Sure, you might opt for a basic cheeseburger and fries, but have you considered the mouthwatering sirloin steak, locally sourced and served with creamy dauphinoise potatoes and farm-fresh green beans?
It may come at a higher price, but doesn’t it sound tempting?
This is one of the strategies restaurants employ to encourage patrons to spend more without being fully aware of it. Fortunately, we’ve detailed these tactics so you can spot them the next time you’re dining out.
Indeed, even while enjoying a meal, you might be subject to subtle psychological influences.
According to Aaron Allen & Associates, a global restaurant consultancy, the influence begins the moment you receive the menu.
Rather than merely listing available items, most restaurants carefully design the layout and color scheme to guide your choices.
For instance, green suggests freshness, while red ‘encourages action,’ nudging customers to splurge on pricier selections.
Aaron Allen also discusses the ‘Golden Triangle’ layout. Typically, our eyes first travel to the center of a menu, then the top right, and finally the top left.
Consequently, high-profit dishes often occupy these prime spots, drawing attention from diners.
Buzzwords, especially adjectives, are a common feature on menus, as Aaron Allen points out.
While items like fries, chicken, and chocolate cake are appealing, describing them as ‘crisp, home-cooked fries’, ‘free-range chicken’, or ‘rich, warm chocolate cake’ often increases their allure.
Restaurants may also evoke emotions through nostalgia or adventure, with phrases like ‘just like Grandma used to make’ or ‘loved in homes across Italy’.
We’re all familiar with this pricing strategy: $99.99 feels less intimidating than $100.
Restaurants recognize this, often reducing the price by a cent so we perceive a smaller number and feel better about spending $19.99 on spaghetti.
Other pricing tactics include omitting the currency symbol, as in writing ‘8’ instead of ‘$8’, or spelling out the price in words.
If you’ve ever felt better about a pricey meal by avoiding the most expensive menu item, you’ve likely encountered the decoy effect, as noted by Menu By Design.
“$35 for lobster ravioli? No way, I’ll just get the spaghetti and meatballs for $29.99,” might be your thought process. Although spaghetti and meatballs are inexpensive to make, the presence of a pricier item makes the cheaper choice seem more reasonable.
While the restaurant might not sell many of the expensive dishes, they might profit more by marking up a cheaper-to-prepare dish and using the costlier option as a decoy.
Elements like candlelight, pleasant music, and cozy colors are not randomly chosen; they’re often strategically selected to create a welcoming ambiance encouraging longer stays and more spending.
If you’ve finished dining and it’s cold or rainy outside, why not enjoy a coffee or dessert before heading out?
Moreover, a 2012 Cornell University study found that customers in restaurants with mellow lighting and music consumed fewer calories but enjoyed their meals more, allowing restaurants to offer smaller portions while ensuring customer satisfaction.
With this knowledge, will you be able to resist the subtle cues urging you to spend more?