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SALT LAKE CITY — When you eat out, the calories flood in — usually, many more than you need.
This is especially true at chain restaurants.
National chains like Mimi’s Café and McDonald’s gain loyal patrons for offering cheap, tasty meals. More precisely, customers like the caloric bang for the buck, convenience and fat content. Some even argue that the levels of fat, sodium and additives makes this food highly addictive. Many popular menu items have over half the amount of calories recommended in an entire day — approximately 2,000 according to the USDA — and dangerously high levels of fat.
For example, the item that made No. 1 on this list has 2,300 calories and 164 grams of fat. That’s 15 percent more than the daily recommended caloric intake and over 200 percent the daily recommended fat intake in one meal alone.
Using data from the ESHA nutrition database, the experts at HealthGrove looked at 15 chain restaurants and found the most caloric dish at each. All of these items are available in the United States and are on the menus as of this writing.
Note: In the case of ties, the dish with the most fat ranks highest. Additionally, we ruled out dessert items as well as family-sized items.
15. In-N-Out Burger
**Most Caloric Dish:** Double Double Cheeseburger *(with spread)* **Calories per Serving:** 670 **Serving Size:** 1.0 each (330g) **Fat:** 41g **Sodium:** 1,440mg14. Chick-fil-A
**Most Caloric Dish:** Sausage Egg & Cheese Breakfast Sandwich *(with biscuit)* **Calories per Serving:** 670 **Serving Size:** 1.0 each (198g) **Fat:** 44g **Sodium:** 1,470mg13. McDonald's
**Most Caloric Dish:** Hotcakes & Large Biscuit Big Breakfast Meal **Calories per Serving:** 1,150 **Serving Size:** 1.0 meal (434g) **Fat:** 60g **Sodium:** 2,260mg12. Del Taco
**Most Caloric Dish:** Chicken Chipotle Ranch Epic Burrito **Calories per Serving:** 1,160 **Serving Size:** 1.0 each (513g) **Fat:** 66g **Sodium:** 2,650mg11. Burger King
**Most Caloric Dish:** Ultimate Breakfast Platter BK Meal **Calories per Serving:** 1,190 **Serving Size:** 1.0 meal (464g) **Fat:** 66g **Sodium:** 2,460mg10. Sonic
**Most Caloric Dish:** SuperSonic Bacon Double Cheeseburger *(with mayonnaise)* **Calories per Serving:** 1,240 **Serving Size:** 1.0 each (396g) **Fat:** 87g **Sodium:** 1,690mg9. Dairy Queen
**Most Caloric Dish:** Chicken Strip Basket *(with gravy toast & fries, 6 piece)* **Calories per Serving:** 1,250 **Serving Size:** 1.0 meal **Fat:** 61g **Sodium:** 3,190mg8. Carl's Junior
**Most Caloric Dish:** 1/2-lb. Thickburger El Diablo **Calories per Serving:** 1,290 **Serving Size:** 1.0 each (431g) **Fat:** 85g **Sodium:** 2,790mg7. Red Robin
**Most Caloric Dish:** Whiskey River BBQ Cheeseburger *(with sesame bun)* **Calories per Serving:** 1,392 **Serving Size:** 1.0 each (340g) **Fat:** 89g **Sodium:** 1,741mg6. P.F. Chang's
**Most Caloric Dish:** Walnut Shrimp with Melon **Calories per Serving:** 1,420 **Serving Size:** 1.0 order **Fat:** 113g **Sodium:** 1,390mg5. Pizza Hut
**Most Caloric Dish:** Meat Lover's PANormous Pizza *(personal)* **Calories per Serving:** 1,470 **Serving Size:** 1.0 individual (465g) **Fat:** 80g **Sodium:** 3,670mg4. Denny's
**Most Caloric Dish:** Peanut Butter Cup Pancake Meal **Calories per Serving:** 1,510 **Serving Size:** 1.0 meal (595.34g) **Fat:** 90g **Sodium:** 2,440mg3. Mimi's Cafe
**Most Caloric Dish:** Chicken Tillamook Cheddar Mac **Calories per Serving:** 1,560 **Serving Size:** 1.0 order **Fat:** 113g **Sodium:** 2,679mg2. Culver's
**Most Caloric Dish:** North Atlantic Cod *(with coleslaw fries & roll, 3 piece)* **Calories per Serving:** 1,680 **Serving Size:** 1.0 meal (629g) **Fat:** 112g **Sodium:** 1,876mg1. Johnny Rockets
**Most Caloric Dish:** Bacon & Cheddar Double Cheeseburger **Calories per Serving:** 1,770 **Serving Size:** 1.0 each (555g) **Fat:** 125g **Sodium:** 2,380mgResearch Nutrition Information on HealthGrove