The impact of the names of dishes on the guest’s choice of restaurant food

Abstract

Menus represent the written food offer in restaurants. They are a significant marketing tool that influences the guest's choice and personal experience of food in the restaurant. The aim of this study is to perform research on the specific segments of the menu that affect the guest's decision on food choice. The study will try to determine how the names of dishes that are associated with health, sentimentality and ethnic origin have an effect on the guest's choice of food. It is considered that the menus that associate with the given names are to appeal to guests even though they are similar to classic dishes. The research has been conducted in a la carte restaurants. Five menus, offering the dishes made of the same ingredients but with different names, have been offered for the research needs. The "classic" name has been given to the specific dish and the same dish has been titled with "sentimental" name, "authentic" name, "national" name, "organic" or "healthy safe" name and the name that associates with "memory of a family". The participants have marked the menu using the Likert scale (the most appealing 5 to the least appealing 1) without knowing that they have been grading the same dish. The data has been systematized and processed by means of descriptive statistics. The research results will show that the names of dishes have significant effects on the guest's choice of food. The results should make the managers of the restaurants pay more attention to the names of dishes during the process of menu creation. Also, these findings should contribute to the improvement of the restaurants' service.

The Influence of Menu Description on Customer Purchase Intention

“…However, the largest number of respondents which are 148 customers (73%) have agreed and strongly agreed that nature of menu description has influenced them the most in purchasing the menu. Mostly, customers emphasized on the taste of the food that they eat at the restaurant (Tešanović et al, 2016). This finding is supported by Lockyer (2006) when he stated that the word used in menu description such as fresh, sweet, and salted helped the customers define the feeling for the menu and make the right decision to purchase the menu that they are interested.…”

“…Sensory description refers to the sense of taste, smell, and mouthfeel of menu items that are described from the names of food such as "Hearty Wholesome Steak", "Snappy Seasonal Carrots", and "Butter Plump Pasta". Tešanović, Banjac, Kalenjuk, and Radivojević (2016) stated that the menus with sensory characteristics are more appealing to customers as compared to regular menu description. Ozdemir and Caliskan (2015) mentioned that taste can be evaluated right after eating the food or drinking the beverages.…”

Descriptive language of ‘Thai SELECT Premium’ restaurant menus: Appealing perception and collocations

“…structured information and detail; Authority which includes authoritative figures or long-standing tradition; Seasonality which suggests seasonal dependencies; and Politeness which expressions show politeness, respectfulness, and humbleness. Tešanović et al (2016) proposed that descriptive names of food menus were more appealing than classical names. Participants were asked to rate the menus as the most appealing (5), average appeal (4), neither appealing nor unappealing (3), partially appealing (2), and the least appealing (1).…”

“…1. The five categories of menu descriptions were derived from the reviewed research studies (Baiomy et al, 2013;Pryzant et al, 2017;Singsomboon, 2015;Tešanović et al, 2016;Wansink et al, 2001). Similar proposals were put into one category; therefore, the food menu descriptions could be analysed according to the following five categories: 1).…”

“…For restaurant business, menus not only show food and beverage lists but also the images of the restaurants; therefore, food menus are the core of food and beverage operations (Ninemeier, 1990, p. 103;Ozdemir & Caliskan, 2013;Rosalin & Soetanto, 2006). They are also marketing tools and can create customers' first impression of a restaurant and expectations on food and beverage (Baiomy et al, 2013;Ninemeier, 1990, p. 103;Omar et al, 2018;Ozdemir & Caliskan, 2013;Rosalin & Soetanto, 2006;Tešanović et al, 2016;). Menu is created for communication; therefore, words must be selected to be fascinating and unforgettable (Omar et al, 2018).…”