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The influence of condiment availability on cuisine selection

The influence of condiment availability on cuisine selection PurposeIn most restaurants or dining facilities, even though a set of condiments such as salt, black pepper, ketchup, and mustard, is placed on the tables, and such condiments are a staple of many cuisines, they have been largely ignored with respect to understanding their effects on food choice. The purpose of this study is to determine whether condiments placed on tables at dining facilities can affect consumers’ cuisine selection.Design/methodology/approachFour individual booths were set up with four different condiment configurations: 1) branded ketchup and mustard, 2) unbranded ketchup and mustard, 3) unbranded soy sauce and chili-garlic sauce, and 4) no condiment. In all, 68 participants were assigned in random sequence to all booths, with each given a menu listing nine different cuisines (three North American, three Asian, and three Hispanic cuisines) in a random order, and asked to identify their top three preferred cuisines at each booth.FindingsParticipants chose Asian cuisines with higher priority than Mexican and North American selections when Asian condiments were placed on the table. Interestingly, this effect occurred only when the participants had noticed the condiment setting, but not when they had unnoticed it. Such Asian condiment availability-induced cuisine selection was also more pronounced for external eaters.Research limitations/implicationsFood service professionals and business owners, especially in food courts comprised of a variety of ethnic food vendors, should perhaps consider placing a set of condiments associated with their target cuisines at visible table spaces at dining facilities, thereby leading customers to select their cuisine items.Originality/valueThis study provides new empirical evidence that consumers are more likely to select cuisines congruent to the choice of condiment setting placed on their dining table. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png British Food Journal Emerald Publishing

The influence of condiment availability on cuisine selection

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Publisher
Emerald Publishing
Copyright
Copyright © Emerald Group Publishing Limited
ISSN
0007-070X
DOI
10.1108/BFJ-08-2016-0353
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

PurposeIn most restaurants or dining facilities, even though a set of condiments such as salt, black pepper, ketchup, and mustard, is placed on the tables, and such condiments are a staple of many cuisines, they have been largely ignored with respect to understanding their effects on food choice. The purpose of this study is to determine whether condiments placed on tables at dining facilities can affect consumers’ cuisine selection.Design/methodology/approachFour individual booths were set up with four different condiment configurations: 1) branded ketchup and mustard, 2) unbranded ketchup and mustard, 3) unbranded soy sauce and chili-garlic sauce, and 4) no condiment. In all, 68 participants were assigned in random sequence to all booths, with each given a menu listing nine different cuisines (three North American, three Asian, and three Hispanic cuisines) in a random order, and asked to identify their top three preferred cuisines at each booth.FindingsParticipants chose Asian cuisines with higher priority than Mexican and North American selections when Asian condiments were placed on the table. Interestingly, this effect occurred only when the participants had noticed the condiment setting, but not when they had unnoticed it. Such Asian condiment availability-induced cuisine selection was also more pronounced for external eaters.Research limitations/implicationsFood service professionals and business owners, especially in food courts comprised of a variety of ethnic food vendors, should perhaps consider placing a set of condiments associated with their target cuisines at visible table spaces at dining facilities, thereby leading customers to select their cuisine items.Originality/valueThis study provides new empirical evidence that consumers are more likely to select cuisines congruent to the choice of condiment setting placed on their dining table.

Journal

British Food Journal – Emerald Publishing

Published: Jun 5, 2017

References

  • Influence of gender, age and motives underlying food choice on perceived healthiness and willingness to try functional foods
  • Effects of adding an Italian theme to a restaurant on the perceived ethnicity, acceptability, and selection of foods
  • Variety enhances food intake in humans: role of sensory-specific satiety
  • Psychological aspects of overeating and obesity
  • Blue lighting decreases the amount of food consumed in men, but not in women