Waiters and psychologists (Part 3)

By: Trademagazin Date: 2022. 06. 29. 09:54

Rather few Hungarian bars and restaurants use a trick that is frequent in Western Europe: indicating prices only with numbers and no currency, because this way the brain’s perception of the information is different. If there is a HUF 30,000 ultra-premium cognac on the drink list, a HUF 9,000 super-premium one will seem relatively cheap! It is best if the dishes are described briefly on the menu. Use words referring to nations or geographic locations, e.g. Italian food names or French terms referring to modes of preparation.

In 2022 a menu looks friendlier and is easier to read if something costs HUF 3,000 instead of HUF 2,950. On a menu or a website, always put the food or drink you want to sell the most in the top right corner, because this is the place where guests first look. It also works if you put these at the top of the list, as people remember what they read there the best. Use illustrations on the menu and on tabletop POS tools if it suits the style of your bar or restaurant. //

As the expert sees it

Dr. László Újszászi
Bogár
owner
meggyozes.hu

Our expert is Dr László Újszászi Bogár, a persuasion and influence technique specialist, who also shares his knowledge with students at universities.

“Research has proved that the number of syllables influences our price perception: if there are more syllables, the brain has to work harder to process the price, and this makes us think – wrongly – that more syllables mean a higher price. What is more, VISUAL size and NUMERIC size overlap in our brain. This is the reason why shoppers feel the price is lower if it is indicated in smaller fonts than the other elements surrounding it.” //