1403: Restaurant Food | Skeptical Sunday

On Skeptical Sunday, Jessica Wynn explains why your mozzarella sticks taste the same everywhere — and how to find restaurants that still really cook.

Welcome to Skeptical Sunday, a special edition of The Jordan Harbinger Show where Jordan and a guest break down a topic that you may have never thought about, open things up, and debunk common misconceptions. This time around, we’re joined by writer and researcher Jessica Wynn!

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/1403

On This Week's Skeptical Sunday:

• How two distributors, Sysco and US Foods, supply more than a quarter of what Americans eat when dining out — and why their 400,000-product catalog means the sports bar, the bistro, and the Mexican place may serve identical mozzarella sticks, lava cakes, and pre-seared steaks.
• Why chains like Cracker Barrel, Applebee’s, and Olive Garden rely so heavily on frozen, pre-made, and microwaved dishes, and how ghost kitchens and restaurant groups like Darden turn one shared supply chain into a dozen seemingly distinct brands.
• What menu buzzwords like farm-to-table, artisanal, and locally sourced really mean (legally, often nothing), how menu engineering steers diners toward high-margin items, and why most franchisees can’t swap in better local ingredients even if they want to.
• How consolidation costs more than money — feeding ultra-processed diets, nationwide recalls that hit thousands of restaurants at once, hidden allergen risks, vanishing regional food traditions, and kitchens where trained cooks are reduced to setting timers.
• How to eat out smarter: ask “Is this made here?”, order simple dishes like grilled chicken or poached eggs, favor small menus with specific descriptions and changing specials, and reward scratch kitchens with your business and reviews that mention the cooking.
• Connect with Jordan on Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. If you have something you'd like us to tackle here on Skeptical Sunday, drop Jordan a line at jordan@jordanharbinger.com and let him know!
• Connect with Jessica Wynn at Instagram (and Instagram!), and subscribe to her newsletters: Between the Lines and Where the Shadows Linger!

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