Don’t Buy This: 11 Clever Ways Restaurants and Cafes Make Us Spend More Money

Today we are going to tell you about clever ways that make you spend more than you planned – these are tricks often used in cafes and restaurants.

TikTok user @Cowgirl.Crystal shared this hack to increase restaurant profits – according to the girl, it’s all about… sugar. “They serve you a basket of bread and you eat it while studying the menu. As a result, your glucose level rises, you get very hungry and make choices in this state,” she explains. Bowls of nuts and chips in bars work the same way: salt makes us thirsty and we order more alcohol.

They’re pretty convenient, right? However, research shows that such screens actually make customers spend 10% more than they would when they order at the register. “One hundred percent of the time, they’ll try to upsell you on a larger portion, offer to add a side dish, sauce or drink you didn’t plan on buying, or offer to customize the dish that increases the cost – and you’ll agree to something,” says analyst Andy Barish.

You’ve probably heard of it: the number of orders for a dish depends on where it sits on the menu. (And developing assortment designs is a real art.) We pay the most attention to the middle of the page and its upper corners – the most expensive or profitable items usually appear there.

Another technique is to focus on an expensive product: thanks to it, we perceive others as cheap and accessible, even if they are not necessarily so. The recipe for dealing with such “suggestions” is simple: always keep in mind your ideas about an acceptable price and the amount you are willing to spend.

Words are cheap – that’s why they’re spent so generously. If you see a description like “Delicious slices of halloumi cheese on a fresh, hand-sliced ​​brioche bun, toasted and served with crisp lettuce from our chef’s garden,” you can be sure that’s the run-of-the-mill sandwich you’re looking for.

Why? Either someone urgently needs to use up their soon-to-be-expired cheese stock, or the cost of the sandwich is very low and therefore its sales generate a good profit. The reasons are not so important, however – remember to focus on what the dish is and not pay attention to the words used to describe it.

Music in restaurants and cafes can hardly be called a subtle and imperceptible manipulation: people themselves admit in surveys that they would stay longer in a place where it plays and are ready to order more drinks and food if they like the playlist.

Restaurateurs have long known that sound matters: restaurants play slow, soft tunes that create an atmosphere that keeps visitors engaged, and in food courts, they play upbeat tunes that make us eat faster and clear the table for the next visitors.

These techniques are often combined: for example, you may find that your favorite evening restaurant is completely different during the day when it serves lunch. Our advice is simple: if you don’t want to spend too much, learn to turn off the music and eat lunch or dinner on your own schedule.

House pamphlets and laminated cards with double-sided information are placed on tables for good reason. “They grab your attention and keep your hands busy while you wait for the server or your food. They’re the equivalent of a wallet by the cash register: Table chatterboxes work when you’re forced to sit still. It’s easy to say “no” to a server who approaches you for a few seconds — and much harder to say “no” to that glossy page with its bright colors that please your taste buds, Barish says.

If you think that the hot cast iron skillet in which your roast was served is only there to keep the dish from getting cold, then you are sorely mistaken. This type of presentation works on the audience: the sizzling bacon, the aroma of the fried meat and the sound of the fork touching the utensils encourage people to order the same thing.

The popularity of bowls and poke did not appear out of nowhere. Be careful: in the description of these dishes, the first place in the list of ingredients will be rice, which costs a penny. The best way to sell such a simple and inexpensive product is to make dishes that use it popular and advertised. We have nothing against rice, but we still advise you to think: is it really worth the money they ask for?

Do you have a hard time saying “no” to dessert? We do too, especially at the restaurant, they look so beautiful on the menu and in the window and are so different from the cookies you have at home… However, there is a “but”: in most cases, desserts are not prepared on site, but are purchased frozen from wholesalers. Chances are you can find the same cakes in the freezer section of your nearest supermarket for much less – and if so, why pay more? It is better to spend money on something exquisite, created from scratch and unique.

This technique appeared at the dawn of the development of fast food: it seems to us that we pay less for a large portion than it is worth, but in reality everything is different, and the cost of one gram of a standard-sized dish will be lower. First of all, this applies to drinks: medium and large cappuccinos are almost the same price. Again, nothing against a large glass of latte, but we still advise you to find out how much food or drink you really need to feel full.

Read also: Where Not to Sit at a Restaurant: Find Out Which Place Makes You Spend the Most Money

Size manipulations are also possible in the other direction: large portions are sold to us, creating the illusion of greater value, and tiny portions are offered to “treat ourselves”. Small, jewel-like desserts cost next to nothing, but seem very sophisticated and therefore valuable to us – no wonder we part with money so easily.

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