Consumer Behavior
Situational Influences and Eating Habits
What and how people choose to eat is not a conscious decision; it is affected by colors, smells, lighting, plate size and culture. Numerous studies on eating habits have revealed some surprising facts:
Teens who buy lunch with cash buy more junk food than if they use a debit card.
People will eat more M&M’s if they are in 10 colors rather than 7 because they’ll crave the variety. People who have more menu options eat more and if there is any semblance of variety (colors) it ups the intake even more.
In an experiment, people in a movie theater were given tubs of stale popcorn, those who got bigger tubs still ate 35% more.
Professional bartenders cannot overcome this one– they always pour more alcohol into a short wide glass rather than a tall skinny glass.
People who eat at Subway, thinking it is healthy, compensate later by filling up on more snacks than a McDonalds eater.
What Does The World Eat? Take a look at the Hungry Planet.
- A bigger spoon causes people to eat 15% more.
- A bigger plate causes people to eat 25% more.
- A cold restaurant will make people eat more food, as will fresh flowers on the table.
- People will eat 28% more food if the plates are cleared from the table, rather than piled up.
- Red tablecloths will increase the appetite and people will eat more.
