Carrot and stick: how restaurants make us spend more

If a person goes to a restaurant, then he is not living from paycheck to paycheck and are theoretically willing to spend more than planned. It remains only to encourage it. Of course, marketers have long ago adopted this rule for service and has developed an Arsenal of all of the above. Let's review the main weapons of the capitalist catering.

1. Restaurant gambit

The most common technique. Reducing the cost of meals for one measly ruble, restaurateurs achieve a useful effect. Conditional "Caesar" in the mind of the customer passes from the category of "Food for 300 rubles more expensive" in the category of "200 something". However, the trick of this very beaten up, and because it is increasingly modify: "Caesar" cheaper by nine rubles. Cheap trick it is, and efficiency is maintained.

2. Letters don't belong here

If the menu price is just a number, this does not mean that the regretted ink to write "RUB". This is also a trick. Of course, everybody understands that we are not talking about the wrappers. But what for once again to remind people about what they spend money? Cornell University conducted a study and found people who be given a menu without dollar sign, I leave the restaurant much more money than those whom he eyesore.

If we add to the names of dishes a quality epithet, stimulating appetite, then sales will increase by 27%. This information was received by the specialists from the University of Illinois. Agree, potatoes, fried to a crisp, more attractive than a baked potato. In addition, it was found that guests dip into adjectives, most are complimentary about the school.

What would Golden the potatoes tastes better than my grandmother or mother, no one will ever make. Experienced cafe with it not even trying to argue, but I assure you that is not very far behind. So a range of grandma's warm cookies, homemade roast pork with potatoes and pasta Carbonara recipe aunt Petunia.

Ethnically painted the words that make the menu more interesting and push to try something new. And even if nothing unusual in the recipe is actually there, the customer will still be satisfied. Because "toast can not cost 8 dollars, and croutons — can". Besides, the puzzled visitor will likely cope the waiter what kind of crouton like this. And he too will present the crouton as it should be.

If some menu items are underlined, marked or placed in a frame, they immediately attract attention. This technique is usually use cheap institution, and the respectable, of course, can not afford. But there are more subtle ways to get the same effect. For example, to write the name in two lines instead of one or make the font larger.

And I love the croutons. Often, restaurants use extremely expensive food as a trap. Guest almost certainly will not want to order them and choose something more social, considering that he had acted rationally. "The function of the delicacy for $ 115 — the only dishes on the menu with a three-digit price — to create the illusion that all the other items you can afford," says the author of several business bestsellers William Poundstone.