Restaurants are increasingly opting for technological innovations for food ordering. While digital modes of ordering, such as kiosks, tablets, and apps, embrace emerging innovations, can there be unintended consequences regarding the foods purchased and total spending? The findings from a series of studies, including six studies conducted in the field, demonstrate that a digital (vs. non-digital) ordering mode leads consumers to have a more automatic decision making mode and lower cognitive involvement, which results in more indulgent outcomes in the form of unhealthy food orders and higher overall spending. This effect attenuates for consumers with a high degree of technology acceptance and for orders placed earlier in the day. These findings suggest that restaurant managers with the goal of selling healthier options would benefit from having non-digital ordering modes, while managers desiring more indulgent purchases would benefit from having digital ordering modes available.

餐厅越来越多地选择技术创新来点餐。虽然自助终端、平板电脑和应用程序等数字订购模式拥抱新兴创新，但是否会对购买的食品和总支出产生意想不到的后果？一系列研究（包括在该领域进行的六项研究）的结果表明，数字（与非数字）订购模式使消费者拥有更自动的决策模式和更低的认知参与度，从而带来更纵容的结果以不健康的食品订单和更高的总体支出的形式出现。对于技术接受度较高的消费者以及当天早些时候下的订单来说，这种影响会减弱。这些发现表明，以销售更健康的选择为目标的餐厅经理将受益于非数字订购模式，而希望更放纵购买的经理将受益于数字订购模式。