Nutritionist shares real reason restaurants hand out complimentary bread

Most people assume that complimentary bread at restaurants is simply a wholesome gesture or an incentive to draw in more customers. But now, one TikToker has broken that facade with claims there's a clever reason behind it.

Racking up a staggering 770,000 views, TikToker Cowgirl Crystal (@cowgirl.crystal) candidly claimed the free bread is "not because they want you to fill up on their free stuff."

"It is because you will spend more money."

She went on to claim that when diners are browsing the menu and tucking into the complimentary snack, "biologically what happens when you eat that bread or those chips? Your glucose spikes."

Harvard nutritionist Amy Shah touched on this in a piece for CNBC, explaining: "Refiner flour, mainly white flour, jacks up your blood sugar levels fast, spiking your insulin levels and then making them crash. This reaction makes you hungry very quickly, which explains why you may feel like eating again soon after having a bagel or a slice of toast."

Before long, fellow TikTokers chimed in on the action, with one humouring: "I'm so happy you shared this bit of useless information."

One self-aware TikToker wrote: "No. I'll eat the bread 'cause I'm staving then bring half the meal home, too full for dessert."

Others supported the sentiment, reiterating: "Except we don't. I order less food because of the bread or chips I eat before I order. if I don't touch them I order more."

Another added: "Maybe that’s their intent, but that doesn’t happen to me. The bread or chips never impact my degree of hunger."

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