What Is Restaurant Psychology (And How Do Successful Restaurants Use It)?

Four fascinating lessons I've learned as a Culinary Management student.
Close up image of a restaurant menu with a guest's hand scrolling the items.

In our Restaurant & Culinary Management classes, we've covered topics ranging from menu planning and finding a location, to restaurant finances and branding. What's more, it seems like we're meeting a new food entrepreneur every time we come to class.

Visits from the innovators at Chipotle and Sixpoint Brewery and field trips to Daniel and Blue Smoke have been a few of the highlights. The end result is information and networking overload. While that might sound intimidating, it's actually the intellectual equivalent of stuffing yourself on Thanksgiving: though you can barely fit another bite, you keep eating — or in this case, learning — because the lessons are that good. 

While we've covered a wide range of subjects, my favorite thus far has been restaurant psychology. I've always been fascinated by human psychology — though honestly, who isn't? Understanding how it transforms the dining experience, however, is particularly eye opening. Think you chose that filet mignon of your own free will? Think again. From interior design to menu item placement, successful restaurants use psychology to influence customers' perceptions and decisions.

Here are some of my favorite lessons thus far. 

Restaurants' Interior Design Can Spark (or Sink) Sales 

As most savvy restaurateurs are aware, color has a huge effect on appetite. For example, did you know that red, yellow and orange are all appetite stimulants? Conversely, blue and green are appetite suppressants. (Bar owners, however, should note that blue tends to stimulate thirst.) 

So if you're thinking of painting the walls of your steakhouse pale green, you may want to reconsider. These seemingly trivial decisions can significantly affect a restaurant’s profits. 

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Photo credit: Basheer Tome

Your Menu's Layout Matters

Have you ever wondered why most menus are designed in a similar fashion? Research suggests that the human eye processes information written in a book-style menu in a specific order. When you open a menu, your eye immediately moves to the top right.

Then, in what is referred to as "eye-bounce," your gaze shifts to the middle of page, then the top left, followed by the bottom left, back to the top right, and finally, down to the bottom right. In other words, the top right corner is prime real estate, as the only menu quadrant your eye automatically bounces to twice.

Conversely, the menu's bottom right corner is the least profitable spot, as it’s the last place your eye bounces. 

This is why a restaurant's most expensive dish — for example, a raw bar platter or lavish entrée — often appears in the top right of the menu. It's also why the least expensive items — for example, vegetable sides — often appear in the bottom right. 

Strategic Pricing Is a Smart Move

Two other tricks menu designers employ are boxing and bolding. These techniques are designed to draw your eye to certain menu items — typically, the most expensive dish on the menu. This can serve two purposes. First, you’ll notice (and hopefully order) the very expensive $42 Kobe beef.

However, if you’re watching your budget, that $25 pasta dish will seem like a great deal in comparison. Obviously, the cost of ingredients for these two menu items is very different, and they are priced accordingly. But by viewing the expensive item first, you’re more likely to feel excited about your decision, no matter which dish you choose.

Freebies Turn Guests Into Regulars 

A round of drinks or an appetizer on the house makes you feel pretty special, right? Well, have you ever stopped to think about the motivation behind this rock star treatment? No matter how wonderful you are, it's unlikely the waiter is issuing free food for this reason. Rather, it's a strategic decision.

That comped $15 appetizer may cost the restaurant $5 or $6, depending on their food costs, but it's also likely to secure your return visit — and your return visit is worth much more than five bucks. 

Though patrons don't typically think in these terms, many restaurants have an unspoken rule: For every two drinks a customer buys, they will comp the third.

Get more information about ICE's Restaurant & Culinary Management program