Some restaurants in Austin have gone trans-fat free. A month or two ago, at least two local restaurant chains started using natural oils to cook their food. This comes just after New York City became the nation's first to ban trans fats in restaurants.

Driving down "restaurant row" on Barton Springs Road, you may notice something different. You might call it a sign of the times. The sign outside Baby Acapulco restaurant reads, "trans fat free cooking."

Baby Acapulco went trans fat-free about a month and a half ago. Workers now cook everything with canola oil, with the exception of stuffed jalapenos, chicken tenders, and hamburger patties.

"[We're] just trying to be more health conscious. It seems to be the way to go," said Kevin Werner, Baby Acapulco manager.

The change went virtually unnoticed.

"Noticed no difference. It's good, just like it always is," said Lisa Fairclough, a customer.

"There's a slight flavor difference -- not much. It just looks like they backed off some of the spices," said David Trevino, a customer.

Chuy's Restaurant, just up the road, has also gone trans fat-free. Chuy's made the switch in early January, but managers say it's something they've been considering for more than a year.

"It was going to be extremely expensive to make that change, and I think what's happened in New York and the recent developments and more people catching on, the oil that we were able to convert to was less expensive," said Ashley Ingle, marketing director for Chuy's Family of Restaurants.

Chuy's now uses a soy-based oil to cook everything on the menu.

"I've been eating this for probably like four or five years now and it's my favorite and I didn't notice a difference," said Kasey Wiley, a customer.

"As far as the taste of the food, it doesn't appear to be any different," said Matthew Thomas.

Experts say studies show eliminating even a very small amount of trans-fat can make a big difference.

"Trans fats are dangerous because they cause increased blockages in the arteries and increase risk of cardiac death," said Jonathan Sheinberg, a cardiologist with Texas Cardiovascular Consultants. "For every two percent increase in trans fat consumption, the risk of having a cardiac event doubled."

It's reasoning restaurants hope will have a healthy impact on business.

Shady Grove is the only restaurant in the Chuy's Family of Restaurants that has not made the switch.

Although healthier oils do cost more, neither Chuy's nor Baby Acapulco plan to pass along the cost to customers.