Menu recommendations : when do they work?

Catarci, Daniele; Laasner Vogt, Lea; Reijnen, Ester

doi:10.21256/zhaw-29760

Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://doi.org/10.21256/zhaw-29760

Publication type:	Conference poster
Type of review:	Peer review (abstract)
Title:	Menu recommendations : when do they work?
Authors:	Catarci, Daniele Laasner Vogt, Lea Reijnen, Ester
et. al:	No
DOI:	10.21256/zhaw-29760
Conference details:	1. Swiss Nutrition Research Symposium - Sustainable Diet and Metabolic Health, Bern, Switzerland, 10 November 2023
Issue Date:	10-Nov-2023
Publisher / Ed. Institution:	ZHAW Zürcher Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften
Language:	English
Subjects:	Recommendation; Food choice; Price; Position
Subject (DDC):	150: Psychology
Abstract:	Recommendations, such as “by the chef” help promote healthier and/or more sustainable food choices. However, little is known about whether recommendations are still effective when choices are few, as is typically the case in university cafés. Moreover, it is unclear how recommendations interact with factors such as price, etc. To address these questions, participants (N = 517) in a smartphone-based online study were visually presented with two menus (Dal or Curry) from which they had to choose one, with either none recommended or one of the two (none, Dal or Curry). Additionally, we manipulated the price of the menus (expensive or cheap) and the position of the menus (top or bottom). Participants were randomly assigned to one of the resulting 12 factor-level combinations (e.g., the recommended, more expensive Curry menu was on top). The subsequent analysis (probit model with ANOVA) with recommendation, price and position as independent variables and menu choice as dependent variable showed effects only with regard to the choice of the more popular menu, in this case the Curry (chosen by 66% of the participants). Specifically, when Curry was the expensive option, recommendation (regardless of position) negatively impacted choice (only 43% chose Curry), but not when Curry was the cheap option (87%). A subsequent exploratory analysis shows that the different effects of recommendations can be attributed to the participants' interpretation of the recommendation (which was assessed at the end of the respective study). Specifically, when the cheap Curry menu was recommended, participants were more likely to perceive the recommendation as a well-intentioned nudge toward a healthier or more sustainable choice. In contrast, when the Curry menu was the expensive option, participants were more likely to interpret the recommendation as a marketing strategy to increase sales. In summary, recommendations can influence menu choice in an online environment, but their effectiveness depends on pre-existing preferences for the recommended menu and is further moderated by the price of the menu.
URI:	https://digitalcollection.zhaw.ch/handle/11475/29760
Fulltext version:	Published version
License (according to publishing contract):	Licence according to publishing contract
Departement:	Applied Psychology
Organisational Unit:	Psychological Institute (PI)
Appears in collections:	Publikationen Angewandte Psychologie

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Catarci, D., Laasner Vogt, L., & Reijnen, E. (2023, November 10). Menu recommendations : when do they work? 1. Swiss Nutrition Research Symposium - Sustainable Diet and Metabolic Health, Bern, Switzerland, 10 November 2023. https://doi.org/10.21256/zhaw-29760

Catarci, D., Laasner Vogt, L. and Reijnen, E. (2023) ‘Menu recommendations : when do they work?’, in 1. Swiss Nutrition Research Symposium - Sustainable Diet and Metabolic Health, Bern, Switzerland, 10 November 2023. ZHAW Zürcher Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften. Available at: https://doi.org/10.21256/zhaw-29760.

D. Catarci, L. Laasner Vogt, and E. Reijnen, “Menu recommendations : when do they work?,” in 1. Swiss Nutrition Research Symposium - Sustainable Diet and Metabolic Health, Bern, Switzerland, 10 November 2023, Nov. 2023. doi: 10.21256/zhaw-29760.

CATARCI, Daniele, Lea LAASNER VOGT und Ester REIJNEN, 2023. Menu recommendations : when do they work? In: 1. Swiss Nutrition Research Symposium - Sustainable Diet and Metabolic Health, Bern, Switzerland, 10 November 2023. Conference poster. ZHAW Zürcher Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften. 10 November 2023

Catarci, Daniele, Lea Laasner Vogt, and Ester Reijnen. 2023. “Menu Recommendations : When Do They Work?” Conference poster. In 1. Swiss Nutrition Research Symposium - Sustainable Diet and Metabolic Health, Bern, Switzerland, 10 November 2023. ZHAW Zürcher Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften. https://doi.org/10.21256/zhaw-29760.

Catarci, Daniele, et al. “Menu Recommendations : When Do They Work?” 1. Swiss Nutrition Research Symposium - Sustainable Diet and Metabolic Health, Bern, Switzerland, 10 November 2023, ZHAW Zürcher Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften, 2023, https://doi.org/10.21256/zhaw-29760.