food+drink
Treadmills to be installed at Middle East food court counters
New anti-obesity drive will see diners forced to exercise to place an order
An artist’s impression of how the Run Fast For Fast Food initiative might look like
Unveiled in Dubai this morning, the ‘Run Fast For Fast Food’ programme will differ from previous weight-loss and fitness schemes in that it will make using treadmills mandatory for all diners. By placing the machines in front of each of the food counters, customers will be forced to use them while placing an order.
“Beyond clamping down on dishes high in sodium, sugar and saturated fats, we really can’t stop people eating unhealthy fast food all day long,” said Rita Jorge, the programme’s founder. “But what we can do is make it that much harder for them to get to the most fattening foods, and perhaps help them burn some calories on the way!”
Where the Run Fast For Fast Food programme really comes into its own is with an innovative tiered approach, with the different treadmill’s difficulty levels set in accordance to the calorie-count of the food being ordered.
“For example, were someone to go to a counter to order a supersized Big Mac meal with extra fries, the treadmill would be running at around the three times the speed and with a far greater incline than for someone ordering, say, a chicken sandwich with slimline dressing,” said Jorge, adding that the length of time spent exercising would hopefully deter those placing sizeable orders.
“Our trial runs found that having spent 30 seconds sweating on a gruelling uphill setting, those who normally might request six family mega buckets, 24 pieces of chicken, nine Zinger Tower burgers, six tubs of coleslaw, 14 large fries and four litres of Coke were significantly scaling back their orders,” she said.
“Some of our more generously proportioned testers simply weren’t physically capable of choosing anything but healthy options.”
Concerned
January 15, 2014 at 1:54 pm
What do you think a maid is for? And how is this going to work for home deliveries?
Alistair
January 15, 2014 at 2:51 pm
What about drive thru’s?
Atta Bhoy
January 16, 2014 at 5:54 am
Great idea! Dubai leads the way again! They should install a treadmill straight from the car park to the counter. This would make it easier for everyone involved, especially in summer.
Alan Sunlotion
January 16, 2014 at 8:34 am
Wee that will stop the shadows from ordering a KFC! Do the machines come with slow shuffle speed!
Chrystal Chipotle
February 16, 2014 at 11:54 am
They will just stand idly about with their mouths open, taking selfies and texting, whilst instructing the maid to do run whilst she simultaneously looks after 5 kids under six and juggling numerous shopping bags and buggys. If she drops anything she will not be permitted to eat the remnants of the children’s happy meals for her supper.
Faggot
January 16, 2014 at 8:43 am
Not sure I want to be looking at the fat bird sweating on one of these ordering her double whopper quarter pounder with extra blood clots.
Roger Rave
January 16, 2014 at 9:25 am
They should also use solid lead ‘boxes’ & ‘buckets’ for the food and iron forks instead of the plastic ones
Billy Blubber
January 16, 2014 at 12:03 pm
Talk about on the road to nowhere!