordering process and fewer mistakes on your plate. But these basic low-carb menu items could be just the beginning. Imagine the joy of opening a menu and having the option of a low-carb cauliflower wrap or a Keto cheese bun for your burger!

The possibilities are endless if menu planners and restaurant suppliers see the demand for new grainless choices. And we think dealing with the confusion from the fast food drive-thru operator or facing the questions of your fellow dinner guests is a small price to pay.

Waste Not. Want Not

Beyond our own desire for the restaurant food world to come around to Keto bread alternatives, there is a food waste issue here that also needs to be addressed.

Food waste is estimated at between 30-40 percent of the food supply, according to the USDA. This translated to approximately 133 billion pounds of food and $161 billion worth of food in 2010! Per Rescuing Leftover Cuisine, 1,160 pounds of that food is thrown away by the average family of four, and 38 percent of that is grains.

Food waste is an issue that affects the environment, as the discarded food that winds up in landfills produces a large amount of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas. According to MoveForHunger.org, Methane is approximately 20 times more harmful to the atmosphere than carbon dioxide.

So every time you make the small effort to customize your order, you’re reducing the amount of food waste, which can have a significant impact on the environment.

Save Some Bread

We’ve already established that requesting your special order hamburger will bring benefits to both the Keto community and the country as a whole. But we think there’s one other thing we haven’t addressed here: Why are we still paying for that Pesky bun?

Our breadless entree is saving the restaurant money, and we think that discount should be passed on to us — the Keto’ing trailblazers!

Statistics from Lantannen-Unibake show that the menu price of the average burger has increased 16 percent since 2010. BakingBusiness.com ventures to say that the primary reason for this price hike is due to the bread; since the bun is typically the first thing you see on the plate, restaurant owners have made strides to improve their bread selections and offer more premium options, such as brioche buns and pretzel rolls. According to Forbes, the average mark-up on a typical restaurant hamburger is 384%, which results in a $2.52 fee for the bun alone.

Since we’re letting those buns stay in the kitchen and off our plates, we think it’s only right that we get a Keto’er discount!

We know that sometimes it feels easier to fly under the radar and keep the attention off of you when ordering dinner. But your extra effort may end up paving the way to a Keto menu paradise for you and future Keto’ers alike! Add to that the benefits of reducing food waste and helping the environment, and it’s a no-brainer.

So hone your special ordering skills and get ready next time you sit down at the restaurant table. Now I don’t know about you, but I sure could go for a burger (hold the bun, of course)!