Sure, you could get that regular old cheeseburger and fries, but have you seen the locally sourced, succulent sirloin steak served with creamy dauphinoise potatoes and fresh green beans straight from the farm?
It might be a little more expensive, but it sounds good, doesn't it?
Well, that's down to one of the tactics restaurants use to try and get customers to spend more money at their business without realizing why. Luckily for you, we've broken them down so you can be on the lookout next time you head out for a meal.
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Menu psychology
Yep, you can't even tuck into some nice food without being subject to mind games.
According to global restaurant consultants Aaron Allen & Associates, restaurants start trying to influence you from the moment you're given the menu.
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Rather than just listing out the items that are up for grabs, most establishments will think carefully about the layout and color scheme to try and influence you.
For example, the use of the color green can help indicate that the food is fresh, while red 'encourages action', subtly encouraging the customer to bite the bullet and splash out on more expensive items.
When it comes to the layout, Aaron Allen explains the rule of the 'Golden Triangle'. According to the consultants, our eyes typically move to the middle of a menu first, followed by the top right corner, then the top left.
As a result, dishes that result in the highest profit for the restaurants are often located in these areas, causing them to stand out to the reader.
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Buzzwords
Buzzwords in the form of adjectives often make an appearance on menus, Aaron Allen explains, like the description I gave at the top of this article.
While items like fries, chicken and chocolate cake will usually go down well with customers, you'd likely be more inclined to fork out for them if they were described as 'crisp, home-cooked fries', 'free-range chicken' and 'rich, warm chocolate cake'.
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Restaurants can also play on our emotions by utilizing nostalgia or a sense of adventure, for example by referencing items cooked 'just like Grandma used to make', or dishes that are 'loved in homes across Italy'.
Strategic prices
I'm sure we're all familiar with this one. $99.99 looks a lot better than the big, scary triple digits of $100, right?
Restaurants know this all too well, and will often knock off that one cent so the brain registers the smaller number and we don't feel quite so guilty about spending $19.99 on some spaghetti.
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Other techniques used by restaurants include the omission of the currency sign, for example writing '8' instead of '$8', and writing out the price as a full word.
A decoy meal
If you've ever justified a pricey meal by pointing out that you didn't get the most expensive thing on the menu, then you've likely fallen victim to the decoy item, as referenced by the website Menu By Design.
"$35 for lobster ravioli? No way, I'll just get the spaghetti and meatballs for $29.99," you think. We all know that spaghetti and meatballs is a cheap enough meal to prepare, but in comparison to a more expensive item, we forget about that and focus instead on how much more reasonable we're being by getting one of the cheaper options on the menu.
Though the restaurant might not get as many orders of the more expensive dish, they might be able to turn a better profit by marking up one of the items that's cheaper to prepare and using the expensive dish as a decoy.
Ambience
Candlelight, nice music, comforting colors - these aren't just random selections, but usually strategically chosen features to create a welcoming environment that you want to spend more time - and subsequently more money - in.
If you've finished your meal in the warm, comforting restaurant but it's dark and rainy outside, why not stick around for a coffee or dessert before facing the cold?
Additionally, a 2012 study from Cornell University found that customers in restaurants with softer lighting and music ate fewer calories but enjoyed their food more - meaning restaurants can save money by offering smaller portions, but knowing customers will still be satisfied.
So now that you're clued in, will you be able to resist the subtle signs trying to make you splash the cash?
Topics: Psychology, Food and Drink, Money
Emily Brown