Lower buffet prices lead to less taste satisfaction (1019.16)
Year: 2014
Type: article
Abstract: Objective: In an all‐you‐can‐eat (AYCE) buffet, how does a diner’s taste evaluation change as they eat and based on how much they paid for the buffet? Methods : A field experiment was conducted in which diners at an AYCE restaurant were either charged $4 or $8 for an Italian lunch buffet. Their taste evaluation of each piece of pizza they had was taken along with other measures of behavior and self‐perceptions. The trend of their ratings was analyzed using 2x3 mixed design ANOVA. Results: Diners who paid $4 for their buffet rated their initial piece of pizza as less tasty, less satisfactory and less enjoyable and a downward trend was exhibited with each additional piece (p=0.02). Those who paid $8 did not experience the same decrement in taste, satisfaction and enjoyment. Conclusions: Paying less for an AYCE experience has a number of surprising problems. It not only leads a person to rate the food as less enjoyable but also every additional piece as even less enjoyable. A diner wanting a more enjoyable and perhaps healthier experience might want to realize that when they go to such a buffet, they get what they pay for.
Source: The FASEB Journal
Authors: David Just, Ozge Sigirci, Brian Wansink
Institutions: Cornell University, Marmara University
Language: English
Subfield: Nutrition and Dietetics
Field: Nursing
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W1550008516