The impact of the surrounding on eating behaviors

1. The impact of the surrounding on eating behaviors SBS2000 Presented by: Natalya Baturova

2. Hypothesis • Physical and Social surrounding has a strong influence on a customer’s eating behavior at the restaurant. It can be either negative or positive.

3. Servicescape concept Servicescape – is the environment where customer interacts within the interior and exterior facilities.

4. Physical Surrounding Ambience Enjoyable ambiance let guests to be more unconscious with their behavior, stay longer at the place, and averagely order more food. Design & Functionality If the ambience matches its functional purpose of the food service then clients will feel more comfortable with the place and will have higher perception of the food quality as well. If customers do not like the food but are highly engaged into the physical surrounding they are likely to come back to the restaurant, even if the food was not that great. Functionality of the space and its design modules customer’s perception. “Under the “Italian condition”, all meals are rated as more Italian”. Color Scheme Warm colors physically stimulate and cool colors are considered to be more relaxing. Color scheme also depends on the target market. Young people seem to prefer bright, strong colors, whereas adults mostly enjoyed their meals in weak, unobtrusively colored environments.

5. Music “In restaurants, background music is often used to soften the atmosphere”. It is incorporated in the physical surrounding and works to cut the noises from the kitchen and to separate consumers from each other’s conversations. Music creates a special mood and atmosphere. When guests like music they tend to stay longer and order more food. People have expectations on what the place should be set like in terms of the music.

6. Social Influence • Presence of other people during food consumption demonstrates that men and women eat more when they are with others than when eating alone. • Consumers who are eating at the restaurant with their family tend to eat more food, drink more beverages and stay generally longer. • Consumers, who are dining with their colleagues, will alter their food choices according to what the other person is having. • People eat less when in high stress level. It can happen if customer eats with an attractive opposite-sex companion, supervisor, or other unfamiliar or important person. • Adolescents, at the same time, are more influenced by their peers and will alter their food choices according to peer food orders rather than what they are used to eat at home.

7. Conclusion • General: Whether we realize it or not, we do depend on the surrounding around us and react accordingly. • For Consumers: If people get more conscious about their food behaviors they could tailor their preferences better and eat healthier. • For Business: Key success for the food entity is a combination of professional service, pleasant physical surrounding for the target audience and a good quality of food. • For Society: Restaurant businesses could use these researches to fight obesity problems American nation now encounters. It also can bring more healthy choices to consumers without altering the profits.

8. References • Grunert, K. G. (2002). Current issues in the understanding of consumer food choice. Trends in Food Science and Technology, 13, 275-285. • Bitner, M. J. (1992). Servicescapes: The impact of physical surroundings on customers and employees. Journal of Marketing, 56(8), 57-71. • Blanding, M. (2011, October 24). The Yelp Factor: Are Consumer Reviews Good for Business? Harvard Business School, 1-1. • Nestle, M. (1998). Behavioral and social influences on food choices. Nutrition Reviews, 56(5), 50-74. • Stroebel, N., & De Castro, J. (2004). Effect of ambience on food intake and food choice. Nutrition, 20, 821-838 Thank you