Table 2.
Items captured by the survey instrument for assessing restaurants
| Restaurant survey variables | Rationale/how measured |
|---|---|
| Date |
Essential food establishment data that allows for identification, geocoding, and time-stamping. |
| Survey start time, survey end time | |
| Food establishment name | |
| Street address | |
| GPS reading | |
| Hours of operation | |
|
Type of restaurant |
Categorization the restaurant. 14 possible types. Check all that applied. A distinction was made between establishments that sold prepared foods: if they had 5 or more seats, they were defined as restaurants, otherwise defined as a store. |
| Sit-down, take-out, western fast food, café, Chinese fast food, street stand/cart, food court, deli, bakery, bar, tea house, dessert, juice bar and other | |
|
Restaurant size |
Seating capacity in number of persons or number of tables. |
| Seating capacity | |
|
Type of food served |
Assess availability of certain types of foods that are common to this city. 11 types. Check all that applied. |
| Vegetarian, vegan, organic, dim-sum, seafood, noodles, regional cuisine, Muslim, buns/pancakes, deep-fried, and other | |
|
Drinks |
Assess availability of certain types of drinks that are common to this city. 10 types. Check all that applied. |
| None, soda, juice, alcohol, tea, coffee, bottled water, yogurt, flavored milk, and other | |
| Was a take-out menu available? |
Yes/no |
| Was a flyer available? |
Yes/no |
|
Advertisement |
Assesses whether the restaurant advertises their food. Check all that applied. |
| None, local TV station, phone directory, newspaper, and other | |
| Display of business license |
Indication of potential food quality. Yes/no |
| Website |
Indication of new forms of advertising. Yes/no |
| Nutrition information available |
Yes/no |
| Signs encouraging overeating |
e.g., all-you-can-eat, super-size, jumbo, extra-large descriptors on menu or signage. Yes/no |
| Promotions |
e.g., low-carb, low-fat, low-cholesterol. Yes/no. |
| Portion size choices |
Check if small, medium and large portions sizes are sold. Check all that applied. |
|
Price range |
Range of pricing for vegetable dishes, meat dishes, and other dishes. |
| Vegetable, meat, and others |