Eateries shrink dishes and prices, but checks stay the same
5/10/08
Restaurants are offering smaller, cheaper portions, but that doesn't
mean dainty dining. Instead, people are using smaller dishes as an
excuse to add to their orders, spending =97 and probably eating =97 just
as much as before.
T.G.I. Friday's, Quiznos and Au Bon Pain and other "fast-casual"
restaurants have introduced smaller, cheaper alternatives to supersize
portions. The twist: Diners who order the petite portions are also
likely to indulge in an appetizer or dessert.
An October article in The Journal of Consumer Research summarized
three studies showing that low-calorie counts and health claims at
fast-food restaurants have "a halo effect" that causes diners to
underestimate the calories in main dishes and choose higher-calorie
side dishes, drinks or desserts.
"These studies help explain why the success of fast-food restaurants
serving lower-calorie foods has not led to the expected reduction in
total calorie intake and obesity rates," wrote the authors, Pierre
Chandon of France's INSEAD Business School and Brian Wansink at
Cornell University.
Call it the room-for-dessert factor.
http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/food/2008-05-10-shrinking-portions_=
N.htm
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