This study examined the influence of words used in restaurant menu descriptions. Menu descriptions are typically short, communicating a great deal of information in a brief statement. Understanding the types of words that resonate most with consumers addresses a gap in menu research. Correspondingly, this study assessed how consumers process menu words to minimize ordering risk by applying a choice-based conjoint analysis approach utilizing word attributes and levels. 1500 participants were recruited to simultaneously evaluate multiple menu description variations. Findings noted that words can be classified as hedonic (emotional) or utilitarian (functional) and that utilitarian words can be further sub-categorized as experiential or descriptive. Findings support a hierarchy of word influence, and add to research literature, specifically menu design. The practical implications are that restaurateurs can improve their menu descriptions by utilizing words drawn from the most influential categories as a means of mitigating consumer anxiety.

中文翻译：

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撰写餐厅菜单描述：选词对消费者行为的影响


本研究考察了餐厅菜单描述中使用的词语的影响。菜单描述通常很简短，在简短的陈述中传达了大量信息。了解最能引起消费者共鸣的词类型可以解决菜单研究中的差距。相应地，本研究评估了消费者如何处理菜单词，通过应用利用词属性和级别的基于选择的联合分析方法将订购风险降至最低。招募了 1500 名参与者，以同时评估多个菜单描述变体。研究结果指出，词语可以分为享乐性（情感）或功利性（功能性），功利词可以进一步细分为体验性或描述性。研究结果支持词语影响力的层次结构，并添加到研究文献中，特别是菜单设计。实际意义是，餐馆老板可以通过使用来自最有影响力的类别的词来改进他们的菜单描述，作为缓解消费者焦虑的一种手段。