We all know that stores play psychological tricks on us in order to persuade us to buy more, but did you know that restaurants do that too? Dining establishments have plenty of tricks up their sleeves that leave us ordering more than we originally intended to. See what those methods are, and don’t be upset with yourself if you fall for them – we all do!
Putting on a Show
Have you ever ordered something only to be delighted by a whole production of having it served to you? Restaurants don’t make their food into a spectacle just for your entertainment, they do it so other diners will see the show and get jealous. More often than not, once one table orders a dish that involves a show, the tables around them will follow suit.
Common Scents
Have you ever walked past a restaurant and decided to go in because it just smelled so good? That waft of yumminess is probably completely artificial. Many restaurants will have the chef walk around the establishment before opening, carrying various spices and foods, making the place smell delicious. That’s not to say the food isn’t truly tasty, but it probably doesn’t have that strong of a smell that you’d catch a whiff just walking by.
Menu Tricks
We’ve all had that experience of going into a restaurant, absolutely certain of what we want to order. However, something entirely different catches our attention when looking at the menu, and we change our minds. That’s because menus are written in a way that will get you to order the more expensive dishes. This can be done by placing those meals in a box, changing the font, or some other trick. But if you really pay attention, you can see which items the menu is drawing your eye towards.
Asking Questions
You may not be planning on getting a side dish with your meal, but what about when the waiter flat-out asks you if you want one? Suddenly, when they start listing all the options, you find yourself craving a side of fries.
This is a trick many waiters are taught – always offer the customer something else on top of what they’ve ordered. Of course, something else is always for an extra price, but it just sounds so much more enticing when it’s being offered.