Restaurant Consumer Psychology

Updated October 7th 2013

Use consumer psychology, visual displays and creative packaging to reinforce your customer’s positive association with your restaurant’s brand.

Master grabbing a customer’s positive attention before customer service or food quality is considered. Accomplish the positive branding in your food service business by working with consumer psychology and using creative visual displays and packaging. When done correctly, these three components work together to create a rewarding experience for new and regular customers.

What is Consumer Psychology?

Consumer psychology is the study of how people are influenced through feelings, beliefs and perspective when making a purchase decision. It is valuable to restaurant owners as it creates an outline of how to capture the attention of target audiences by catering to their behaviours and habits.

Here are some suggestions to appeal to your customer’s emotional reasoning:

• Appease hunger immediately and offer samples in line or complimentary snacks to nibble while waiting for food to be prepared. Customers will realize that you have put yourself in their position and while maybe the preparation takes some time, the result should not be influenced by a bad first impression.
• Welcome each guest with a smile and a hello from the moment they walk in the door. Sympathy is developed among people within a few seconds. Make sure you use them right as it is a multiplier for all following reactions.

Incorporate these strategies in your restaurant’s décor with the following suggestions:

• Display awards, community involvement or rave reviews as decoration. Keep it clean and uncluttered for a streamlined presentation.
• Communicate the benefits of incorporating your menu into your customer’s lifestyle. Encourage your customers to make good decisions by visiting your online store often.
• Whatever is difficult to get for private people, think about offering it to them because you have access to it. Special drinks, spices, teas, cups, etc.

Creative Packaging Example:

1. Each guest grabs a bag and fills in the circles next to the ingredients they would like included in their sandwich.
2. The customer hands the bag over to an employee and then the sandwich is prepared.
3. When the product is ready, it is placed in the bag and handed back to the customer.

This process is creative, interactive, communicates order accuracy to each customer and has marketing value as every customer will run around with that bag and even maybe promote the food he has in it.

Consider adding the following to your dine-in or take-out packaging:

• Customize your packaging to include your restaurant’s brand on each bag or take-out box. Think about what your target audience is receptive to.
• Create interaction with your brand. Print a variety of riddles, fun facts or some local trivia on your napkins or paper cups.

Each of these creative marketing concepts work by capturing your customer’s attention once they are already dining with you. Remember to give each customer a reason to choose your restaurant as a preferred dining option. Engage customers with positive language about your restaurant’s brand or concept and captivate your audience of raving fans.

Written by Daniel Grossmann