It's no secret that restaurants use a lot of mind tricks to help you get in the mood to order food. They can utilize strategies such as mellow mucic, friendly servers, and massive photos featuring enticing (and often expensive) items in their menus all in an effort to make you feel comfortable, lower your inhibitions about ordering the more expensive menu items, and maybe even upselling you some drinks or dessert.
Even with all these factors in play, there are actually other factors that will influence you when it comes to what you order in a restaurant, and surprisingly, some of these things are out of the control of the restaurant, such as:
- Your Dining Companion's Weight
According to an article from Appetite, a study showed that people can be influenced by their dining companion's weight. The results showed that diners who were with heavy, overweight people are more likely to order unhealthy items from the menu. It also worked the other way; people who dined with companions who were at a healthy weight ordered healthier menu items.
- The BMI of the Waiter
When a waiter comes over, most of us think that they're here to take our order, and don't really pay much attention to them beyond that. However, a study from the journal Environment & Behavior found that, out of 500 people who were part of the study, diners were more inclined to order dessert if their waiter had a high BMI. This effect is more noticeable on slim diners. Researchers hypothesized that seeing the waiters with high BMI tended to put people in a more "relaxed" frame of mind when it came to their calorie count over their meals.
It's not all bad news for restaurateurs out there, though. There are some factors that can be changed or managed by the restaurant so that they can be more accommodating and comfortable for their diners, such as:
- The Names of the Menu Items
Studies have shown that people are more willing to order food that has descriptions attached to their names, or, at least, has a short description of the menu item under the name. Adjectives that invoke ideas of delicious and fresh food (i.e., succulent, tender, juicy, etc.) make people more inclined to order a particular menu item.
- The Specials
Specials are often printed out on a daily and weekly basis and placed in front of a menu so that it catches the eye of the diners more quickly. These items are often more expensive and/or more unhealthy compared to the other menu items, but people are more inclined to order them because it's the first thing that caught their eye, especially if they are hungry. Specials are also more often ordered if a waiter takes the time to point them out especially to diners.
- The Ambiance
Yes, the ambiance in a restaurant, particularly the lighting, music, and level of noise, is a major factor that influences ordering decisions. People who are in a restaurant with soft, slow, and mellow music, along with good lighting, will be more inclined to order more and stay in the restaurant to enjoy their meal.
