Menu Tricks of the Trade.

I thought this was a great article.  When ordering, I guess one must be vigilant.
 
http://financiallyfit.yahoo.com/finance/article-112574-9381-3-7-ways-restaurant-menus-make-you-spend?ywaad=ad0035&nc

Great article.  I know that the pictures sway people. Ordering something in a restaurant where you aren't familiar with the food like a Vietnamese restaurant, pictures help.  Are they making more money on the items that are pictured?  Very interesting question.
 
The large size order for a dollar or two more is a great trick.
 
I never understood offering different size drinks where  refills are free.  It happens.
 
Also, take 3 different size glasses and fill them completely with ice.  Fill the small one to the top with liquid.  Then pour it in to the medium ice filled glass and repeat with the large glass.  You might find that they all hold the same amount filling them to the brim.
 
Specials are always inviting.  Now I guess these specials have a purpose and it's not really aimed at the diner.
 
Thank you for posting the article.

Interesting article. Restaurants use the same psychology as Supermarkets as far as how they attract a customer to buy the products they want to sell. We humans are so Gullible!

You're right, when refills are free and I'm dining in, I don't want to pay for the larger sizes.  Very interesting about your ice scenario.  Have you tried this?   I never really thought about it before, but restaurants may be just as sneaky as supermarkets, department stores, etc.

MellowRoast


You're right, when refills are free and I'm dining in, I don't want to pay for the larger sizes.  Very interesting about your ice scenario.  Have you tried this?   I never really thought about it before, but restaurants may be just as sneaky as supermarkets, department stores, etc.

If dining in at a place with free refills and a DIY soda machine, I always get the small size and DON'T put ice in it. The beverage that comes out of the machine is always already cold.  Most people think it's warm and that you need ice to cool it down because they can't see the beverage being chilled. If you can't see it, it must not exist!!!
You don't need ice. This way you get 100% beverage, which is 98% water anyway! 

With self-service free refills, I normally pay for a medium Pepsi (and never fill it more than 1/3 with ice) rather than a small, just so I only will have to interrupt my meal once (instead of 2, 3 or 4 times) to go get a refill.  I suppose you could call it laziness.  If it is in a paper cup, I also will refill it again (to take with me) just before I leave the restaurant.  I don't think I have ever gotten a large in a place with free refills.
 
I found the part in the article about the difference between small and large chicken Caesar salads to be very interesting.  The restaurant is trying to rip you off either way, coming or going.  Even with all the negative attitude a lot of the Roadfooders have toward the all-you-can-eat buffets, they are probably the only true bargains in the restaurant business any more, since you only have to eat as much of the cheap "fillers" as you really want to.

When it comes to menu's, some folks simply amaze me. My menu has a great deal of tongue in cheek, so to speak. One time I had a guy sitting at the bar, reading the menu out loud, he sounded like Andy Griffith in No time for Sergeant's, you remember, read real slow, anyhow he says,"Award  winning  Chili...People  drive  for  miles  for  a  bowl!  They  eat  some - -then   jump  up,  squawk,  flap  their  arms,  run  in  circles,  laughing,  while  stuffing  it  in  their  pockets! he made,  in their pockets a question, looked totally bewildered and said to me, "why in the hell would they do that?" I said, damn if I know, but tons of customers do! The guy shook his head like man, what idiots! True story.

chewingthefat


When it comes to menu's, some folks simply amaze me. My menu has a great deal of tongue in cheek, so to speak. One time I had a guy sitting at the bar, reading the menu out loud, he sounded like Andy Griffith in No time for Sergeant's, you remember, read real slow, anyhow he says,"Award  winning  Chili...People  drive  for  miles  for  a  bowl!  They  eat  some - -then   jump  up,  squawk,  flap  their  arms,  run  in  circles,  laughing,  while  stuffing  it  in  their  pockets! he made,  in their pockets a question, looked totally bewildered and said to me, "why in the hell would they do that?" I said, damn if I know, but tons of customers do! The guy shook his head like man, what idiots! True story.

Now, THAT'S Funny!

Chewy, that's a scream!
 
Foodbme:  Call me crazy, but I want ice stacked to the top regardless of the coldness of the beverage.  I can't get enough ice.  Long after the beverage is gone, I'm still chomping ice.   (Movie theaters love me.) 
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Anecdote about my dad from the early 60's.  He stopped at a restaurant in East Tennessee that posted a sign "All the Fried Chicken You Can Eat for $1".  The server brought a plate with several pieces of chicken.  He then ordered another serving, but noticed she added another dollar to the check.  Politely protesting (my dad was a saint) and pointing to the sign, he asked why she charged him another buck.  She explained that the first plate was all the fried chicken he could eat for a dollar.