Have You Fallen for Any of These Five Restaurant Tricks?

Generally, when we eat out, we look for something delicious that does not break the bank. Sometimes, we’re celebrating, and sometimes, we’re okay with splurging, but usually, we have a general budget for that night out with friends or grabbing take-out on the way home.

That said, restaurants are businesses that want to make a profit. Prices are based on the cost of ingredients and the labor market, so having a variety of strategies to get us to spend even a few extra dollars adds up for these restaurants.

Have you ever knowingly or unknowingly fallen for any of these restaurant tactics to get you to spend a few extra bucks? According to the Interesting Facts website and the Push Notifications website, we have.

DECOY METHOD

This is a pretty simple strategy that works almost every time. Take spaghetti with marinara sauce. We know it’s super inexpensive to make, but restaurants charge a premium. Simply placing the spaghetti next to other, much more expensive “decoy” dishes we feel like we’re getting a deal.

A couple of well-placed high-price items on a menu convince us to spend more than if everything was around the same price. Most people never buy the most expensive item on a menu.

STRATEGIC PRICING

A common practice to get us to spend more is to price the item as “9” or “nine” instead of using the traditional dollar sign. According to the Interesting Facts website, research shows we spend up to 30% more.

MENU PSYCHOLOGY

Color and layout matter. When many menus are convoluted or ugly, we spend less time with them. A more precise, simple, and visually appetizing menu is easier to peruse; thus, we may order that appetizer we weren’t planning because we spend more time with it.

Our eyes are also drawn to colors that flatter the restaurant: blue for seafood, greens for sophistication or health, and reds and yellows for excitement. Even placing these colors in certain parts of the menu will draw our eyes to that section where we may order something we normally wouldn’t.

Even creative menus, like those on a chalkboard, grab us, and we often order more because everything “looks” so good on the menu.

BUZZWORDS

While we aren’t fooled by reading “the best steak in the city” or “only the finest ingredients,” buzzwords and phrasing do work.

For example, restaurants that tone it down while offering what feels like an elevated experience with “grass-fed,” “fire-roasted,” “stone-ground,” “flaky crust,” “secret family recipe,” or “like mom or grandma used to make” create an experience.

AMBIENCE

Sometimes, we’re just in it for the food, but when we find ourselves in a restaurant that makes us want to linger, we’re going to do just that and buy that appetizer, have dinner, enjoy an extra drink or two, and maybe even go for that dessert. We may even find ourselves ordering another appetizer to share.

Lighting, music, clientele, and energy level are all part of the experience, and while restaurants like to turn over tables, they also like the table that lingers and keeps spending or moves things to the bar if there’s one.