Walk-On’s has asked the LSU AgCenter Food Incubator to analyze the nutritional value of dishes served in its popular restaurants.
The AgCenter, in a news release, says the lengthy process began July 6 after new federal regulations took effect in May requiring restaurants with more than 20 locations to publish calorie counts for menu items.
Walk-On’s operates 12 locations in eight markets and is planning new locations in Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee and Texas as well as in several additional markets across the south.
“We needed outside expertise to conduct nutritional analyses of our menu items in order to comply with the new government regulations, and it seemed like the perfect project for the Food Incubator,” Walk-On’s vice president Mike Turner says in a statement.
The project marks the first time LSU’s food incubator—which helps food entrepreneurs make and market their products—is working with a restaurant. A food scientist and two graduate students are working on the project, which will take six to eight months to complete.
Gaye Sandoz, director of the food incubator, says technical service offerings like food chemistry testing, the development of new formulas and writing nutrition labels are being expanded.
